A little restoration for this Louis XV period secretary desk stamped by Philippe-Claude Montigny. It is constructed of oak and softwood, and veneered with rosewood, amaranth, and boxwood. It consists of a drop-front top drawer and two doors. The interior compartments contain six drawers.
Philippe Claude Montigny (1734-1800) received his master craftsman's certificate on January 29, 1766. The son of Louis Montigny, a privileged craftsman of the King, he owned a workshop in the Contrescarpe district of Paris. He was also the brother-in-law of Fidelis Schey, a cabinetmaker who became a master in Paris in 1777. Along with Levasseur, he was among the few restorers of Boulle marquetry medal cabinets in the Crown furniture. The Dauphin almanac even described him in 1778 as "one of the most renowned for furniture in tortoiseshell and silver or ebony and copper, in the style of the works of the celebrated Boulle." He also produced numerous pieces for the leading merchants of his time.
But Montigny's work was not limited to restorations or reproductions. Faithful to the architectural, robust, and massive forms of Louis XIV's reign, he also created original pieces characteristic of his style. On some pieces of furniture, he retained Boulle's technique, but added new forms.
State of affairs report
This piece of furniture was in fairly good condition. There were some chips and missing veneer, the veneer was lifting in a few places, and the doors, drop-front, and drawer needed adjusting and restoring to proper working order.
The Restoration
The restoration work therefore consisted of replacing the missing veneer with new pieces of veneer that were sawn, scraped, sanded, and cut to the correct thickness as a backing before being glued with hot glue. All the veneered surfaces were rehydrated to ensure the consistency and stability of the glue for the future. The old veneer grafts were preserved because they did not detract from the overall appearance of the piece, despite being made of rosewood.
The old varnish was then reworked and refinished with a colorless French polish. The bronzes were cleaned using ultrasound.
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
