French Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted veneer inlaid Grand Royal Pedestal Stand after the model by Jean-Henri Riesener
Ref#ST-1034 | Description
Our fine Reproduction of the fascinating Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted pedestal after the model by Jean-Henri Riesener, late 19th century,
With stepped veined marble top & canted front corners above an Egg-and-Dart ormolu trim, on a rectangular concave upper section followed and centered by a Mercury sunburst ormolu mask with crossed lower branches, the angles with an acanthus-cast scrolled volute hung and foliate festoons, above the tapering upright, the paneled front finely chiseled and burnished with a flower-filled Rinceau style vase ormolu pattern flanked by scrolling foliage and floral swags issuing suspending festoons above a Lyre and crossing blowing instruments with surrounding wreath, all placed on a pomelle bubinga veneer background within an ormolu beaded trim, on winged lion-paw feet and concave shaped plinth ornamented with laurel festoons on toupie leafy ormolu feet.
Ref#ST-1034
H:154 x W:56 x D:36cm
Louis XVI Style | Jean-Henri Riesener
Jean-Henri Riesener
Jean-Henri Riesener, (born July 4.1734, Gladbeck, Münster [Germany]—died Jan. 6.1806, Paris, France), the best-known cabinetmaker in France during the reign of Louis XVI. Riesener was the son of an usher in the law courts of the elector of Cologne. After moving to Paris he joined the workshop of Jean-François Oeben in 1754, and, when Oeben died in 1763, Riesener was put in charge of the workshop and later married his master’s widow.
He made his name by completing and delivering to Louis XV the famous bureau du roi (“king’s desk”), begun by Oeben. In 1774 he was made royal cabinetmaker and from then onward was the regular supplier of furniture to the queen, Marie-Antoinette. Although he was one of the most versatile of cabinetmakers, his services were in little demand during the French Revolutionary period because of his political status.
Riesener used both European and exotic woods, with a preference for mahogany; he occasionally used lacquer and mother-of-pearl to enrich the surfaces of his works. His finished style was pure Louis xvi, with its rectilinear side view and harmonious ornamentation.
