Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Lot 25TP
A Régence or early Louis XV ormolu mounted mahogany bombé serpentine commode en bureau Circa 1730, possibly by Etienne Doirat (c.1670-1732)
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£3,000 - £5,000
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Thomas Moore
Head of Department
A Régence or early Louis XV ormolu mounted mahogany bombé serpentine commode en bureau
Circa 1730, possibly by Etienne Doirat (c.1670-1732)
With a pierced scrolled foliate, floral and strapwork galleried top, above a panel mounted hinged fall front interspersed by acanthus and mounted centrally to the top by two busts of Aeolus and Boreas blowing forth gusts of contrariwise wind amidst a cloud, enclosing a central panelled door flanked by two bookends and six short drawers, with six serpentine end drawers, the central well with a sliding lid, over two short shaped panelled drawers, with two long shaped panelled drawers below, above a shaped apron mounted by a central lion mask and opposing foliate sprays, each rounded panelled angle mounted with a volute scroll, acanthus, lambrequin and husk pendant cast faun mask clasp surmounted by an oak-leaf headdress, terminating in splayed scrolled foliate wrapped and cast sabots, 127cm wide x 64cm deep x 121.5cm high, (50in wide x 25in deep x 47 1/2in high)
With a pierced scrolled foliate, floral and strapwork galleried top, above a panel mounted hinged fall front interspersed by acanthus and mounted centrally to the top by two busts of Aeolus and Boreas blowing forth gusts of contrariwise wind amidst a cloud, enclosing a central panelled door flanked by two bookends and six short drawers, with six serpentine end drawers, the central well with a sliding lid, over two short shaped panelled drawers, with two long shaped panelled drawers below, above a shaped apron mounted by a central lion mask and opposing foliate sprays, each rounded panelled angle mounted with a volute scroll, acanthus, lambrequin and husk pendant cast faun mask clasp surmounted by an oak-leaf headdress, terminating in splayed scrolled foliate wrapped and cast sabots, 127cm wide x 64cm deep x 121.5cm high, (50in wide x 25in deep x 47 1/2in high)
Footnotes
A Regence commode a pont of circa 1720 attributed to Etienne Doirat, which has a number of ormolu mounts (including elaborate escutcheons) that are either virtually the same or indeed very closely comparable to those on the present lot, sold Christie's, Paris, 23 November 2022, The Collector: Le Gout Francais, lot 38. Also of particular note and importance are the striking faun mask angle clasps on this Doirat model, each of which is surmounted by a distinctive oak-leaf cast headdress, which appear to be identical to the angle mounts on the offered commode en bureau.
The inventory drawn up after Doirat's death in 1732, and published by J.-D. Augarde in 1985, revealed that this cabinet maker maintained exclusive control of his ormolu mounts, retaining not only the master models but also the unused and finished examples. It is therefore, according to Augarde, possible to attribute certain parts on the basis of such mounts, (J.-D. Augarde, Etienne Doirat, Menuisier en ébène, J. Paul Getty Museum Journal, Vol. XIII, 1985, pp.'s 33-52. A commode a pont by Etienne Doirat which proves this point sold Christie's, London, 4 July 2017, lot 61.
A commode en bureau of related type and similar size to the current version, albeit of a marginally earlier date as well as being one attributed to Noel Gerard, was offered for sale, Christie's, London, 23 May 2024, Three Dealing Dynasties: London, Paris, Geneva, lot 164.