A Louis XV gilt-bronze mounted tulipwood and kingwood veneered cylindrical desk, circa 1765, stamp by Léonard Boudin
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 EUR
Lot Details
Description
the cylinder opening on three drawers, one as a insktand and three compartments, with a red leather tray, the sides with a tray with a red leather top, the frieze opening with five drawers, on tapering feet, stamped L.BOUDIN, JME and a mark EHB underneath
Haut. 107 cm, larg. 164 cm, prof. 85 cm; Height. 42 in, width. 64 1/2 in, depth. 33 ½ in
Léonard Boudin, cabinet maker, received master in 1761.
Our bureau à cylindre is stamped by Léonard Boudin. He worked with the cabinetmaker Migeon before opening his own shop on Rue Fromanteau. He is renowned for his high-quality marquetry work. A bureau à cylindre stamped by Léonard Boudin, very similar to ours, is in the collections of the Mobilier National (inv. GME 9187), on loan since 2019 to the Prime Minister's residence on rue de Varenne. Another bureau à cylindre with more geometric marquetry is held at the Château de Champs-sur-Marne.
The E.H.B. mark stamped under the desk refers to the renowned London furniture dealer Edward Holmes Baldock (1777-1845). It was thanks to the research of Geoffrey de Ballaigue, curator of the Wallace Collection, that these initials, previously attributed to the "Ecurie de l'Hotel Bourbon," were identified.
Edward Holmes Baldock began his career as a dealer in the early 19th century, selling porcelain and glassware. He then expanded his business to include furniture. He could offer pieces in older styles but also regularly "embellished" French furniture, which he then resold to the British royal family and aristocracy.
These initials can be found on pieces made by Baldock for wealthy patrons, as well as on earlier pieces such as two pairs of Boulle marquetry side tables stamped by Etienne Levasseur, delivered to the Duke of Buccleuch. (Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700-1840, 1996, figs. 40 and 50).