Transition. France, Paris, ca. 1770. Signed Léonard Boudin (1735-1807). Maitre from 1761 onwards. With Parisian guild stamp: JME.

Wood, black lacquered in Parisian varnish as well as with gilded fluting and profiles "en trompe l'oeil". Rectangular body with rounded front corners on a cut-out frame, with curved legs. The front with 2 sans-traverse drawers, applied with three Chinese lacquer panels, featuring wide park landscapes, framed by gilt bronze mounts. The narrow sides designed in the same manner. Opulent bronze mounts, designed as decorative friezes, laurel garlands and sabots. Circumferential decorative frieze with plaited band. 'Escalettes alpha' marble top. Later locks.

94 x 130 x 65 cm.

Restored. Minor losses.

Provenance:
- From an old Swiss private collection.
- Galerie Römer, Zurich.

Among the Chinese art objects that had already reached Europe in the 15th and 16th century, via the Spanish and Portuguese explorers and merchants, especially the objects made of porcelain and lacquer caused a stir, since they could not be produced in Europe at the time. Although the first European lacquer products were already available from the 15th century onwards, they did not come close to the Asian lacquers in quality and durability. The varnish clouded over relatively quickly and became brittle.

L. Boudin had his studio in Rue Traversière in Paris, where he initially worked for the famous P. Migeon. The sources refer mainly to chests of drawers and dressing tables with floral marquetry and lacquer panels.

Two very similar Transition chests of drawers by Léonard Boudin were sold at Sotheby's London in 1985, and in the Paris art market in 1987 (Illustrations by P. Kjellberg: Paris 1989, pp. 96 and 97).

An identical lacquer chest of drawers by Léonard Boudin surfaced on the Paris art market, and was probably originally designed as a counterpart to the chest of drawers described here.