This week, we're restoring a Louis XVI commode with a projecting front, veneered in Rio rosewood, amaranth, and violet wood, with marquetry stringing in boxwood and ebony forming a ribbon wrapped around the wood, the background of the engravings filled with red wax. The tapered legs and canted uprights have faux fluting in ebony and boxwood.
There is no stamp to attribute this very fine work and the high quality of wood chosen for the making of this chest of drawers.
Regarding the restoration, the work isn't very extensive. A colleague already worked on it a few years ago and did a good job. All the re-gluing was done with animal glue, which allows me to easily carry out the few repairs and veneer grafts. The most annoying thing is that the varnish is badly damaged by sunlight and moonlight.
The old French polish was removed using a stripper specifically designed for furniture restoration. Because it is gentle on the wood, it preserves the underlying structure while removing the varnish film. Finally, a wax polish was applied, matching the finish used when this chest of drawers was originally made.
What a joy to be able to do this work, because even though French polishing is reversible and doesn't harm the furniture, it's completely anachronistic to use it on 18th-century furniture. In fact, the first written evidence of French polishing on French furniture dates only from the first quarter of the 19th century. Polishing, on the other hand, gives a much softer, silkier surface and, to top it all off, is very easy to maintain and repair if scratched.
The technique used was carried out in the same way as that described in "The Art of the Joiner-Cabinetmaker" by André-Jacques Roubo (1774) and you can find the tools used in the image taken from the book below.
To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/
