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A Napoleon III thuyawood, ebonised and 'bois durci' liqueur cabinet by Charles-Guillaume Diehl (German, 1811-1885), inset with shaped and rectangular panels, possibly by Francois Charles Lepage image 1
A Napoleon III thuyawood, ebonised and 'bois durci' liqueur cabinet by Charles-Guillaume Diehl (German, 1811-1885), inset with shaped and rectangular panels, possibly by Francois Charles Lepage image 2
A Napoleon III thuyawood, ebonised and 'bois durci' liqueur cabinet by Charles-Guillaume Diehl (German, 1811-1885), inset with shaped and rectangular panels, possibly by Francois Charles Lepage image 3
Lot 185

A Napoleon III thuyawood, ebonised and 'bois durci' liqueur cabinet by Charles-Guillaume Diehl (German, 1811-1885),
inset with shaped and rectangular panels, possibly by Francois Charles Lepage

Home & Interiors
18 – 19 April 2023, 10:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £573.75 inc. premium

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A Napoleon III thuyawood, ebonised and 'bois durci' liqueur cabinet by Charles-Guillaume Diehl (German, 1811-1885),

inset with shaped and rectangular panels, possibly by Francois Charles Lepage
of rectangular form, the top inset with a panel depicting an oval of bacchic putti and a goat, the front with a panel decorated with an oval female profile portrait, possibly depicting the Empress Eugenie, the sides with foliate panels, the hinged lid and front opening to reveal a lift-out oval gilt framed tray stand with handle, enclosing a suite of four etched and cut-glass decanters and stoppers with gilt rims, and sixteen glasses ensuite, one as found, the lockplate with engraved maker's/retailer's mark, the cabinet, 27cm high, 38.5cm long, 30cm deep

Footnotes

Bois durci was an early 'plastic' moulded material based on cellulose. Patented in Paris in 1855 by Francois Charles Lepage, 'literary man of Paris', he claimed 'A New Composition of materials which may be employed as a substitute for wood, leather, bone, metal and other hard or plastic substances'. The moulded material was made from finely ground wood 'flour' mixed with a binder, either egg, gelatin or in the case of Lepage, blood albumen which was obtained from the Paris slaughterhouses. The wood 'flour' used was either ebony or rosewood, giving either a black or brown finish. The mixture was dried and ground to a fine powder. The powder was placed in a steel mould and compressed in a powerful hydraulic press whilst being heated by steam. The final product was then polished to a dense glossy finish imparted by the surface of the steel mould.

Lepage produced a variety of small household items including combs and pipe stems etc., and The SOCIETE DU BOIS DURCI was established to produce desk items, especially decorative inkwell stands and plaques. The factory was at Grenelle in Paris and products were sold through A Latry & Cie. of 7 Rue du Grand-Chantier, (Au Marais) in Paris. In 1862 he exhibited the wares of the Societé at the International Exhibition. By the end of the 20th Century, the firm had been taken over by MIOM (La Manufacture d'Isolants et Objets Moulés) which was founded in 1898. They continued to make bois durci until about 1920, by which time it had been superseded by newer plastics materials, such as bakelite.

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