Restoration of a transitional period commode built in fir and oak and veneered with rosewood, violet wood, and with a frieze of hornbeam stringing stained green in the Greek style. The sides are veneered with satinwood and violet wood.
André-Antoine Lardin (1724 – August 10, 1790) obtained his master craftsman's certificate on July 1, 1750, and established himself on the rue de Charenton under the sign "Au Bois de Boulogne." He worked there until 1770, when he moved to the rue Saint-Nicolas. His output was considerable. His furniture, in all styles (Louis XIV, Regency, Louis XV, Transition, Louis XVI), is exquisitely crafted, with classical forms and decoration. Besides secretaries, desks, tables, and chiffoniers, he produced an impressive number of commodes, adorned with exceptionally high-quality rosewood or violet wood veneer and inlaid with leaves or butterfly wings within a dark rosewood frame. Lardin's distinctive feature was his stamp, boldly and prominently applied in large letters to several places on the same piece of furniture. His two sons, André-Antoine II and Louis François, collaborated with him, and it was Louis François who succeeded him on rue Saint Nicolas.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg – Les Editions de l'Amateur – 2008
State report
This chest of drawers wasn't in very bad condition. Apart from a few missing veneers, the structure is sound. The sides are slightly cracked, but nothing serious. There are a few old repairs that only require staining and restoring the grain through color matching.
The Restoration
The restoration therefore consisted of replacing the missing veneer with new veneer that was sawn, scraped, sanded, and cut to the correct thickness before being glued. The drawer fronts and sides were treated by injecting glue to rehydrate and regenerate the old adhesive.
Next, the veneer grafts were oxidized and the old varnish was lightly sanded and then reworked with colorless French polish.
To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/
