A French gilt-bronze mounted lacquer and ebony cabinet by Befort Jeune, late 19th century

The present cabinet by Béfort Jeune combines two great traditions of decorative arts in Europe, merging the great Parisian ébénisterie of the late 19th century with the use of black lacquer.

Related examples, though not with lacquer, but by Béfort Jeune and similar mounts were offered at Sotheby's, New York, 13-14th April 2016, lot 555 and Sotheby's, London, 7-18th May 2021, lot 136.

Mathieu Béfort (1813-1880), also known as Béfort Jeune, comes from a renowned dynasty of cabinet makers and bronziers beginning as early as 1817. He lived at 1 and 6 rue Neuve-Saint-Gilles in Paris from 1844 to 1880, and received a medal at the 1844 Exposition des produits de l'industrie français. Mathieu was the son of Jean-Baptiste Béfort (1783-1840), who was of Belgian origin and renowned for having supplied furniture for the apartments of the Duc d'Orléans. His older brother, Bernard Béfort, was active between 1836 and 1858. After his brother, Mathieu took over the family business until 1878. As a gifted ébéniste-marqueteur, he specialized in Boulle-style marquetry, in particular on high quality works inspired by the work of André-Charles-Boulle himself, but also occasionally incorporating hardstone panels and lacquer, as seen in the present lot.