A gilt-bronze-and brass-mounted mahogany, amaranth, stained sycamore and parquetry commode à vantaux by G. Beneman and J. Stockel, Louis XVI, partially reveneered

with a moulded brèche d'Alep marble top, the underside with three ink customs stamps, two partially illegible, one with `Zwollern Para..ber niederlage Berlin' with an eagle and nr.1, above an egg and dart border and a frieze drawer mounted with guilloche enclosing flowerheads within a beaded border, the rounded corners applied with a patera above fruiting and floral swags flanking a pair of panelled doors later inlaid with trelliswork enclosing flowerheads opening to reveal the reverse of the doors veneered with 18th century amaranth and three long drawers later veneered in amaranth and sycamore and with later gilt-bronze ring handles, the apron mounted with scrolling acanthus on tapering fluted legs with a gadrooned and foliate collars, the sides similarly mounted and inlaid to the front with a drawer above a door enclosing two shelves, the reverse with the incised number 943,  stamped G. Beneman and I.Stockel JME three timesand bearing the mark of the Garde Meuble of Marie-Antoinette; also with a faint mark F.x.

In overall very good conserved condition and can be placed immediately.The colour of the wood is slightly darker and the mounts are less greenish more golden and attractive than in the catalogue photograph. The marble top has some old minor chips commensurate with age and normal usage and some old minor restorations to the front corners but is in good condition. There are several horizontal cracks in the trellis and flowerhead marquetry panels which will need some attention. Some of the gilt-bronze mounts are a little dirty and would benefit from a light clean according to taste. The gilding at the top of the swag on the right corner has been lost where there has been some resoldering and the veneer is lifting slighly on the fluted corners beneath it which can easily be reglued. The apron veneer is more faded compared to the rest as visible from the catalogue photograph but can easily be repolished. The inside of the doors are a bit faded and warped but can easily be restored. There is a very minor section (approx 1cm) of veneer missing to the right of the gilt-bronze flowerhead on the right corner.
"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:
Daniel Alcouffe et al, Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Vol. I, Dijon, 1993, pp. 296-298.
Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris,1998, p. 824, for a related acajou moucheté commode à vantaux by Stockel, with a frieze drawer above two doors with projecting fluted curved corners surmounted by a patera and similarly cast feet , as on the offered commode, in the Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris.
Alexandre Pradère, French Furniture Makers, The Art of the Ebéniste from Louis XIV to the Revolution, Tours, 1989, pp. 405-411. 

This commode is intriguing as it must have originally been conceived as a mahogany veneered commode which has subsequently been reveneered on the outside with trelliswork enclosing flowerheads. The presence of two ébénistes stamps on this commode can be explained by the close collaboration between Benneman and Stockel which is well documented. From 1786 to 1787, Benneman completed or transformed a series of commodes by Stockel, which were purchased by the Garde-Meuble in 1786 from the marchand-mercier Philippe-Ambroise Sauvage which had apparenlty been made for by the Comte de Provence. According to Pradère`..At vast expense (nearly 35,000 livres) the four commodes..as a result of Benneman's `tinkering' became ight commodes of staggering richness.Everything had been reveneered, all the mounts were regilded.'  See Pradère op. cit., p. 407, fig, 505, for a `commode with doves' stamped Benneman, who in 1786 reveneered this commode by Stockel in mahogany then made it smaller and replaced the original door with drawers, which is now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. The aforementioned  commode by Benneman, is also llustrated by Alcouffe et. al., op. cit., p. 296, which he states originally had a very different appearance but what is interesting to note is the richly cast fruiting swags on the frieze which are similarly cast to those swags on the corners of the offered  commode.

Guillaume Benneman (died in 1811), received master in 1785. Like so many of his fellow ébénistes, Beneman was born and trained in Germany and worked independently in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine before receiving his first royal commissions in 1784. As Ebéniste de la Couronne he worked almost exclusively for the crown from 1786-1792, up until 1788 under the directorship of Jean Hauré, later under Thierry de Ville d' Avray. His early work involved considerable transformations and updating of existing pieces in view of the prevailing desire for economy at the time. It is known that he has worked with Weisweiler and was used by the Garde-Meuble as an alternative source to Daguerre's supply. His commissions included pieces for Versailles, Saint-Cloud and the Tuileries.

Joseph Stockel, 1743-1802, received Master 1775.