A Louis XVI carved giltwood marquise, circa 1765

Partridge Fine Arts, London, 1997.

This superb marquise is a particularly fine example from the late 18th century, boasting a balaced yet diversified design. The rich carvings present about 5 different types of friezes from laurel leaves, foliage, guilloche, fluted and beaded examples, certainly testifying to the work of a skilled menuisier and sculptor. It is tempting to bring the present closer to the work of Jean-Baptiste Boulard (1725–1789) and Georges Jacob (1739-1814). A pair of armchairs by Georges Jacob sold at Sotheby’s Zurich, 7-8th June 2000, lot 435 and a canapé also by Jacob sold at Sotheby’s, Paris, 29-30 September 2015, lot 15 illustrate similar scrolled arms and frames carved with laurel leaves. The pair of armchairs by Georges Jacob sold at Sotheby's, Paris, 30th November 2011, lot 69 further are carved with scrolled arms with a guilloche frieze and laurel leaves to the frames. On the other hand, Boulard’s chairs in the collections of the Château de Versailles from Louis XVI’s salon des Jeux and his four-fold screen at the Musée Nissim de Camondo feature these same laurel borders and flower-headed cartouches.