- 145
AN AMERICAN RENAISSANCE EBONIZED AND PARCEL GILT CENTER TABLE New York, circa 1870s
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- fruitwood, ebony, other woods
- height 28 1/4 in.; length 51 1/2 in.; depth 31 1/2 in.
- 72 cm; 131 cm; 80 cm
the stained fruitwood and ebony marquetry top depicting the Jean de la Fontaine fable, The Fox and the Stork.
Condition
Overall in very good condition. Scattered minor scratches, abrasions and nicks consistent with age and use. The ebonized surfaces and some of the parcel gilt possibly with some earlier re-painting. One of the decorated aprons is lacking one of its two carved finials. The finial centered on the stretcher with two holes indicating an element that is now lacking. The veneers of the molded frame of the tabletop with areas of filler and overpainting. One burlwood veneered, engraved and parcel gilt apron also with a small area of filler. The marquetry is well-executed and in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Though the following two examples of American Renaissance Revival style furniture are unattributed, both display a standard of cabinetmaking usually associated with firms like Alexandre Roux and Pottier and Stymus.
The Renaissance Revival style emerged in the United States in the 1850s as a combination of Renaissance-inspired architectural forms overlaid with French Louis XVI ornament. These primary decorative vocabularies were often further embellished with Greek and Egyptian inspired motifs. By the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial, the style had reached its height, and had been adopted and modified by multiple fine furniture makers in major American cities.
The cabinet and table share several qualities, most notably their finely detailed marquetry panels depicting scenes from the Fables de la Fontaine. Both panels are almost certainly the work of Joseph Cremer (1830-1878), one of the most renowned marqueteurs of the mid-nineteenth century. He won medals at many of the major exhibitions of the period, and was annointed un maître by the jury of the 1855 Paris Exposition Universelle. By now, it is known that his Parisian firm sold marquetry panels to furniture makers in America. While often unsigned, inlay of this quality is safely attributed to his workshop, and their presence further indicates that they were produced by a prestigious furniture maker. Similar examples of renaissance revival style furniture with Cremer panels that have since been attributed to companies like Pottier and Stymus and Herter Brothers can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum.
In this way, these pieces are indicative of a transitional moment in American decorative arts, in which furniture makers began to explore increasingly inventive designs while still looking to France for signifiers of quality and expense.
The Renaissance Revival style emerged in the United States in the 1850s as a combination of Renaissance-inspired architectural forms overlaid with French Louis XVI ornament. These primary decorative vocabularies were often further embellished with Greek and Egyptian inspired motifs. By the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial, the style had reached its height, and had been adopted and modified by multiple fine furniture makers in major American cities.
The cabinet and table share several qualities, most notably their finely detailed marquetry panels depicting scenes from the Fables de la Fontaine. Both panels are almost certainly the work of Joseph Cremer (1830-1878), one of the most renowned marqueteurs of the mid-nineteenth century. He won medals at many of the major exhibitions of the period, and was annointed un maître by the jury of the 1855 Paris Exposition Universelle. By now, it is known that his Parisian firm sold marquetry panels to furniture makers in America. While often unsigned, inlay of this quality is safely attributed to his workshop, and their presence further indicates that they were produced by a prestigious furniture maker. Similar examples of renaissance revival style furniture with Cremer panels that have since been attributed to companies like Pottier and Stymus and Herter Brothers can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum.
In this way, these pieces are indicative of a transitional moment in American decorative arts, in which furniture makers began to explore increasingly inventive designs while still looking to France for signifiers of quality and expense.