{"id":9862,"date":"2025-03-27T10:24:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T09:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/?p=9862"},"modified":"2026-08-22T11:52:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:52:56","slug":"bureau-plat-a-la-grec-estampille-dubois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/en\/2025\/03\/27\/bureau-plat-a-la-grec-estampille-dubois\/","title":{"rendered":"Flat Greek-style desk stamped DUBOIS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Bureau
Upon his arrival at the workshop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One desk, one stamp, three cabinetmakers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This flat desk, known as a "Greek-style" desk, is a perfect example of the Louis XVI style. Crafted from a harmonious blend of amaranth, satinwood, kingwood, and light wood stringing, it features three drawers in the frieze, one of which is secret, and is distinguished by its refined decoration of Greek-style friezes punctuated by swirling rosettes in chased and gilt bronze. Its leather-covered top is framed by a gilt-bronze molding. The desk rests on four tapered straight legs, decorated with laurel wreaths in rope and terminating in gilt-bronze sabots. Its two side pull-out slides add a touch of practicality to an already perfectly mastered aesthetic. It is a work of great restraint, whose geometric forms recall the influence of Antiquity and travels in Italy. It is stamped with Jacques Dubois<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jacques Dubois<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born in Pontoise around 1693, he was one of the greatest Parisian cabinetmakers during the reign of Louis XV. Having worked for many years as a journeyman in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he earned his master's certificate in 1742 at the age of forty-nine and pursued a brilliant career for nearly twenty years on the rue de Charenton. Cabinetmaker to the King, he worked for the high nobility. In 1752, he became a sworn member of the Guild of Joiners and Cabinetmakers, whose role was to judge the quality of the furniture produced by his colleagues. In 1763, he was tasked with assessing the estate of Jean Fran\u00e7ois Oeben. And after his own death a few months later, an inventory of his work was drawn up to evaluate its influence on the development of the Louis XV style. His workshop on rue de Charenton was taken over by his son Ren\u00e9 in 1763, who continued his father's work for another twenty years, also enjoying a glowing reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n

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

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Although it bears Jacques Dubois's stamp, this desk was not made by him, because if we rely on sources for other similar desks, all dated between 1765 and 1770, Jacques Dubois had been deceased for at least three years. His son Ren\u00e9 took over the business, while retaining his father's stamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ren\u00e9 Dubois<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(1737-1799) Cabinetmaker. Paris. Master on June 25, 1755. Cabinetmaker to the Queen in 1779. He signed his works with his father's old hallmark. I. DUBOIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The son and pupil of Jacques Dubois, Ren\u00e9 Dubois took over his father's workshop on the rue de Charenton in 1763 and partnered with his mother. Although he had earned his master craftsman's certificate at a very young age, he continued to use his father's stamp. In 1779, the "Almanach G\u00e9n\u00e9ral des Marchands" (General Almanac of Merchants) listed him as cabinetmaker to the Queen. His output was substantial until 1780, the year he acquired a shop on the rue Montmartre, dedicated solely to selling furniture. He ceased operations at the beginning of the French Revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ren\u00e9 Dubois, cabinetmaker, Flat desk, Paris, circa 1775 \u2013 \u00a9 Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs \/ photo: Jean Tholance<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thus, it is troubling to find Dubois' stamp on a desk bearing all the characteristics of three desks similar in every structural point to those executed by Philippe-Claude Montigny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Louis XV period marquetry flat desk in the "Greek style," circa 1765-1770, stamped C. Montigny and JME. Photo Sotheby's<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Philippe-Claude Montigny<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having received his master cabinetmaker's certificate in 1766, he was one of the great craftsmen responsible for this piece. Established near the Bastille in his father's workshops, he became deeply involved in the production of these exceptional flat desks, often with the help of his cousin Ren\u00e9 Dubois. This particular model, which can be found stamped interchangeably by Montigny or Dubois, highlights the collaboration between these two masters, who frequently partnered in the production of furniture for the most prominent collectors and dealers of the time, such as Simon-Philippe Poirier.
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Stamped office Montigny and JME \u2013 Photo Coutau B\u00e9garie and associates \u2013 sale of June 3, 2022 \u2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It is therefore not surprising that a single piece could be the work of several hands. Philippe-Claude Montigny, renowned for his mastery of the Neoclassical style and the use of high-quality bronzes, is the principal creator of this desk. However, the presence of Ren\u00e9 Dubois and the possible involvement of Poirier, a renowned merchant-mercer, in the commissioning and distribution of these pieces also contributed to the creation of this magnificent work. One of the most remarkable examples of this collaboration is the desk delivered in 1765 to the Earl of Coventry, which closely resembles the one presented here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIBLIOGRAPHY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n