Louis XVI Style Chinoiserie Secretary and High Chest, Set of 2

Pair of chinoiserie furniture - secretary and chiffonier

The Netherlands
Satinwood and others, lacquered panels
around 1890

Dimensions: H x W x D: 130 x 63 x 39 cm

:
Very rare pair of furniture, consisting of a small secretary and a corresponding high chest of drawers.

In typical Dutch Louis XVI style, the strongly tapered square legs standing on brass knobs are set at an angle and thus follow the shape of the pilaster strips. The slender, high rectangular bodies are veneered in subtly iridescent satinwood. The drawer fronts, the doors and the bureau flap are framed in dark amaranth. The marquetry frieze mouldings on the cornice and the thread inlays on the sides fit in just as well with the neoclassical appearance of the furniture as the fittings decorated with festoons.

The highlight of the furniture pair are the "goût chinois" panels with fine gold-polychrome lacquer painting on a black background.
Framed by threads of light and dark contrasting woods, we see idealised park landscapes with Asian-style plants and birds. The two cranes on the panel of the secretary flap symbolise vigilance and wisdom and are also regarded as "birds of happiness".

Interesting facts:
Chinese and Japanese lacquered panels were imported to Europe from around 1730. In Paris, the centre of European furniture art at the time, they were used as fronts for chests of drawers and cabinets by important furniture makers such as Bernard von Riesen Burg.
from the middle of the 18th century, the fashion spread to other European aristocratic houses via the French nobility and was also taken up by the Dutch ebenist Matthijs Horrix (1735-1809), whose works can be regarded as a stylistic model for the pair of furniture on offer here.

Condition:
Very beautiful and authentically refurbished condition. The lacquer panels have been gently cleaned and are in desirable condition with slight signs of age.