Writing table stamped JF LELEU

Restoration of a Louis XVI writing table stamped by Jean François Leleu. It is entirely constructed of oak. On all sides, it is veneered with gray-stained maple latticework, with stringing of amaranth, boxwood, and ebonized wood, and boxwood finials on a rosewood ground. The four legs are adorned with an acanthus leaf medallion on a green-stained sycamore ground. Bell-shaped finials embellish the top and bottom of the finial as well as the tops of the legs. On the tabletop, the latticework is concentrated in a central oval surrounded by four spandrels of boxwood acanthus leaves on a stained, patterned sycamore ground. The Paul Getty Museum holds a dressing table with the same marquetry configuration, in the Transition style, of course. It features the same central medallion framed by four spandrels of acanthus leaves, on a blue-gray stained sycamore ground. We can note a very high quality of execution of the marquetry as well as the high quality of assembly and fitting of the gilded bronzes.

Jean-François LELEU

Jean-François Leleu (1729–1807) was one of the most renowned cabinetmakers of his time. He was the son of a winegrower from Sarcelles, also named Jean Leleu. He likely entered the world of furniture making through his aunt, the wife of Gobert. The Gobert family was a prominent family of gilders and engravers. Their clients included Jean-François Oeben and later Jean-Henri Riesener.

In 1753, thanks to his connections, he joined Jean François Oeben, cabinetmaker to the King, located at the Arsenal, as an apprentice. Disappointed at not being chosen as the master's successor, he pursued his master's degree, which he obtained in 1764. He then opened his own workshop on the rue de la Contrescarpe. He soon moved to larger premises on the rue Royale.

In his early days, still under Oeben's influence, his furniture was grandiose and sumptuous, but gradually he adopted a more restrained style. He is considered the most neoclassical of the cabinetmakers of his time, perhaps due to commissions from Madame du Barry, whose pavilion at Louveciennes is an example of the new style. His reputation grew very rapidly. He worked for the banker Laborde, noblemen, and the Duke of Uzès. In particular, he became the principal supplier to the Prince of Condé, who commissioned numerous pieces of furniture for his various residences.

Unlike his rival Riesener, Leleu weathered the Revolution without much turmoil. Around 1792, he handed over his business to his son-in-law Charles Antoine Stadler, his partner since 1780.

His works are remarkably simple, with perfect proportions. The craftsmanship and choice of materials are exceptional. Louis XV and transitional style furniture pieces are few in number. These are works veneered in rosewood or mahogany, inlaid with floral rosettes or floral baskets, and richly decorated with gilt bronze. In contrast, Leleu produced a multitude of Louis XVI, Neoclassical, and "Greek-style" furniture pieces, with robust, highly architectural forms. His marquetry features regular patterns: grids adorned with quatrefoils or rosettes cover the entire surface of the square, rectangular, or diamond-shaped panels. A darker wood or bronze frame always delineates them and reinforces the substantial volume of the furniture.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg – Les Editions de l'Amateur – 2004
• The stamp "L'Objet d'Art" – number 329 – pp. 60-67 – Jean-Francois Leleu, The Cabinetmaker of the Condé Family – Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier – 1998
• Furniture and Crafts from the 13th to the 18th Century – Claude Bouzin – Les éditions de l'Amateur – 2003

State of affairs report

At first glance, this table was in excellent condition. But upon closer inspection, certain details became apparent. It had undoubtedly undergone one, perhaps even two, restorations, which had left their mark. These had been well executed, as evidenced by the table's overall good condition upon arrival. However, a multitude of alterations and grafts using woods different from the original obscured the table's original character: the boxwood had been replaced with sycamore, and the green with a darker wood. We also noticed slight dehydration of the glues on all the crossbars. And finally, the mold growth on the shellac finish prevented a clear view of the marquetry.

The Restoration

The restoration work proved complex. It was necessary to choose which grafts needed to be redone and which remained acceptable, either because they were well-executed or in the correct tone. To better visualize the work to be done, we removed the old finish using a solvent gel and horsehair.

This step allowed us to rediscover the beauty of the nuances of each type of wood used. We also noticed that many of the fillings had been done with epoxy resin.

The first step consisted of rehydrating all the plated surfaces using an infiltrating adhesive, under vacuum, with a temperature of 55 degrees.

We then chose to replace the grafts that were impossible to rework due to oxidation, or those whose grain too clearly revealed the poor quality of the wood. The aim, of course, was to preserve as much of the original wood as possible. We couldn't determine if the stained sycamore piece to the right of the tabletop's corner bracket was original, so we kept it.

A problem quickly arose: on the tabletop in particular, the marquetry had been excessively sanded, leaving visible "holes." Replacing the old grafts was therefore risky and could do more harm than good.

Where possible, we replaced the grafts with veneer that was scraped, sanded, and cut to the correct thickness, then glued in place with hot glue. For holes that could not be grafted, we opted for color matching.

It took many hours of research and testing to find the right shade of green for the stained sycamore. The wood was dyed in a bath before being glued. A marker was added to the stain formula so that the matching pieces would be easily identifiable in the future.

To fix the color restoration, we applied a light coat of clear shellac varnish with a pad. We then sanded it with tripoli. Finally, a coat of microcrystalline wax restored the table's original waxed appearance.

As Marc-André Paulin recently demonstrated in his thesis entitled "Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806) Furniture Supplier to the Crown during the reign of Louis XVI Catalogue – study of the cabinetmaker and his work – preserved in public collections", Riesener never mentions varnish on his furniture: he speaks of working with pumice, tripoli and wax.

The first mention of French polish that we have discovered is in the work of Francois-Noel Mellet "L'art du menuisier en meuble et de l'ébéniste – Paris – Librairie de fortin, rue de seine, n°21 – 1825" pg 267.

We simply cleaned the bronzes with an agar-agar gel and a complexing agent.

To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/