This week marks the completion of the restoration of a chest of drawers. Louis XVI Stamped JA BRUNS. Its frame is oak, except for the side panels, backs, drawer fronts, and two end panels, which are softwood. It is veneered with rosewood in a butterfly pattern and amaranth for the edges. The false fluting is boxwood and ebony. A green-stained maple fillet outlines the corners in a Greek key pattern. There are some satinwood additions from previous restorations. The marble top is Sainte-Anne gray.
This chest of drawers is stamped on the front right and left uprights. The left upright also bears a faint trace of the JME hallmark.
Jean-Antoine Bruns became a master craftsman in 1782. His career flourished primarily in the early 19th century, supplying numerous dignitaries of the Empire and later the Restoration, a period during which he became cabinetmaker to the Royal Furniture Repository. Before the Revolution, he began his career on Rue Saint-Nicolas, working for the court alongside Riesener. His elegant Louis XVI-style furniture included half-moon commodes, large wardrobes, secretaries, and chiffoniers. These pieces were veneered with wood featuring geometric designs, or simply mahogany, or adorned with Chinese lacquer depicting landscapes. He appears to have weathered the revolutionary period unscathed and participated in the Exposition of Year VI (1798). Towards the end of the Empire, he supplied large mahogany wardrobes, salon consoles, and gaming tables for the apartments of high-ranking officials. Louis XVIII placed his trust in him and even bestowed upon him the title of Cabinetmaker to the King in 1820. He ceased his activity in 1824 and left his workshop to his son Louis, who also received the patent of supplier to the Crown: the Parisian Bazaar In 1825, it published its advertisement for "rich cabinetmaking in libraries, shop counters and generally all tasteful furniture".
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg – Les Editions de l'Amateur – 2008
- Cabinetmakers of the 18th Century – Count François de Salverte – Art and History Publishers – 1934
- Parisian Cabinetmaking and Joinery Workshops – Guillaume Janneau – SERG Editions – 1975
Cstate report
Structurally, the most problematic issue was the separation of the side panels, which had detached from the uprights and the top and bottom rails. The cause was wood shrinkage and the drying out of the glue. Some oak planks were missing from the back panel, and all the panels had shrunk, leaving gaps throughout. Otherwise, there was no rotten wood or material deficiency.
The veneer, still of a reasonable thickness, did not pose a major problem: a few gaps and above all a general dehydration of the glues.
The Restoration
To reattach and ream the sides, a complete disassembly was necessary. This type of chest of drawers is fairly easy to take apart, starting from the back. Once the chest was disassembled, I reattached the two sides with fish glue, filling the gaps caused by wood shrinkage with pine.
I then restored the marquetry by vacuum-inserting glue onto both sides and the drawer fronts. I filled the gaps with sawn rosewood and amaranth veneer, scraped, sanded, filled, oxidized, and brought to the correct thickness, then glued with hot glue.
I then reassembled all the elements, gluing them with fish glue or, for the back, using dowels. I readjusted and restored the drawers, runners, slides and locks.
I stripped and cleaned the chest of drawers, then very lightly sanded and filled it with pumice. Finished with a clear French polish.
I cleaned the bronzes and put them back with their original nails.
