bois de violette Archives • Ébénisterie Mathieu Vath

Louis XV style bookcase

June 25, 2026June 25, 2026 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 19th century

The restoration of this Louis XV style bookcase, dating from the Napoleon III era and stamped by Léon Dromard, is now complete. Its structure is made of oak, covered with a kingwood veneer, displaying a style very close to that produced by the cabinetmaker Pierre IV Migeon in the 18th century. But do you know what a bookcase is? A bookcase is a small, open storage unit that appeared in the 18th century, designed to hold books and decorative objects. Appreciated for its lightness and elegance, it quickly became a staple in refined interiors, […]

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 […]

Louis XV secretary desk, stamped MIGEON

December 11, 2025December 11, 2025 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, secretary, 18th century

Restoration of a secretary desk, commonly called a "drop-front secretary" or "cabinet secretary," bearing the MIGEON stamp. This piece is distinguished by its serpentine front, opening with a pivoting drop-front that reveals nine small, curved drawers. The inside of the drop-front is lined with leather. The "cabinet" itself opens with two doors. The entire front is veneered with four panels of kingwood veneer, obliquely cut into butterfly wings. Each compartment is decorated with a quatrefoil motif of butterfly wings, set within a […]

Regency-style wardrobe stamped MIGEON

October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 Mathieu VathCupboard, violet wood, Louis XV, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, library display case, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency-style cabinet, probably dating from the 1740s, stamped by Pierre IV Migeon. Constructed of oak and softwood, this cabinet, which could also be considered a bookcase, is entirely veneered in kingwood, rosewood for the top, and walnut for the interiors. The doors are veneered with a butterfly-wing pattern, while the side doors feature a square motif, typical of Migeon's decorative vocabulary. The ogee cornice is edged with a half-round brass molding. The uprights […]

Flat Greek-style desk stamped DUBOIS

March 27, 2025March 27, 2025 Mathieu Vathamaranth, violet wood, Bronzes, Desk, polite, furniture restoration, satin, Louis XVI style, Transitional style, 18th century

One desk, one stamp, three cabinetmakers? The desk we are about to discover, a masterpiece of French cabinetmaking, embodies the culmination of 18th-century Neoclassical taste. The question that immediately arises upon contemplating this exceptional piece is: why three cabinetmakers for a single desk? The answer lies in the complex interplay of succession, talent, collaboration, and opportunism that characterized the craftsmanship of the period. This flat desk, known as a "Greek-style" desk, is a perfect example of the Louis XVI style. Made from a blend of […]

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 […]

Louis XV commode by JB Fromageau

December 14, 2024December 15, 2024 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, convenient, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Louis XV commode stamped by Jean-Baptiste Fromageau. Constructed of oak and conifer, this commode is inlaid with rosewood within violet wood frames. Curved at the front and flared at the sides, it features four drawers in three rows and is topped with a grey Saint Anne marble slab. Jean-Baptiste Fromageau, son of a master cabinetmaker, was born around 1725. After obtaining his master craftsman's certificate on November 5, 1755, he set up his workshop on Rue Traversière before establishing himself on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The Dauphiné Almanac […]

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 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.

Small Louis XV style commode

May 29, 2024May 29, 2024 Mathieu Vathconvenient, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

And here is the latest restoration by Raphaël, my apprentice. It's a Louis XV period commode. It's veneered in rosewood and violet wood on an oak and softwood frame. Condition report: A perfect project for tackling structural and veneer restoration. Almost all the panels are detached and too short, the joints are loose, both sides are detached from the uprights and split right down the middle, and of course there's a lot of detachment and […]

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 […]

Louis XV coffee table

April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Louis XV, Uncategorized, Veneering - Marquetry, coffee table

Restoration of a mid-18th-century side table or writing table veneered in kingwood and rosewood for the chamfers. A minor restoration for everyday use. The most time-consuming part was reattaching approximately 90% small pieces of rosewood. To see previous restorations: https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/

Louis XV commode

April 7, 2023April 7, 2023 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, convenient, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, 18th century

Restoration of a Louis XV period commode veneered in rosewood and violet wood. The commode, also known as the commode sauteuse, appeared during the Regency period, between 1705 and 1730, and is attributed to the cabinetmaker Charles Cressent. It consists of two drawers or two rows of drawers. The body is raised on half-height supports, with the body occupying half the height of the piece and the other half the legs. Intended to distinguish itself from the heavy and massive Louis XIV style, it is slender and graceful, almost ethereal. After restoration […]

Louis XV writing table

March 23, 2023March 24, 2023 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, coffee table

Restoration of a Louis XV period drawing table, or more precisely, a writing table, veneered in rosewood, with a satinwood back. Born from the passion for correspondence in the 18th century, fashionable merchants deployed all their ingenuity to create numerous models of utilitarian tables to be placed in the center of a room. These table models differed from ordinary tables; they were generally equipped with a writing surface and drawers for storing ink and quills. It is in […]

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 […]

Roussel Stamped Chest of Drawers

November 25, 2022November 25, 2022 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, 18th century

Restoration of a Louis XV commode stamped by the Parisian cabinetmaker Pierre Roussel. This commode is constructed of oak and softwood panels. It is veneered with rosewood arranged in a herringbone pattern, framed by violet wood. The stringing is boxwood. The Roussel family: Son of Michel Roussel, a journeyman cabinetmaker originally from the Cotentin region, he was the only one to choose cabinetmaking rather than joinery, unlike his younger brothers Jacques, Michel, and Louis. Pierre Roussel obtained his master craftsman's certificate on August 21, 1745, and established himself in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, on rue […]

LARDIN transitional chest of drawers

June 1, 2022June 1, 2022 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, convenient, LARDIN, Veneering - Marquetry, sawn veneer, furniture restoration, Transitional style, 18th century

Restoration of a Transitional period commode constructed of fir and oak and veneered with rosewood, violet wood, and a frieze of hornbeam stringing stained green in the Greek key pattern. 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 rue de Charenton under the sign "Au Bois de Boulogne." He worked there until 1770, when he moved to rue Saint Nicolas. His production is […]

Louis XVI commode

December 20, 2021December 20, 2021 Mathieu Vathamaranth, rosewood, violet wood, Bronzes, convenient, Louis XVI, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

This week, we're restoring a Louis XVI commode with a projecting front, veneered in Rio rosewood, amaranth, and violet wood, with marquetry stringing in boxwood and ebony forming a ribbon wrapped around the wood, the background of the engravings filled with red wax. The tapered legs and canted uprights have faux fluting in ebony and boxwood. There's no maker's mark to attribute this beautiful piece and the high quality of wood chosen for its construction. Regarding the restoration, the work isn't very […]

Eight-foot desk known as the "Mazarin" desk«

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Desk, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, French polish, 17th century, 18th century

Extensive restoration work has been undertaken on this Mazarin desk, veneered in kingwood and rosewood. It is entirely veneered on fir with a solid rosewood base. The top features a marquetry of rosewood stars surrounded by kingwood butterfly wings in circular patterns. Why the name "Mazarin"? The eight-legged desk is one of the jewels of 17th-century furniture. It only acquired the name "Mazarin" from antique dealers in the 19th century to give it a more prestigious name.

Louis XV writing table

July 12, 2021July 12, 2021 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry

Before/after the restoration of a Louis XV writing table veneered in kingwood on solid oak. It has two side drawers and a central pull-out shelf beneath the leather-covered top. Besides the significant discoloration of the varnish, there were some small areas of peeling and missing veneer. The missing pieces were replaced with new veneer, which was sawn, scraped, and sanded, then cut to the correct thickness before gluing in order to avoid disturbing the patina beneath the bleached varnish. The […]

Louis XV commode

March 7, 2021May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, convenient, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

This is a significant restoration project for this Louis XV commode, originally veneered in rosewood and violet wood. It took me some time to determine if it was indeed violet wood, as the commode had undergone so much restoration that there was almost as much rosewood as violet wood. Fortunately, the drawers are still in fairly good condition and are indeed made of violet wood, so I conclude that the commode was […]

Louis XV commode

November 19, 2020November 12, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, convenient, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

The commode with a jumping habit seems to have been invented during the Regency period, between 1705 and 1730, by the cabinetmaker Charles Cressent, and subsequently became widespread in the Louis XV style. It consists of only two drawers or two rows of drawers. The body must be raised on cabriole legs of about half height, with the body occupying half the height of the piece and the other half the legs. The observer thus has the impression that the piece has legs allowing it to jump like a frog. The width offers straight, curved, or […]

Hedouin commode with crowned C

August 5, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Bronzes, oak, Vacuum bonding, convenient, conservation, stamp, HEDOUIN, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, sawn veneer, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 18th century

Extensive restoration of this superb Louis XV period commode, stamped on all four uprights by Jean-Baptiste Hedouin. The frame and drawers are constructed of solid oak, fir, and walnut. The edges of the frieze and geometric marquetry in violet wood are veneered with satinwood. Two types of violet wood are visible: one with a very tight grain and veining for the lozenges, and a second, more intricate type for the marquetry edges, uprights, and rails. The […]

Louis XV slant-front desk (After restoration)

December 19, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, Bronzes, donkey's back desk, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish

A while ago I told you about this desk that was being restored. Well, here it is finished. The varnishing process took three weeks. This allowed enough time for the varnish to set properly, in order to achieve the best possible result. https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/ So here are some before and after photos.

Louis XV slant-front desk

November 29, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, Bronzes, donkey's back desk, oak, graft, Veneering - Marquetry, sawn veneer, restoration, furniture restoration, 17th century

The restoration of a lovely slant-front desk, or as Riesener calls it in his memoirs, a "tomb-shaped secretary," began two weeks ago. With the restoration phase complete and the varnishing underway, I'm taking a moment to provide a brief summary of the project. The desk's frame is made of oak and fir, veneered with rosewood and violet wood, and the drop-front features floral marquetry of boxwood, natural and stained maple, and hornbeam. It includes a large drawer […]

Louis XV corner cabinet, stamped JM CHEVALLIER

July 3, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, oak, KNIGHT, Vacuum bonding, stamp, flipot, graft, Louis XV, Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, press, restoration, furniture restoration

Here is a corner cabinet stamped by Jean-Mathieu Chevallier. It is made of solid oak and veneered with rosewood and violet wood with a boxwood inlay. Jean-Mathieu Chevallier was already established on the rue de Grenelle under the sign "à la Croix Chevallier" when he obtained his master craftsman's certificate in 1743. He subsequently expanded his business considerably, had business dealings with André-Charles Boulle, one of the sons of the famous cabinetmaker, and contributed to furnishing the Hôtel du Duc de Talmont, as well as the Château de Villegénis, which he had purchased […]

Napoleon III planter and Louis XVI chest of drawers

June 13, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, chiffonier, Vacuum bonding, planter, Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, French polish

This week, two pieces of furniture left the workshop: a Napoleon III jardinière in rosewood veneer and a Louis XVI chiffonier in rosewood and violet wood veneer. If this piece had seven drawers, it would have been called a "semainier" (weekly chest of drawers). Here are some photos of their restoration.