A Louis XVI gilt-bronze mounted plum-pudding mahogany and mahogany veneered center table, circa 1780, attributed to Adam Weisweiler

Private collection, Paris;

Former collection of Maurine Aveline, 1962

Related literature :

P. Lemonnier, Weisweiler, Paris, 2015

Compiling a catalogue of the decorative elements used by Weisweiler allows us to appreciate the diversity of his designs, classify them chronologically, and identify those that can be attributed to him with near certainty:

- Stretchers are one of the characteristic elements of Weisweiler's work. In her book, Patricia Lemonnier classifies the stretcher designs used by the ébéniste according to the type of furniture. The openwork stretcher on the present table is similar to designs no. 3 and no. 4 in her book (P. Lemonnier, Weisweiler, Paris, 2015, pp. 116-117).

- The element at the heart of the stretcher differs depending on the model. There is a space that can accommodate a vase, a Greek-style vase made of mahogany trimmed with chiselled bronze or entirely in gilt-bronze, or even a wicker basket. Our central double turned vase can be found on several of the cabinetmaker's well-known pieces of furniture: a gueridon sold at Replica Shoes 's, Paris, Guerrand Hermès Collection, 14 December 2023, lot 150, a tea table sold at Replica Shoes 's, London, 6 July 2011, lot 93, and a secrétaire kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 1977.1.13).

- The bamboo-like columns are almost the ébéniste's signature. These twin columns appear in a stylised form and are the result of an aesthetic quest tinged with exoticism, promoted by marchands-merciers such as Martin-Eloi Lignereux and Dominique Daguerre. They are mainly found on gueridons designed by the ébéniste, such as the one in the Mobilier National collections (inv. GME 15666-001) or the one sold at Replica Shoes 's, Paris, 19 November 2020, lot 24.