CONSOLE " AU MASQUE DE FEMME " (WITH A WOMAN'S... Lot 62

CONSOLE " AU MASQUE DE FEMME " (WITH A WOMAN'S MASK) FRANCE MÉRIDIONALE, REGENCY PERIOD Gilt wood; Spanish violet brocatel marble H. 88 cm, W. 133 cm, D. 66 cm This superb carved and gilded wood console adopts a curved shape and a very original decoration, typical of the Regency period carpenters. The belt is composed of a trellis background, flanked by two reserves decorated with a flowering branch on an "amati" background. In the center appears a woman's bust underlined by a garland, in a cartouche bordered by volutes and acanthus. The base is also of the most beautiful decorative effect. It consists of two double curved legs joined by a spacer carved with a shell, topped by an antique vase and a scrolled background with trellis motifs, following and standing out from the shape of the front legs. The beautiful carving, the abundance of decoration and the great respect for symmetry make this console a true masterpiece of its kind. It is likely that the artist was inspired by the work of the great ornamentalist Jean-Bernard-Honoré Turreau, known as Toro (Toulon, 1672-1731). This artist from Toulon published in 1716 a collection of models engraved with the greatest finesse by Cochin and Rochefort and published by Dubuisson. He was a champion of the Regency style as shown by one of his creations preserved in the BnF (fig. 1). On this console, we find in the center the portrait of an elegant woman surrounded by volutes, similar to our console. Toro worked mainly in Provence, in the cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence in particular. His great originality of inspiration is a subtle mixture of Parisian models and Italian baroque. Very few works are known today that are attributed to him with certainty. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris has a Regency period console with a similar structure and decoration (fig.2). Also carved with a central medallion with a woman's bust, it also has a trellis motif on the belt. Let us also mention the superb table kept in the Mauritshuis in The Hague which presents a similar decorative repertoire, a woman's mask, a belt decorated with trellis and especially the top of the legs whose motif is very close to the console we are presenting.