regence Archives • Ébénisterie Mathieu Vath

Regency chest of drawers Crossbow

March 20, 2026March 22, 2026 Mathieu VathBronzes, convenient, conservation, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Conservation work on this Regency period commode, characterized by its serpentine shape, rosewood veneer, and gilt bronze mounts, resting on an oak and softwood frame. Our task was to stabilize the veneered surfaces by injecting protein-based adhesive. Veneer gaps were filled with grafts of new rosewood veneer, previously sawn, scraped, and sanded. These grafts were then French polished, naturally oxidized with ultraviolet light, and then applied to the appropriate thickness as a backing before being glued in place with […]

Regency chest of drawers stamped Merchant

March 9, 2026March 11, 2026 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, convenient, stamp, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency period commode, stamped with the name Nicolas Jean Marchand, veneered in violet wood with a diamond-point pattern on an oak frame. It opens with four drawers. The whole is adorned with chased bronze mounts bearing the crowned C, including thick drop handles, large gadrooned rosettes, cartel-shaped keyhole escutcheons, and espagnolette drops ending in eagle-claw feet. The crowned C: The royal edict of 1745 required bronze workers to affix a distinctive mark, a […]

Regency Cartel

April 30, 2025September 12, 2025 Mathieu VathBoulle marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency clock case in brown tortoiseshell and brass marquetry, featuring a bronze Atlas and a clock face. The piece exhibited significant structural and decorative alterations requiring complete intervention according to the principles of conservation-restoration. Condition report: This clock case, probably dating from the early 18th century, showed the marks of time: lifting of the marquetry, detachment of the tortoiseshell, oxidation of the brass, and numerous losses. The bronze depicting Atlas, bent under the weight of the celestial vault, was blackened, its expression frozen by decades of dust […]

Regency Cartel

March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 Mathieu Vathcartel, Boulle marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Minor restoration/conservation work was carried out on this lovely Regency clock signed by the Dumont brothers in Besançon. Some minor repairs and replacements of missing brass and flakes were performed before the shellac finish was applied. The bronze mounts were removed and steam cleaned before being reattached.

8-foot Regency style pedestal desk with Democritus masks

March 15, 2025March 15, 2025 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Desk, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency period double-sided flat-fronted desk with a drawer unit, veneered entirely in kingwood. The sides feature a diamond-point frieze, and the drawer fronts have an inverted slab pattern. Each side opens with four drawers in the frieze, and a central drawer on one side. The top is edged with a molding and gilt leather tooled in small pieces, resting on eight cabriole legs ending in goat hooves. Most notably, it features two bronze mounts emblematic of the period […]

Regency chest of drawers

March 6, 2025March 6, 2025 Mathieu Vathamaranth, convenient, Veneering - Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, satin

Restoration of a bombé commode with a front veneered in satinwood with double boxwood stringing within amaranth borders, mounted on a fir frame with walnut drawer boxes. It opens with four drawers in three rows and is adorned with finely chased bronze mounts, silvered rather than gilded as is customary. The uprights are veneered with a facsimile of brass fluting, and the sides, decorated with a lozenge within a rectangle, echo the decorative motif of the front veneer. It is […]

Regency corner

February 16, 2025February 16, 2025 Mathieu Vathcorner, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, French polish, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency period corner cabinet veneered in Rio rosewood on a softwood frame. The piece had little damage apart from missing fluting and mahogany grafts on the top and bottom rails. The work therefore consisted of replacing the mahogany grafts with rosewood veneer that was sawn, scraped, and sanded before being glued with hot glue. The brass fluting was recreated and adjusted to fit perfectly into its original positions. A French polish finish was applied […]

Regency style pedestal desk

November 28, 2024December 6, 2024 Mathieu Vathamaranth, Desk, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Restoration of a desk veneered on all sides with yew burl and amaranth, decorated with geometric boxwood stringing. It opens with five drawers in the front and five simulated drawers in the back. The two lower drawers follow the contour of the front and slide down at a 45-degree angle. The top is veneered in amaranth and edged with a bronze molding. It rests on four cabriole legs and terminates in curious acanthus leaf bronze mounts. The frame is entirely oak, except for the drawers, which are made of […]

Regency-style chest of drawers stamped by Michel Mallerot

November 21, 2024November 25, 2024 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, convenient, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

The restoration of a commode from the first half of the 18th century, curved in height and bombé in plan, opening with four drawers in three rows, known as a "tomb-shaped" or "Regency" commode, belongs to a much smaller group of commodes called "bridge" and "moustache" commodes. The frame of this commode is typical of Regency models, with oak uprights, high-quality softwood for the majority of the structure, and walnut for the inset drawers. The veneer consists of only two types: kingwood and satinwood. The […]

Regency commode in sarcophagus form

October 17, 2024October 17, 2024 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, convenient, conservation, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Minor restoration was required for this Regency commode, known as a sarcophagus commode. A few veneer repairs and a refinishing of the varnish were all it took to restore its former glory. The sarcophagus commode? It was only a few years after the first examples were completed by André Charles Boulle, during the Regent period, that the curved commodes, both in plan and elevation, appeared. These commodes would be called "Regency-style" commodes throughout the 18th century (and similarly, it would be necessary to wait until 1720 to see commodes with two rows of drawers again, often […]

Regency table lamp

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024 Mathieu VathBronzes, cartel, Boulle marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency mantel clock in brown tortoiseshell and brass marquetry on an oak frame. Without its bronze mounts, this type of furniture loses its splendor. But when it regains its bronze fittings, knowing that the function of this type of furniture is to tell the time, the symbols that compose them take on their full meaning. Fame on the escapement and the eagle on the door are perfect examples. Fame is originally an allegorical Greek deity personifying public recognition […]

Regency style commode stamped Hédouin

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 Mathieu Vathamaranth, Vacuum bonding, convenient, HEDOUIN, Veneering - Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, sawn veneer, regency, furniture restoration, satin

Here is the latest restoration by Raphaël, my apprentice. Although it possesses all the attributes of a Regency commode, it could only have been made much later, after this historical period (around 1715-1723). Indeed, since Hédouin obtained his master craftsman's certificate in 1738, during the height of the Louis XV era, it is more accurately described as a commode "in the Regency style" by cabinetmakers of the time. This commode is entirely constructed of oak, except for the interior panels, and is veneered with amaranth and satinwood. Jean-Baptiste HEDOUIN The life of Jean-Baptiste Hedouin is quite […]

Regency commode with faun and lion masks

July 14, 2024September 4, 2024 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Bronzes, convenient, conservation, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Restoration completes this important and rare commode, known as a "tomb-shaped" or "Regency" commode, also called a "moustache" commode, dating from the Regency period. Curved on all sides, it opens with four drawers in three rows. Topped with a Belgian Vieux Rance marble slab (it's worth noting that Rance was a French village at the beginning of the 18th century), molded with a corbel-like profile following its contours, this wide commode, veneered in a single layer of kingwood, boasts powerful curves, is adorned with brass fluting on the front and sides, and is covered with exceptional finely chased bronze mounts.

Regency Games Table

May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 Mathieu Vathamaranth, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, games table

Restoration of a Regency period games table converted into a desk, resting on four cabriole legs. It is veneered with thick amaranth leaves and opens with two drawers (called "chétrons") on the sides and a removable top (locked by a push-button mechanism) covered in dark leather on its facing and a checkerboard veneered in ebony and inlaid with ivory on the reverse. When the top is removed, it reveals a backgammon set in ebony and ivory. The molded astragal surrounding the top is made of solid amaranth wood. The legs and stretchers are made of beech, the […]

Regency Cartel

May 18, 2024May 18, 2024 Mathieu Vathcartel, Vacuum bonding, conservation, Boulle marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Restoration of a Regency clock case in Boulle marquetry on a brown tortoiseshell background. Since Antiquity, humankind has sought to master and create a "timekeeper." Egyptian obelisks, water clocks, sundials, hourglasses. But it was in the 15th century that the first mechanical weight-driven clocks were made, with a single hand, but generally equipped with chimes. Then, in the 16th century, the counting of the day in two parts, 12 hours instead of 24, was adopted almost everywhere, even though each city kept its own meridian time until the advent of railways and […]

Regency commode with crowned R

March 8, 2024September 4, 2024 Mathieu Vathamaranth, violet wood, Bronzes, convenient, cherry tree, walnut, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, sawn veneer, regency, furniture restoration, French polish, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency commode, probably from southeastern France, veneered with yew, plum, rosewood, walnut, cherry, amaranth, violet wood, boxwood, and green-stained maple on a softwood frame. Besides its highly unusual marquetry decoration, the commode's distinctive feature is its crowned R bronze mounts. The crowned R hallmark should not be confused with the crowned C hallmark, which corresponds to a tax levied from 1745 to 1749 on copper objects and is found on many […]

Regency chest of drawers with Spanish-style drawers

December 7, 2023December 7, 2023 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Vacuum bonding, convenient, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, French polish, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency period commode with a serpentine front and espagnolettes, curved on all sides, veneered in violet wood on a walnut frame, opening with four drawers in three rows and topped with a Belgian Griotte Red marble slab with ears and a corbelled edge. The pinched uprights are dark, as are the front rails, with fluting and brass reeding. Its high-quality bronze ornamentation features superb chasing and includes very rare espagnolettes (seen on six commodes: four by Etienne Doirat, one by François Lieutaud […]

Regency commode by François LIEUTAUD

September 16, 2023March 28, 2024 Mathieu Vathconvenient, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Louis XIV period commode in rosewood and walnut, inlaid with alternating marquetry in friezes and fillets. The slightly curved front opens with three wide drawers in three rows. The top, encircled by a brass molding, features a geometric design of circles framing a central polylobed motif with figurative designs. The uprights and intermediate rails are inlaid with polished brass fluting. The sides are veneered in walnut with diamond frieze patterns. The legs are tapered with claw feet. The piece is adorned with finely chased and gilded bronze mounts.

Regency chest of drawers stamped ID

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023 Mathieu VathBronzes, convenient, conservation, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, French polish, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency commode veneered in rosewood on a conifer frame. It was only after three weeks of work on this commode that I noticed a strange mark. It had been there from the beginning, right in front of me, and I hadn't noticed it. Indeed, it's quite rare to see a stamped Regency commode. But yes, the mark was definitely there. And it's not a modest mark, since this ID stamp is attributed to Jacques Denizot. Jacques Denizot (1684–1760) is […]

Regency commode stamped by Michel Mallerot

February 16, 2023February 16, 2023 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, convenient, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Restoration of a commode stamped by Michel Mallerot. With its serpentine front, it is entirely veneered in violet wood. It is built of fir with beech drawer bottoms and walnut drawer fronts. You don't know Michel Mallerot? That's understandable, as Michel Mallerot (1675–1753) is a Parisian cabinetmaker who remains relatively unknown, much like many cabinetmakers of the early 18th century. We owe his identification to the discovery of a handwritten pencil inscription "M. Mallerot" on a commode dating from the Regency period (formerly […]

Regency chest of drawers

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Bronzes, convenient, Veneering - Marquetry, regency

To start the year, here are some photos of the restoration of this Regency commode. It is built entirely of conifer and veneered with kingwood. The uprights and rails are inlaid with brass fluting. The bronze handles, influenced by Asia and the East India Company trade, are known as "Chinese" or "Chinese." The keyhole escutcheons, meanwhile, herald the arrival of the Louis XV style in the first half of the 18th century. Regarding its condition upon arrival, besides […]

Regency Cartel

July 22, 2022July 22, 2022 Mathieu Vathcartel, Vacuum bonding, Boulle marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Restoration of a large cartel clock (137cm high) and its console-style bracket from the Regency period. It is made of solid oak veneered with Boulle marquetry of brown tortoiseshell and brass. It is decorated with floral garlands, crosshatching, and foliage. The dial is made of chased and gilded bronze with an interlacing design and birds; the Roman numerals are enameled, and the signature St Martin à Paris is inset. The plate is signed with the same name. It is adorned with chased and gilded bronze mounts depicting on its capital […]

Regency chest of drawers

October 30, 2021October 30, 2021 Mathieu Vathconvenient, conservation, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Originating in the late 17th century but only acquiring its name in the early 18th century, this is the first classic model of a commode. Although typically Louis XIV in style, it may not have existed before the Regency period. With rounded corner pilasters with slightly convex faces, deep copper fluting, veneer, and geometric bronze mounts, it features three rows of drawers. It perpetuates the spirit of Louis XIV furniture throughout much of the 18th century. Bibliography: Furniture […]

Regency chest of drawers

June 5, 2021June 5, 2021 Mathieu Vathconvenient, walnut, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

This small chest of drawers has a classic form typical of the Regency period. Still bearing the hallmarks of Louis XIV, the front is curved, the front uprights are rounded, and the sides remain straight. It opens with three drawers. Its uprights and the intermediate rails are decorated with brass fluting. The frame is entirely made of fir; the intermediate panels are dovetailed into the sides, and the back is composed of horizontal planks held in place by rabbeted nails. The drawers are constructed of walnut […]

Regency Cartel

June 18, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBoulle marquetry, regency

A classic restoration was carried out on this Regency-era Boulle marquetry cartel clock in tortoiseshell. The missing brass pieces were replaced, and all the marquetry was re-glued using fish glue and vacuum infiltration. The entire piece was then varnished with a clear French polish, and the bronze mounts were cleaned with Panama wood.