A Russian gilt-bronze-mounted mahogany mechanical cylinder bureau attributed to Christian Meyer late 18th century

the upper section with a pierced gallery concealing a drawer above three frieze drawers and a pull-out section concealing a hinged tooled leather-writing surface the underside incised `H.P.R.', the roll-top opening to reveal a pull-out leather-lined writing slide above compartments for writing implements and fitted with four drawers, a tambour door and pigeon holes above two long drawers

F. Lewis Hinckley, A Directionary of Antique Furniture, 1953, New York, p. 44, illustrated,

A strong and elegant model the mechanism of which requires restoration. Colour slightly darker overall and more attractive than in the catalogue photograph. The wood is mahogany. The front rear right galleries are slightly loose but can be easily repinned.There are hairline cracks generally commensurate with age. There are some very minor sections of veneer missing which can easily be restored. Some very minor rubbing to mounts some of which are later replacements. Some of the mounts are loose but can easily be repinned. Mechanism for roll top no longer works and will need restoring. There is a minor restoration to the front right leg and there is evidence of old minor restorations to the legs generally. There are restored vertical cracks down both sides of the lower panel and a 1cm wide strip of wood which has been inserted as part of the restoration. Some of the wood is rather dry looking and would benefit from a repolish, especially around the gallery area.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
A. Chenevière, Russian Furniture, the Golden Age 1780-1840, London, 1988, p.91, 95, 124 & 125.
Josef Maria Greber, Abraham und David Roentgen, Möbel für Europa, Starnberg, 1980, p. 286, fig. 557.
Hans Huth, Roentgen Furniture, Abraham and David Roentgen: European Cabinet-makers, London and New York, 1974, figs. 81, 83 and 84.  
Heinrich Kreisel, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, Munich, 1973, Vol. IIII, figs. 17, 18 & 21.

This magnificent cylinder bureau epitomises the style popularised in Russia at the end of the late 18th century by celebrated makers such as David Roentgen who supplied pieces to Catherine the Great for her Royal Palaces. Frequently pieces which had been supplied to the Imperial residences are mistakenly attributed to Roentgen, when in fact they are by another maker active in Russia at that time, Christian Meyer. Huth , op. cit., p. 22, states that, `Meyer was known to be able to imitate  Roentgen furniture so well that no-one could tell his copies  from the originals'.
Although an attribution to a specific maker is difficult for the present cylinder bureau, its architectural form, the use of superb mahogany veneers and rich gilt-bronze mounts bear striking similarities to the work of the celebrated St. Petersburg cabinet-maker Christian Meyer, whose reputation was already very well established when David Roentgen made his first visit to the capital in 1783.

The gilt-bronze-framing device on the drawers, drapery swags, ribbon-tied reeds on the edge of the pull-out slide and bucrania can be seen on a magnificent pair of commodes attributed to Christian  Meyer and illustrated by Chenevière, op. cit., pp. 90-91, figs. 72a and 72, which bear their original Pavlovsk Palace inventory label and sold Christie's, New  York, 21st May 2003, lot 325 ($657,100).

There is scant information on Christian Meyer, even his date of birth and death remain obscure. However, what is known is that he was active in the latter decades of the18th century and worked solely for the Russian Imperial family and his work can be found in the Hermitage, Pavlovsk Palace and Tsarskoe Selo Palace. His private workshop was apparently one of the busiest in the capital with a  prolific output and he is known to have supplied sixty-four large bookcases for the library in 1793 and thirty-five more in 1795 for the Hermitage.

His reputation was such that he was deemed sufficiently qualified to give lessons in cabinet-making to the Grand Dukes Alexander and Constantine who were the grandsons of Catherine the Great and was greatly influenced by the work of the celebrated German cabinet- maker David Roentgen who supplied Catherine the Great with some oustanding mechanical pieces of furniture.

Meyer, like Roentgen, was known for his use of richly figured mahogany veneer richly ornamented with gilt-bronze mounts. In an inventory compiled in  1811 of all the objets d'art and sculpture at the Hermitage, there was listed 149 pieces attributed to Christian Meyer. In 1787, he delivered eighteen display cabinets in mahogany with gilt-bronze mounts to the Hermitage, obviously influenced in style by Roentgen's furniture on display at the Winter Palace. Meyer's pieces in the Russian Jacob style, are illustrated by Chenevière op. cit., pp. 84-96. It is worthwhile noting the monumental mahogany veneered desk with fourteen legs richly decorated with gilt-bronze mounts including trophies on the legs, delivered by Christian Meyer in 1790, for the Council of the Navy, illustrated by Chenevière, op. cit., pp. 66-67.  It also has the leafy trails running down the legs as on the present piece and demonstrates as on the cylinder bureau, the Russian taste for richness in decoration.

It is also worthwhile considering Huth, op. cit., fig. 81, for a mahogany secrétaire with a gilt-bronze ribbon-tied neo-classical medallion on the front in the Hermitage Museum and figs. 83 & 84  for a secrétaire with a neo-classical medallion on the front in the Hermitage Museum, both by Roentgen. Finally, Kreisel, op. cit., figs. 17, 18 & 21, illustrates various examples of cylinder bureaux by David Roentgen from which the maker of this piece obviously took  inspiration.