Beschreibung:

A French late 19th century Empire revival gilt bronze mounted mahogany bureau a gradin together with a closely matched French late 19th/early 20th century bergerethe bureau dating to 1875-1890, the bergere circa 1900 the superstructure comprising six raised short drawers (locked) flanked by two vertical locking bars, each drawer with a palmette pattern-stamped ormolu surround centred by a lotus-leaf flowerhead within a gilt bronze scroll, honeysuckle and stylised foliate adorned lozenge tablet, the gilt-tooled leather inset top above one long and two short frieze drawers, over two short drawers flanking the kneehole, each drawer with a palmette pattern-stamped surround, mounted with two entwined laurel wreaths and an interlocking Roman martial trophy comprising two addorsed hatchets, fasces di combattimento, a spear, sword and anthemion foliage, on four scrolled gilt bronze mounted winged griffin monopodiae legs terminating in lotus-leaf headed lion paw sabots, the reverse with a horizontal honeysuckle, palmette, lotus-leaf and stylised foliate mount centred by a classical mask, each end mounted with a winged allegorical female figure standing upon a sphere, the bergere approximately: 69cm wide x 53cm deep x 84cm high; the desk: 162cm wide x 82cm deep x 121cm high, (63 1/2in wide x 32in deep x 47 1/2in high) (2)FootnotesA related Empire revival bureau a cylindre together with its matching bergere, circa 1880, sold Sotheby's, New York, 14 April 2008, 19th Century Furniture and Works of Art, lot 282. Whilst another Empire revival cylinder bureau sold Bonhams, New Bond Street, 16 October 2019, The Contents of a 19th Century Baltic Villa, lot 87. Both of these have similar gilt bronze mounts and pattern cast mounted drawer surrounds to those on the offered lot, with comparable griffin monopodiae as well. It is interesting that the present model, unlike these related cylinder bureau examples, is in 'bureau a gradin' form which tends to be a slightly rarer type of desk furniture produced during the late 19th century in France. Of additional note is a virtually identical Empire revival bergere de bureau to the offered version which sold Christie's, New York, 27 August 2014, Interiors, lot 439.