ÉPOQUE TRANSITION LOUIS XV-LOUIS XVI (1750-17... Lot n° 49

SECRETARY OF DAME ESTAMPILLÉ LARDIN Amarante, rosewood, boxwood, gilded bronze and royal red marble. André-Antoine LARDIN, received as Master on July 1, 1750. JME jurande stamp. Height 118.5 cm, width 68.5 cm, depth 38 cm. Secretary decorated on the front with flower marquetry and butterfly wing foliage. It has a flap that reveals four drawers and two lockers. In the middle part a drawer in writing form and the two leaves reveal three compartments. Sober ornamentation of chased and gilded bronzes, lock entrances, draw buttons and clogs... The reign of Louis XV was, in cultivated society, that of a real promotion of women. To meet this ever-growing female clientele, who are increasingly fond of comfort and refinement, craftsmen have invented new forms of furniture. The flap secretary is one of these innovations. The word itself, which comes from "secret" and indicates one of the essential functions of the furniture. It was used in the middle of the 18th century with a singular fantasy. The classic secretary is 140 to 160 cm high by 80 to 100 wide. On the other hand, very small lady secretaries are sought after as are custom models. ANDRÉ ANTOINE LARDIN was received as a master in 1750 and, alongside other furniture such as secretaries, desks and small tables, he produced a considerable number of chests of drawers. All these pieces of furniture, classic in shape and decoration, are well made. Most of them are decorated with rosewood or purple wood veneers inlaid with leaves, sometimes in butterfly wings, in dark rosewood frames. The marquetry of flowers, birds, trophies, urns, even landscapes, appears more rarely, both on Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture..." Bibliography: Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Les Editions de l'Amateur, 2002, p. 523. Pierre Kjellberg, Le Meuble Français et Européen du Moyen-Age à nos jours, Editions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1991, pp. 217, 218, and 219.