Restoration of a Louis XVI console table (1790-1795) stamped by Bernard Molitor. The structure is made of oak and solid mahogany for the legs. The panels of the lower shelf are made of beech. It is veneered with mahogany burl and inlaid with ebony and brass stringing.
Originally from Luxembourg, Bernard Molitor (1755 – November 17, 1833) earned his master's degree in Paris on October 26, 1787. He arrived in Paris in 1776 and worked in a small workshop in the Arsenal district. After obtaining his master's degree, he established himself on the rue de Bourbon-Saint-Germain. The austerity of his work and his desire to reduce royal expenses led to his first royal commissions in 1788. When the Revolution broke out, he closed his workshop but reopened it shortly thereafter. A true innovator, at the end of the Louis XVI era, he foreshadowed the Empire style by using motifs of ivy leaves entwined around detached columns, as well as friezes of stylized palmettes or winged griffins, on his refined furniture adorned with bronze mounts. These motifs would become commonplace during the Empire period. Alongside his luxurious pieces, Molitor also produced more classical furniture, always in mahogany and crafted with the utmost care. Bernard Molitor thus navigated this turbulent period with relative ease. In 1802, he moved his workshops to Rue Saint-Honoré, and then, during the Napoleonic era, to Boulevard de la Madeleine. He spent his final years near Fontainebleau, where he died in 1833.
Bibliography: Ulrich Leben "Molitor: Cabinetmaker from Louis XVI to Louis XVIII"«
It arrived at the workshop in very poor condition. The lower shelf was heavily worm-eaten, making the stamp very difficult to read. There was a missing piece on the left rear foot. Only three flutes and a few scraper fragments remained on the shelf's edge. Some joints were broken, and there were quite a few missing veneers.
The restoration work therefore consisted of replacing the missing veneer and brass inlays, reattaching the mahogany moldings, reaming the drawer bottom, reattaching the joints and restoring the missing fluting.
The marble tops were cleaned and repositioned, the missing scrapers were reproduced exactly, the bronze mounts were cleaned and the missing areas regilded. The piece was varnished with a clear French polish and the legs were reattached with fish glue.
To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/
You can find this secretary at Stéphane Guin Antiques
Hello and congratulations Mathieu, you are a genius because you have brought this exceptional console back to life.
Thank you again very much. .
Stephane
Thank you Stéphane for giving me the opportunity to work on such furniture!