Thanks to its stamp, this sloping desk, or cane desk, can be dated between 1738 and 1783.
Jean-Baptiste Hédouin
The life of Jean-Baptiste Hédouin remains relatively unknown. After completing his master's degree, he set up his workshop on Rue Traversière-Saint-Antoine. All his furniture is of high quality. Primarily in the Regency and Louis XV styles, almost all veneered with sheets or latticework, it is also quite varied: wardrobes, flat and slant-front desks, bookcases…
But chests of drawers make up the bulk of his production. Most adopt the rounded, heavy forms of the Regency style. Others, however, feature lighter, more curved lines, with uprights and apron highlighted with gilt bronze. Finally, two pieces depart considerably from his usual style: a pair of stepped corner cabinets in Chinese lacquer and polychrome European varnish, with rocaille bronze frames.
Furthermore, his stamp appears on some furniture alongside that of his colleague Migeon. It is therefore assumed that Hédouin also worked for merchants. Finally, after a long career, Jean-Baptiste Hédouin died at his home on Rue Traversière-Saint-Antoine in 1783.
MUSEUMS
- A corner cabinet inlaid with violet wood veneer, adorned with chased and gilt bronze mounts. Its lower rail has a serpentine shape beneath a molded marble top. Semi-circular in form, this piece opens with two doors and conceals two shelves. Furthermore, leaves cut into triangles form a lozenge around the gilt bronze mascarons in the center of the doors. The bronze mounts also include a corbel, drops, and corner motifs. However, they appear to have been regilded, or even added later. Finally, the corner cabinet bears the Hédouin stamp twice. – No. MAD1542 – Musée des Arts Décoratifs – Lyon
- Small Louis XV commode inlaid with flowers, rocaille bronze ornaments – Louvre Museum
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg – Les Editions de l'Amateur – 2002
- Cabinetmakers of the 18th Century – Count François de Salverte – Art and History Publishers – 1934
The state of the office
As you will see, this desk is in very poor condition. Besides the missing veneer, one thing particularly bothers me: a large portion of the veneer on the legs and front has already been replaced with sliced rosewood. Yet this piece of furniture is veneered with kingwood.
What's the difference, you might ask?
Well, rosewood is much darker than violet wood, even though both woods belong to the same family, the Dalbergia.
And to top it all off, this veneer was glued on with Kaurite glue. When it first appeared, this glue was indeed revolutionary, but it proved disastrous in restoration. Very often, cabinetmakers didn't remove the old glue and simply glued the veneers directly onto it. The result: lacking adhesion to the wood, the veneer peels off.
Change or keep the veneer?
The big question is therefore: should we change, keep or partially retain this rosewood veneer?
In fact, a restaurant project involves questioning, making choices, and then making a decision. Of course, all of this doesn't happen on its own. It's more of a collaboration between the client, myself, and fellow restaurateurs.
For this desk, in order to maintain a clear visual appeal, we chose to replace the rosewood with sawn violet wood. Indeed, sawn veneer is of higher quality because it hasn't undergone the heat treatments of sliced veneer.
Finally, here are some photos of the office upon his arrival.
