Nicolas Sageot: The Use of Tortoiseshell in the Age of Louis XIV

Acclaimed by €95,770, a "Mazarin" desk (75 x 97 x 60 cm/29.5 x 38.1 x 23.6 in), with eight console legs joined by two stretchers, was attributed to the great Parisian cabinetmaker Nicolas Sageot (1666-1731), a worthy heir to Charles Boulle. It has première partie marquetry in brass on a background of red-tinted tortoiseshell, and dancers beneath a canopy in the center of its top. It closely resembles a similar desk stamped by Sageot, which was auctioned by Lempertz in Cologne on May 17, 2019 (lot 810).

Previously highlighted in the Gazette, the commode here, also attributed to Sageot, has a slightly crossbow-shaped front with four drawers and marquetry decoration, also in brass on a red-tinted tortoiseshell background. The sides illustrate dancers from the Commedia dell'arte. This magnificent piece was rewarded with €86,620: ten times its estimate. A complement to this fine group, fetching €10,736, was a hanging wall clock and console in ebony veneer inlaid with copper fillets signed by Antoine Gaudron (c. 1640-1714), admitted as master in Paris in 1675. This Louis XIV accessory (89 x 37 x 19 cm/35 x 14.6 x 7.5 in) sports gilt bronze decoration of a globe and scientific instruments, with foliage and a bearded man's head. The name "Gaudron" is inscribed twice on the entablature and the movement.