bronzes Archives • Ébénisterie Mathieu Vath

Regency commode with bridge "with dragons"«

September 4, 2025August 22, 2026 Mathieu Vathconvenient, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency period commode, topped with a 30 mm thick Rance marble slab, molded with a corbelled edge following its contours. This commode, curved in plan and elevation on the front and sides, is veneered with snakewood and satinwood. It has four drawers (simulating six) arranged in three rows. Its voluminous feet evoke the clawed paws of a dragon. The commode is adorned with brass fluting and chased and gilded bronze mounts: chased waterleaf frames framing the drawers, thick drop handles with shell motifs, wide plates […]

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 […]

Louis XV cartel clock with crowned c

June 30, 2022June 30, 2022 Mathieu Vathcartel, Louis XV, Boulle marquetry, furniture restoration

Here are some images of the restoration of a clock case that some of you may have seen during the work at the Mans'Art fair this year. This Louis XV period clock case is inlaid with tortoiseshell and brass, and the frame is oak. The bronze mounts bear the hallmark of the Crowned C. The Crowned C was established by an edict of 1745, which required bronze workers to mark their pieces with a small distinctive letter, a C surmounted by a crown, thus subjecting them to a tax. This tax applied to […]

Louis XV style desk

November 6, 2021November 6, 2021 Mathieu VathDesk, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry

A major restoration was undertaken for this small Louis XV style desk, richly adorned with bronze mounts and veneered in rosewood. The restoration involved replacing the missing veneer while preserving as much of the remaining material as possible. This was achieved by using veneer that was sliced, scraped, sanded, oxidized, and varnished before being re-glued, thus avoiding the need to sand the piece before finishing. Rosewood is a very dark wood that lightens with age, developing a beautiful reddish patina that cannot be removed by any means.

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 […]

Empire Dressing Table

April 11, 2021June 5, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Bronzes, hairdresser, Vacuum bonding, conservation, Leather, Empire, Jacob, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 19th century

A beautiful restoration and, above all, conservation effort has been undertaken on this lovely Empire-period dressing table. Its frame is made of oak and poplar, veneered with mahogany burl. The drawer sides and bottoms are solid mahogany. It rests on four column legs ending in casters and joined by an H-shaped stretcher. The frieze opens with a drawer revealing a writing surface lined with blue morocco leather, a pen case, and two compartments for inkwells, as well as two large drawers on either side for essentials […]

Barber shop Louis XVI/Directory

March 27, 2021May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, barber, directory, Louis XVI, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, French polish, 18th century

This elegant mahogany-veneered shaving cabinet from the late 18th century rests on four tapered legs with casters and opens with three drawers in the front. The niche, with its blue Turquin marble top framed by fluted columns, is surmounted by two side drawers and a sliding marble shelf with a recessed panel that reveals a sliding mirror on a rack and pinion mechanism, pivoting and framed with ebony and brass stringing. Appearing during the reign of Louis XVI, this style of shaving cabinet is a toilet unit designed to hold a porcelain pitcher and basin […]

Empire Console

March 18, 2021May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, console, Empire, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

Here are some images of the restoration of this Empire-era console table. But first, a little history: do you know what a console table is and what its use was? Primarily a decorative piece of furniture placed in the entrance hall of apartments or between two windows, the "console table"—as it was called during the reign of Louis XV—consists of a marble top supported by two scrolled legs and placed against the wall. During the reign of Louis XV, console tables were often elaborately crafted and adorned with highly detailed motifs. Sculptures and reliefs, arched legs […]

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 […]

Secretary of the Board of Directors

December 12, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Solid Wood, Bronzes, Directorate, restoration, furniture restoration, return from Egypt, secretary

Here is a secretary desk in the most understated style of the Directoire period. Its frame is made of solid beech and conifer, and it is veneered with mahogany and mottled mahogany. It is very simply adorned with bronze handles in the form of a lion's head holding a ring in its mouth. The keyhole escutcheons are in the shape of a shield. The interior comprises seven drawers, the middle one of which opens with a key. The drop-front opens with a period three-point lock. The lower section consists of three drawers, or has been transferred […]

Empire Pedestal

December 5, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Empire, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, saddle, French polish

Restoration of a walnut (for the legs and frame) and flame mahogany veneer pedestal table. It rests on three column-shaped uprights, surmounted by a circular black veined marble top adorned with bronze rings. The restoration involved tightening the cracked base, re-gluing the edge veneers, and adding some veneer grafts. The columns, which were heavily infested with wood-boring insects, were stripped and then treated with static anoxia. Static anoxia is an insecticidal treatment that works by depriving the body of oxygen, having […]

Regency commode stamped J.BIRCKLE

November 27, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBronzes, convenient, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, satin, French polish

Restoration of a chest of drawers veneered in Rio rosewood and satinwood stringing. It has two large drawers and two small ones in the upper section. Its frame is made of oak and fir. It is stamped J.BIRKLE on the left upright and also bears the mark JME. It shows some signs of restoration and an ink mark on one side of a drawer. Jacques Bircklé (1734-1803) – Cabinetmaker – master craftsman obtained on July 30, 1764. One of the suppliers to the Royal Furniture Repository under Louis XVI. Freelance craftsman before […]

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 […]

Louis XVI/Directory Secretary

November 9, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, conservation, Leather, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, secretary, Louis XVI style, French polish, 18th century

Restoration of a drop-front secretary desk built in oak and veneered with mottled mahogany and mahogany from Saint-Domingue. Its design dates from the late 18th century. Its white Carrara marble top is surrounded by a partially openwork brass gallery. It opens with a drawer at the top, a drop-front in the middle, and three drawers at the bottom; all the original locks are secured with a clover-shaped key. All the panels on the front and sides are framed with brass quarter-round moldings. The drop-front is veneered in mahogany […]

Empire secretary with quiver

October 30, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Directorate, Empire, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, secretary, French polish, 19th century

You remember the Empire chest of drawers with the quivers. Well, here is the secretary desk with the quivers. It is built in exactly the same way as the chest: same construction, same solid woods used, and same mahogany veneers. As for the restoration, it is identical to that of the chest of drawers. The aim is to preserve as much as possible and restore the piece of furniture to its original function without altering its history. The work therefore consisted of reattaching the structure and the few detached veneer elements. And to […]

Louis XV style desk in yellow Saint Martin veneer

October 22, 2020June 11, 2022 Mathieu VathDesk, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, Saint Martin yellow

The restorer's trade holds many surprises. There are over 60,000 species of trees in the world. Suffice it to say that even though the same types of wood are often found in French furniture, sometimes you stumble upon something completely new. I must say, I found this wood odd. Violet wood? No. Rosewood? Perhaps, but a variety I don't recognize. Okay, I stripped a section to reveal the wood's true color. Hey, the varnish was very red, and finally this…

Louis XVI style desk stamped KRIEGER

July 13, 2020June 11, 2022 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Bronzes, Desk, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

Exquisitely crafted with its mahogany-veneered oak frame and solid mahogany legs, this desk is a perfect example of high-quality 19th-century furniture. The cabinetmaking is flawlessly executed, and the bronze mounts are in pristine condition. Everything is there; nothing is missing. The Krieger firm began its cabinetmaking business in the mid-19th century with Antoine Krieger (1804-1869) before adding a significant decorative department, which ensured the prestige of its business until around 1945. The Krieger firm produced all the […]

J.STUMPFF Roll-Top Desk

June 7, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathamaranth, rosewood, Bronzes, Desk, J.STUMPFF, Veneering - Marquetry, Louis XVI style

Restoration and conservation work on this rare Louis XVI period roll-top desk stamped by Jean-Chrysostôme Stumpff. 1731 - January 17, 1806 – Master craftsman on August 27, 1766. Originally from Schweigern, Swabia (Germany), he married in 1760 in Paris, at the Swedish embassy, like most of his compatriots of the Reformed faith. His fellow cabinetmaker Ferdinand Scherdfeger was a witness at the wedding. It was in his workshop on Rue Saint-Nicolas that he produced some Louis XV style furniture, but primarily a large number of transitional and Louis XVI pieces. The large […]

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.