Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Lot 75TP
A Napoleon III hardstone and ormolu mounted ebony and ebonised meuble a hauteur d'appui or pier cabinet 1860-1875, possibly by Mathieu Befort (dit: 'Befort Jeune'), or certainly in the manner of 'Befort Jeune'
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£1,500 - £2,000
Ask about this lot
Thomas Moore
Head of Department
A Napoleon III hardstone and ormolu mounted ebony and ebonised meuble a hauteur d'appui or pier cabinet
1860-1875, possibly by Mathieu Befort (dit: 'Befort Jeune'), or certainly in the manner of 'Befort Jeune'
The black marble top above a frieze with an alternating acanthus spray and sunflower pattern mount, over a door mounted with a shaped cabochon embedded scrolled foliate and rosette moulded border encompassing a central configuration of a bird perched on a branch amidst an assortment of ribbon tied flowers, fruit and foliage comprised of various hardstones, within a similarly moulded cartouche shaped mount embellished with flowers, with four subsidiary shaped foliate moulded spandrel mounts surrounding assorted hardstone fruiting foliate branches, flanked by rounded angles each mounted with a classically attired bearded male herm bearing aloft vine leaves and bunches of grapes, the shaped plinth base centred by a Bacchus mask mount, 102cm wide x 47cm deep x 125cm high, (40in wide x 18 1/2in deep x 49in high)
The black marble top above a frieze with an alternating acanthus spray and sunflower pattern mount, over a door mounted with a shaped cabochon embedded scrolled foliate and rosette moulded border encompassing a central configuration of a bird perched on a branch amidst an assortment of ribbon tied flowers, fruit and foliage comprised of various hardstones, within a similarly moulded cartouche shaped mount embellished with flowers, with four subsidiary shaped foliate moulded spandrel mounts surrounding assorted hardstone fruiting foliate branches, flanked by rounded angles each mounted with a classically attired bearded male herm bearing aloft vine leaves and bunches of grapes, the shaped plinth base centred by a Bacchus mask mount, 102cm wide x 47cm deep x 125cm high, (40in wide x 18 1/2in deep x 49in high)
Footnotes
Three comparable hauteur d'appuis to the offered lot, two made by Mathieu Befort and the other attributed to this cabinet maker, have sold at Christie's; London, 14 July 2004, At Home - Furniture, Decorative Objects and Carpets, lot 466; Paris, 17 November 2011, 500 Ans: Arts Decoratifs Europeens, lot 345; and New York, 22 November 2011, 500 Years Decorative Arts Europe, lot 191.
Each of these pier cabinets has a similar configuration of door mounts - with four shaped spandrel mounts encompassing the main larger central mount. All of the mounts on these cabinets, as well as on the present example, are inset with various hardstones depicting a closely related assortment of fruit, flowers and foliage, along with a single bird perched centrally amidst this arrangement. Also typical among this output, and notable in all four specific models here referenced, are prominent figural angle mounts as well as a distinctive alternating pattern of foliage mounted to each frieze.