Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
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Lot 96TP
An Empire ormolu mounted mahogany semainier Circa 1805, feasibly by Bernard Molitor
5 July 2024, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £4,480 inc. premium
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Thomas Moore
Head of Department
An Empire ormolu mounted mahogany semainier
Circa 1805, feasibly by Bernard Molitor
The marble top above one long oak lined frieze drawer mounted with a pair of opposing griffins with scrolled foliate-terminating tails and holding a ribboned quiver of arrows flanking a central lyre surmounted by a crescent moon emblematic of Diana, with star mounted angles, over five long oak lined drawers, each drawer with twin acanthus, rosette and scrolled foliate embellished swan-form handle mounts with scrolled swan neck pulls, flanked by classical maiden bust-headed herm tapering square section columns, on a plinth base with a central Diana mask mount flanked by stylised foliate, scrolled and palmette adornments, with flowerhead angles, on large bun feet and rear stile supports, each of the lower five drawers with a central escutcheon comprised of twin opposing swans with a central ribbon tied floral wreath pendant, each side mounted with a long sword within its scabbard, 124cm wide x 49cm deep x 144cm high, (48 1/2in wide x 19in deep x 56 1/2in high)
The marble top above one long oak lined frieze drawer mounted with a pair of opposing griffins with scrolled foliate-terminating tails and holding a ribboned quiver of arrows flanking a central lyre surmounted by a crescent moon emblematic of Diana, with star mounted angles, over five long oak lined drawers, each drawer with twin acanthus, rosette and scrolled foliate embellished swan-form handle mounts with scrolled swan neck pulls, flanked by classical maiden bust-headed herm tapering square section columns, on a plinth base with a central Diana mask mount flanked by stylised foliate, scrolled and palmette adornments, with flowerhead angles, on large bun feet and rear stile supports, each of the lower five drawers with a central escutcheon comprised of twin opposing swans with a central ribbon tied floral wreath pendant, each side mounted with a long sword within its scabbard, 124cm wide x 49cm deep x 144cm high, (48 1/2in wide x 19in deep x 56 1/2in high)
Footnotes
Provenance
The present lot was acquired, most likely during the late 1990s or early 2000s, by the current owner and vendor from Mallett at Bourdon House, 2 Davies Street, London. Upon its purchase, Mallett had described it as an Empire semainier attributed to Bernard Molitor, circa 1810. A Mallett colour photograph, along with a letter detailing their description of this piece, is available to view upon request.
Several documented pieces made by the renowned French cabinet maker Bernard Molitor during the period 1799-1810 share a couple of characteristics in common with the offered Empire semainier. Arguably, the most distinctive element appearing on a number of similar contemporary Molitor secretaire a abattant, semainier and secretaire en cabinet examples is the classical female herm bust-headed and square tapering column which often serves as the angles for this type of case furniture, as can be seen on the above.
However, more specifically, a virtually identical elegant model of twin opposing swan-form escutcheon to those featuring on the present lot are also used as the same keyhole mounts for a few such recorded pieces produced by Molitor that are illustrated in U. Leben, Molitor, Ebeniste from the Ancien Regime to the Bourbon Restoration, 1992, London, fig.'s 17, 138 and 148, pp.'s 30, 133 and 148. Further closely comparable ormolu mounts to those of the offered semainier, including the elongated sword mounted to each side, exist on these examples, as well as on other Molitor furniture. The latter also appearing therein, Ibid, fig.'s 18, 55, 76, 77, 83, 84, 87, 88 and 140, pp.'s 31, 69, 88, 89, 93, 95, 96 and 134.