A rare gilt-bronze mounted ebony and mahogany table à la tronchin by Nicolas Lannuier, Louis XVI, late 18th century

the adjustable rising top inset with green and gilt tooled leather with ebony borders with  a fitted pull-out drawer with writing slide, beaded mouldings and mounts, two lifting handles to the sides and two slides to top, on square fluted tapering supports and castors, the drawer with the label of Maître Ebéniste Lannuier

Jean Nicolay, L'art et la Manière des Maîtres Ébénistes Français au XVIII Siècle, Paris, 1976, p.253, fig. C;
Peter M Kenney, Francis F Bretter, Ulrich Leben, Honoré Lannuier Cabinet Maker from Paris, New York, 2007, p. 13, fig. 7

In overall good conserved condition. The colour overall is less orange and the gilding less greenish and more attractive than in the catalogue photograph.There are some minor stains and losses which have been touched up on the leather top which have been well executed. The gilt-bronze mounts are well cast and are slightly dirty and would benefit from a light clean according to taste. The leather on the sliding top of the frieze drawer is a later replacement and is a bit stiff and would benefit from some easing. There is a missing screw from the gilt-bronze border on left side. There is an approx 10cm. long restoration to the ebony border. The mechanism is in good working order. There are some minor hairline cracks and old very minor restorations to the mahogany on the underside of top. There are four small circular filled holes in the veneer of the border of the top where there possibly was formerly a ledge to rest a book or papers.
"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."

This type of multi-purpose writing table, with ratcheted reading and drawing slope, was named a table à la Tronchin in honour of the Swiss doctor Théodore Tronchin (d. 1781), who recommended the use of such a table for reading or writing while standing. The complex design’s first inventor has been attributed to both Louis Dufour in 1777 and Abraham Roentgen in 1780. It is very difficult to trace exactly who was the innovator of this type of table as not all original designs survive or are dated. However, we do know that many of the great ebenistes of the late 18^th century including Riesener, Feuerstein, Weisweiler and Lannuier created variations of their own.

 Nicolas-Louis Cyrille Lannuier (maître 1786) was born 1766-67 into an industrious family of cabinet makers and entrepreneurs. His uncle was the well-established Parisian ébéniste Jean-Charles Cochois, whilst his youngest brother was to become the celebrated Franco-American ébéniste Honoré Lannuier. Nicolas grew up in Chantilly to the north of Paris before moving with his family to Paris in the early 1780's. He retained a strong connection to Chantilly and to the resident Prince de Condé, Louis XVI’s cousin, throughout his early career. This connection explains the commission that he supplied to the Prince in 1786 for 5,000 livres worth of furniture. Unfortunately the exact commission has been lost, however, the present offered lot's refined construction and sophisticated mechanism would have been the most commercial and desirable of his output at that time. Apart from the Prince de Condé, Lannuier had one other royal client namely the Comte de Provence later Louis XVIII. Again nothing is known of this commission other than that the Comte patronised many Parisian ébénistes to accommodate his lavish lifestyle including Lannuier. Furniture from Lannuier’s workshop is characterised by fine mahogany veneers and brass inlays enclosing narrow mahogany fillets. From early on Lanniuer understood the importance of self-promotion and often attached small adverts into his furniture to encourage business amongst the admiring public as seen on the offered piece.