Régence/Louis XV, Paris, Charles Créssent (1685 Paris 1768), Attributable to.

Purpleheart and tulipwood, inlaid in reserves, fillets and frieze. Curved legs with bronze sabots. Front with double-doors. Gilt bronze mounts, designed as rocailles, scrolls and a medallion. The inside of the doors veneered with amaranth and satinwood. "Brèche d'Alep" marble tops with shaped edges. 2 keys.

75 × 53 × 92 cm.

Losses in the veneer. Missing veneer parts. Bronze, oxidized. 1 marble top, repaired.

This pair of encoignures can be ascribed to the Parisian ebenist Charles Créssent on the basis of its shape and the exquisite bronze decoration. The same style of frame can be found, for example, on an encoignure from the Rothschild Collection (Alexandre Pradère. Charles Créssent. Dijon 2003. p. 171) and on an encoignure in the Museum Gulbenkian, Lisbon (Alexandre Pradère 2003. p 172). Bronze mounts in this style can be found on numerous pieces of furniture by this master craftsman.

Charles Créssent, born in 1685 as son of the "sculpteur du Roi" François Créssent, first worked in his father's studio. Already as a young apprentice, he made contact with G. Oppenordt, who was the "premier architecte" of the Duc d'Orléans. From 1710 to 1714, C. Créssent worked for Girardon and Lorrain and received the title "maître sculpteur" from the Académie St. Luc in 1714. He created high-quality furniture for the nobility of the French metropolis. Créssent and his competitor A. Gaudreaux defined the "style Régence" in 1720/40, characterized by elegant, curved forms that could be described as majestic, and high-quality, varied and hitherto unknown bronze ornamentation.