This week, we're revisiting the restoration of a Louis XIV period commode, a commode known as a Mazarine commode. But where does the name "Mazarine" come from?
Well, it would seem that a first prototype was manufactured for the famous Mazarine Library, Quite simply.
The illustrious creator of the commode was none other than André-Charles Boulle himself. In 1708, for Louis XIV's bedroom at Trianon, he revolutionized a type of furniture: the commode. It owes its name to its practical, "commode" shape, compared to the chests that were then very common. Now on display at Versailles, the king's two commodes perfectly encapsulate Boulle's art: originality in both design and form, marquetry of copper and tortoiseshell, and an abundance of bronze mounts. Moreover, they are among the few identified pieces from his vast body of work.
But let's return to our chest of drawers. It probably dates from the mid-18th century. Its coniferous body is assembled with dovetail joints. It is veneered with olive, blackened pear, barberry, boxwood, and sycamore maple. The keyhole escutcheons and the crow's foot feet are mercury-gilded.
There wasn't much work done on the veneer or the structure of this chest of drawers. It had probably been restored a few years ago. But it was while stripping the thick layer of cellulose varnish, bleached by time, that the damage became apparent.
This photo clearly shows all the holes in the blackened pear tree, caused by excessive sanding.
But why are these pierces found only in the blackened pear tree?
Well, this chest of drawers was veneered using a hammer. The cabinetmaker first veneered the back with blackened pearwood, then the frieze with olive wood. He then inlaid the marquetry motifs, pre-cut with a scroll saw, using a knife. Finally, he scraped, sanded with a dog-skin cloth and a fine file, before polishing the piece.
The blackened pearwood base is therefore slightly thinner. During the sanding of previous restorations, disaster struck.
The wide, toothed plane marks are clearly visible. They provide a good indication of when the piece of furniture was made.
The restoration therefore consisted of making the marquetry legible again, by reconstructing the few missing elements along with the holes. To avoid further damage, I chose to simply re-stain the blackened pear wood with a water-based stain.
Furthermore, one of the two figures in the central marquetry of the board had almost completely disappeared. I therefore reproduced it in its entirety, using the remaining visible elements.
Good morning,
Through repeated exposure to sunlight and/or stripping and revarnishing, the wood—except for black tones—results in shades ranging from yellowish to brown, and sometimes, in the best cases, to a reddish-brown amaranth. Particularly with the bouquets, I wonder if there weren't more colors, or rather, tints applied to the marquetry. I would appreciate your opinion and, if possible, examples of restorations that support this view.
Hello, yes, there were more colors. The wood wasn't surface-stained after veneering. Instead, it either retained its natural color, which can be very vibrant, like padauk for example, or it was stained blue, red, and most often green. But primarily due to UV rays and moonlight, the wood oxidizes and loses its surface color, fading to a range of browns. It's only when the veneer is removed that the original colors can be admired on the underside.
To give you an idea of the condition of the colors of an antique piece of furniture, I refer you to an article from the Museum of Decorative Arts dealing with the reproduction of the cylinder secretary by JF Oeben located at the Nissim de Camondo Museum.
https://madparis.fr/francais/musees/musee-nissim-de-camondo/expositions/archives-986/exposition-dossier/la-replique-d-un-chef-d-oeuvre-le/
Hopefully this answers your question.
Mathieu VATH