A German commode, the mounts possibly by Johann Melchior Kambli, Berlin or Postdam, circa 1750-60

An American private collection;

Sotheby's New York, 25 May 2000, lot 326;

Koller Zurich, 19 June 2007, lot 1093.

____________________________________________

Collection privée américaine;

Sotheby's New York, 25 mai 2000, lot 326;

Koller Zurich, 19 juin 2007, lot 1093.

Related literature:

H. Kreisel, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels - Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1974; II (Figs. 787, 805, 806, 807).

G. Haase, Dresdener Möbel des 18. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig 1983; p. 268 (fig. 41, the mentioned commode from the Residenzschloss).

This superb commode shows a strong influence from Parisian furniture. The rich bronze mounts and idiosyncratic form are reminiscent of works by the Spindler brothers, who made very similar furniture in collaboration with M. Kambli in Potsdam in the 1750s and 60s. Several analogous commodes from the Neues Palais in Potsdam show similarities in their design and bronze fittings. A Dresden provenance would also be possible, as analogous bronzes are found on a commode attributed to M. Kimmel from the Dresden Residence Palace.

The Spindler workshop was probably founded by Johann Spindler, who following the court of the Margraves, moved from Kulmbach to Bayreuth in 1718. His sons Johann Friedrich (b. 1726) and Heinrich Wilhelm (b. 1738) appear to have trained with their father and taken over his workshop but moved it to Potsdam and then Berlin in 1764. The business received important orders from the royal court in Bayreuth and from Wilhelmine, the sister of Frederick the Great and wife of the margrave there. As a result, Frederick, who lived in Berlin/Potsdam, also became aware of the excellent works of the Spindler family and had Johann Friedrich and Heinrich Wilhelm come to his court around 1765. There are no recorded works by the Spindler family while in Bayreuth so no firm attributions can been established. The studio in Berlin/Potsdam enjoyed an excellent reputation and received important commissions from the court, including the production of a panelling in the New Chambers at Potsdam-Sanssouci and a considerable number of chests of drawers, tables and cabinets.

M. Kambli can be traced back to 1746 in Potsdam, where he created the so-called "Bronze Room" in 1754/55, after a royal patent had allowed him to cast gilded bronzes years earlier. In collaboration with the Spindler brothers, Kambli created veritable masterpieces of Prussian furniture art, some of which can still be admired today in Sanssouci Palace.