Attributed to Jean-Mathieu I CHEVALLIER (1694–1768), who was - Lot 460

Attributed to Jean-Mathieu I CHEVALLIER (1694–1768), who was admitted as a Master in Paris in 1743. A strongly curved tomb-style chest made of violetwood veneer with curly grain in the frames. It features four drawers in three rows separated by divider rails. Beautiful and rich Regency-style ornamentation in chiseled and gilded bronze adorns the side panels, lock plates, and drawer pulls, featuring profiles of men, women’s heads elegantly adorned with pearl necklaces, and cornucopias. It rests on four curved legs decorated with acanthus motifs. Stamped “I.M.C” on the top. Louis XV period. Molded Portor marble top with a corbin-beak profile. H: 85 cm W: 129 cm D: 63 cm Veneer gaps; marbles have been patched. Note: The “IMC” mark may correspond to one of the stamps used early in his career by Jean-Mathieu Ier Chevalier, a cabinetmaker active during the Regency who was admitted as a master in 1743. Bibliography: Pierre KJELLBERG: “18th-Century French Furniture: A Dictionary of Cabinetmakers and Joiners”—A chest of drawers very similar to one by cabinetmaker Jacques DENIZOT (reproduced on page 290, figure b).