{"id":10473,"date":"2025-10-15T13:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/?p=10473"},"modified":"2026-08-22T09:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T07:08:54","slug":"commode-louis-xvi-par-jean-francois-leleu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/en\/2025\/10\/15\/commode-louis-xvi-par-jean-francois-leleu\/","title":{"rendered":"Louis XVI chest of drawers by Jean-Francois Leleu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Restoration of a Louis XVI period commode with a central projecting front, stamped JF LELEU. Made entirely of oak, it is veneered with amaranth, rosewood, boxwood, stained maple burl, and tobacco-grey maple. It is decorated with marquetry featuring a frieze of posts on the upper drawer, Greek key motifs, and fleurons in a mosaic of hexagons known as "\u00ab\u00a0<\/small>marquetry \u00e0 la reine<\/a>\u00a0<\/small>\u00bb"on the central projection. It has three drawers, two of which conceal drawers with crossbars. The front uprights have chamfered corners and simulated fluting. The tapered legs end in foliate ball feet.".<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Eb\u00e9nisterie<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Leleu (1729-1807)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Leleu was born in Paris in 1729, a period marked by a turning point in the art of furniture making in France, characterized by a growing quest for refinement and balance. At a very young age, he joined the workshop of Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Oeben<\/strong>, a master cabinetmaker renowned for his delicate marquetry, sophisticated forms, and technical innovations. In this workshop, Leleu acquired not only mastery of woodworking, but also a keen eye for detail, decoration, and proportion. It was also with Oeben that he associated Jean-Henri Riesener<\/strong>, which will become its competitor, sometimes its reference, sometimes its mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon Oeben's death in 1763, Leleu aspired to take over the workshop, but Riesener was chosen instead. Far from being discouraged, Leleu became master in 1764<\/strong>, opens his own workshop, <\/strong>Initially located on the Chauss\u00e9e de la Contrescarpe, a stone's throw from the Bastille and the Arsenal, he moved after a few months to larger premises on the Rue Royale, near the square of the same name (now the Rue de Birague and Place des Vosges), and began to distinguish himself with a personal style. He favored straight lines, clean lines, and understated decoration: his furniture is characterized by its nobility and restraint. This taste for rigor did not prevent him from working with a wide variety of wood species (mahogany, rosewood, violet wood, amaranth) and veneers, combining marble and gilt bronze, and even incorporating more exotic elements, such as lacquer panels or... S\u00e8vres porcelain plaques<\/a>, according to the client's wishes. Just like his master and colleague, he will compete in ingenuity by creating mechanical furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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