Restoration of a Louis XIV commode constructed of fir and Rio rosewood veneer. The front is slightly curved, as are the uprights and rails. It features brass fluting. The remarkably crafted varnished bronze mounts have retained their original varnish.
The restoration consisted of rehydrating all veneered surfaces by infiltrating glue. The missing areas were filled with rosewood veneers that were sawn, scraped, sanded, cut to the correct thickness as a backing, and oxidized by UV light before being glued with hot glue.
As you can see in the following photo, this piece of furniture has not been sanded. The original color remains intact beneath the bronze mounts. Only a light sanding was done to thin the existing varnish. Any sanding would have darkened the veneer and removed the beautiful color of the antique rosewood. The old varnish was reworked, and a new coat of French polish was applied.
The varnished bronzes were cleaned using an agar-agar gel to remove oxidation without damaging the varnish.
To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/
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