Lot 106: A LATE LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED TULIPWOOD, BOIS SATINE AND MARQUETRY PETITE SECRETAIRE

By Guillaume Kemp The rectangular top veneered with an oval musical trophy within lattice work enclosing flowerheads, with a mirror to the reverse, above a fall front enclosing two long and four short drawers, above a trellis decorated frieze with a side drawer raised on cabriole legs topped by ram's head chutes and terminating with scrolled acanthus cast sabots, stamped G. JME twice, with fragmentary paper label...Titre 41in. (104cm.) high, 161/2in. (42cm.) wide, 11in. (28cm.) deep PROVENANCE Acquired from Connoisseur, New York, 1 October 1955. NOTES Guillaume Kemp, received maŒtre 1764. This model of jewel-coffer secretaire en cabinet, dating from the 1760's, was probably originally conceived by the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier. Executed in both bois de bout and early neo-classical marquetry, simple parquetry and even Japanese lacquer, the model is known to have been made by ‚b‚nistes ranging from Bernard II van Risenburgh and Joseph Baumhauer to Simon Oeben and Roger van der Cruse, dit Lacroix (sold anonymously at Christie's Monaco, 13 December 1998, lot 320). The categoric link with Poirier was provided by an example by BVRB veneered in Japanese lacquer, whose interior drawer was inscribed ' Poirier..Marchand ' (sold from the Alexander Collection, Christie's New York, 30 April 1999, lot 105). An identical trellis frieze is to be found on a secr‚taire stamped by Kemp, sold anonymously at Sotheby's New York, 6 November 1982, lot 189.