Thomas Moore
Head of Department
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Lot 145TP,Y
A French 19th century ormolu mounted kingwood, bois satine and 'bois de bout' marquetry secretaire en cabinet by Georges-Alphonse-Bonifacio Monbro (1807-1884)
1 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £3,200 inc. premium
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Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
A French 19th century ormolu mounted kingwood, bois satine and 'bois de bout' marquetry secretaire en cabinet by Georges-Alphonse-Bonifacio Monbro (1807-1884)
Of exaggerated bombe form, inlaid with scrolled stylised foliage, the marble top above one long frieze drawer, over a hinged fall mounted with a central olive leaf garlanded rocaille and scrolled foliate oval cartouche, enclosing a rosewood veneered interior, four short tulipwood veneered drawers, two compartments, one shelf and a gilt tooled writing surface, over a pair of doors, with a shaped apron below, on splayed square section supports, the back stamped: 'MONBRO, JME', 116cm wide x 46cm deep x 141cm high, (45 1/2in wide x 18in deep x 55 1/2in high)
Footnotes
The Monbro firm was founded by Georges-Marie-Paul-Vital-Bonifacio (1774-1841) and continued by his eldest son, Georges-Alphonse-Bonifacio (1807-1884) from 1838 onwards. The latter witnessed his father's enterprise become one of the most successful cabinet making companies to produce fine quality furniture in Paris by the mid 19th century.
The Monbros were 'ébénistes' and dealers who specialised in ormolu mounted 'Boulle' marquetry pieces. Amongst the numerous affluent and often aristocratic clientele of the company, their most important patron was Louis Philippe, the monarch who ruled France between the years 1830-1848. They received several commissions for the Royal palaces during this period, and arguably most notably supplied furniture for the Palais de Saint-Cloud.
The Monbro family's workshop was located in the Marais district, in Paris. They established themselves as among the premium haut luxe suppliers operating during the mid and third quarter 19th century. Their renown was further strengthened by the founding of a London-based wing of the business at 2 Frith Street in 1861.
The firm had a particular reputation for works incorporating Florentine pietre dure and their diverse selection of high quality pieces became the cornerstone of their display at both the Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie Française and the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1855. Unfortunately, their enterprise terminated in 1865.
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