Congratulations to Arnaud for the restoration of this Transition period commode veneered with rosewood, amaranth, and satinwood for the sides, and green-stained maple for the stringing. The frame is made of oak and softwood.
Antoine Héricourt (c. 1730–1792) earned his master craftsman's certificate on October 20, 1773, after working for several years as a journeyman in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine district. Following his master's degree, he established himself on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and became a representative of his guild, later serving as its head. His substantial output, highly prized by both French and international clientele, consisted of refined, classically crafted furniture, primarily Transition-style commodes with projecting fronts, veneered and inlaid with floral designs, and Louis XVI-style commodes, often half-moon shaped, made of exquisitely figured mahogany. Héricourt used meticulously chased bronze only for the frames. He also produced a few pieces finished with lacquer or varnish in the Chinese style. In 1792, the auction of his wares, left behind at his death, lasted several days due to the sheer volume of furniture in his shops.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg
The glues used in the joinery were completely dehydrated, which made disassembly very easy. The split sides were re-glued with fish glue. Then, each veneered surface was treated by infiltration with glue to rehydrate the old adhesives. The rosewood and amaranth grafts were made with new sawn veneer that was scraped and sanded, then thinned on the back face to avoid damaging the patina of the piece after gluing by any abrasion. All structural gluing was done with fish glue, and the veneer gluing with hot glue.
The varnish on the chest of drawers was then thinned, and several coats of pumice and a clear French polish were applied to reveal the veneer colors. The bronze mounts were cleaned with Panama wood polish.
To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/
You can find this piece of furniture at Etienne Thuriet Antique Dealer
Beautiful work! It's always a pleasure to read your descriptions of the piece of furniture and its designer. The progress of the restoration work is also very interesting.
Magnificent restoration that amazes me, as always. Keep making us dream! Thank you for this testimonial.
It is I who thank you for taking an interest in my work