A gilt-bronze-mounted fruitwood, sycamore, amaranth, marquetry and parquetry table à transformation stamped L. Boudin JME twice, Louis XV, circa 1755

the shaped top with a three–quarter Greek key frieze gallery depicting a chinoiserie scene with a couple flanked by a desk and a chair with a Chinese pavilion, pagoda and building in the background within a cartouche with floral sprays and flanked by a reserve with flowering branches and a trelliswork border sliding with the fitted frieze drawer opening to reveal a leather inset reading stand, flanked by tambour lidded recess with removable compartments with later silk linings, the frieze inlaid with shaped panels of flowers and a townscape set against further panels of flowerhead trellis, one side with a swing drawer with gilt-brass receptacles for ink-pot and sander on cabriole legs, the sides and back decorated with cartouches of floral sprays

Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918)
By descent to Almina, Countess of Carnarvon, sold Christie's, London, 19th May 1925, lot 299
Christie's, London, 4th December 1975, lot 71 (26,000gns).

C. Davis, Catalogue of the Collection of Alfred de Rothschild, Esq., privately printed, 1884, no. 229.

In overall very good conserved condition. The colour is less orange overall and there is more contrast of the veneers and the piece is much more attractive than in the catalogue photograph. The detail to the marquetry is charming. The glass ink-pot is missing but can easily be replaced. The casting of the mounts is of good quality.
"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:
Geoffrey de Bellaigue, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Vol. II, Fribourg, 1974, pp. 466-471.
Daniel Alcouffe and others, Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Vol I, Dijon, 1993, pp. 178-179 and 180-181.

This rare and supremely elegant mechanical table combines an innovative design with superlative quality marquetry executed by one of the leading Parisian 18^th century ébénistes, Léonard Boudin. It was the height of fashion with its mechanical features and chinoiserie marquetry, as the taste for the exotic and chinoiseries reached their apogee by the middle of the 18^th century.

There is another reading/writing table almost certainly a table à transformation also stamped L. Boudin, with a sliding top revealing a writing slide and tambour fronted recesses sold from the Estate of Mrs. Charles Allen Jr., Sotheby’s, New York, 1^st  November 1997, lot 85 ($280,000). It has an identical chinoiserie marquetry panel on the top within a stylised Greek key gallery and almost exactly follows the outline of the offered piece. The top of each table slides back whilst the frieze drawer advances, both of which are fitted with rising reading stands flanked by lidded compartments. Furthermore, they are also both of similar dimensions. Where the tables differ is in the knee and feet mounts and the marquetry on the sides and back, as the table sold in New York has a central cartouche enclosing a monkey dressed in hunting clothes flanked by dogs and panels of cube parquetry, after engravings of designs by Christophe Huet (d. 1759) and the cartouches on the top with trophies seem to derive from engravings by Gilles Demarteau (1722-1776).

Another related table which is unsigned with a variation in the marquetry on the top depicting monkeys dressed as musicians is at Waddesdon Manor, Hertfordshire and illustrated by de Bellaigue op. cit.  p. 466-471. The top is of similar outline to the offered table and is centred by a cartouche flanked by a further cartouche with trophies.

Furthermore, a table similar to the offered example stamped by Pierre Roussel, was in the Sydney J. Lamon collection, sold at Christies, London, 29^th November 1973, lot 95, sold again 2^nd December 1998, lot 150.

It is worthwhile mentioning that there is a mechanical table by Jean-François Oeben, who is credited with inventing this type of mechanical table, of similar outline, the top with a central cartouche flanked by further reserves and with floral trails and very similar reserves of  trellis and dot parquetry, now in the Louvre, illustrated by Alcouffe, op,. cit., pp. 177-178. The top slides back and the drawer forward as on the offered example revealing two compartments and a stand raised by a ratchet.  The Louvre table contained mahogany and it was just beginning to be used. There is another mechanical table in the Louvre not stamped but attributed to Oeben of similar outline and trelliswork and flowerhead cartouches with sprays of flowers and fish-scale motifs (the latter also used by Boudin),

A writing table stamped Boudin of similar form to the offered table, the top divided into three cartouches depicting a village scene and trophies, was sold  Christie’s, New York, 26^th April 1994, lot 243.

Léonard Boudin (1735-1807) received master in 1761.
Boudin had his workshop in the Rue Travestière where he carried out commissions for the marchand-ébéniste Pierre III Migeon. Pieces by Boudin were highly regarded for their elaborate and innovative marquetry and he soon supplied important clients. In 1775 Boudin became a marchand-ébéniste in his own right which enabled him to give commissions to a number of important craftsmen such as Foullet and Topino.