A Louis XV gilt-bronze mounted gilt and black Chinese lacquer and vernis Martin commode by Jacques D

Property from a Private English Collection 

A Louis XV gilt-bronze mounted gilt and black Chinese lacquer and vernis Martin commode by Jacques Dubois, mid-18th century

the brèche d'Alep marble top above two sans traverse drawers, decorated with figures amongst landscapes chinoiserie scenes in vernis Martin and gilt Chinese lacquer on a black background, raised on cabriole legs painted red on the interior terminating with foliate sabots, stamped ‘I Dubois’ to left underside

86.5cm. high, 131cm. wide, 62cm. deep;

2ft. 10in., 4ft. 3 1/2in., 2ft. 1/2in.
Provenance
Christie's, New York, Le Goût Steinitz, I, 19th October 2007, lot 32

Catalogue note
This elegant commode typifies the refined taste for exotic materials, such as Chinese lacquer, incorporated into fanciful pieces of furniture, a practice promoted in France by leading marchand-merçiers such as Thomas-Joachim Hébert from the mid-18th century onwards. Ornamented with distinctive and finely cast rococo mounts, it can be placed as part of a small group of mounted commodes featuring Chinese lacquer and drawers sans traverse, and stamped by Jacques Dubois. In addition, the present example therefore not only epitomizes the Louis XV style and the fascination for the Orient, it showcases the introduction in France of a new technique: Vernis Martin, a type of japanning named after the French brothers Guillaume, Etienne-Simon, Robert and Julien Martin who ran a workshop between 1730 and 1770.

The lacquer commodes produced by Dubois echo the same attention to quality as paid to his small secretaires and bureaux. They vary in the degree to which he applied the gilt-bronze mounts, some of them being completely outlined with gilt-bronze borders and other, like the present example, leaving the lacquer decoration to speak for itself, embellished only with light, delicate drawer handles on the front, and pierced light chutes continuing to the feet and terminating with sabots. 

Another commode also stamped by Dubois with identical mounts as the present and also with Chinese lacquer was sold at Sotheby’s, New York, Important French Furniture, 6 November 2008, lot 76 ($158,500). The presence of the distinctive red vernis martin to the back of the cabriole legs, a rare feature in Dubois' works, is echoed in another smaller commode by Dubois, sold from HVMC, Monaco, Furniture and Works of Art from the Hudson Collection, 8^th May 2022, lot 168 (70,000 EUR).

Jacques Dubois (1694 – 1763, maître in 1742)

Jacques Dubois was one of the most important ébénistes in Paris during the Louis XV period. From his workshop in rue de Charenton, Dubois produced excellent furniture for several decades, mostly in Chinese and Japanese lacquer. Dubois remains as a master of the rococo style presented through the designs of his mounts and his use of lacquer. Because Dubois became a maître very late in his career in the age of forty-eight, he left many of his works unstamped. After his death, René Dubois, his son maintained his workshop, becoming a maître at the age of eighteen and thus continuing to use his father’s stamp.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Jacques Dubois was not dependent upon the patronage of the powerful and influential marchands-merciers, although he did occasionally supply pieces to Thomas-Joachim Hébert, Léger Bertin, François Machart and Deyle-François Labrunne, as well as the marchand-ébéniste Pierre Migeon. Dubois largely cultivated his own exclusive roster of aristocratic clients and supplied his furniture directly to them.
Additional Notices & Disclaimers
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.