Consulate period console in flamed mahogany, attributed to Molitor - mercury-gilt bronzes

Consulate period console table in mahogany and mahogany veneer with a mirrored base, topped with a turquoise blue. It rests on two sheathed busts of winged women, topped with lion paws. Richly decorated with chased and mercury-gilt bronze in matte and glossy finishes: diamonds, palmettes in the corners. It is topped with a luxurious turquoise blue marble, which follows the console table with a recess, widening towards the rear on either side of the front pilasters. The base is adorned with a superb mercury mirror, with sparkling silver over its entire surface.

Parisian work, entirely veneered on oak. A fine quality production from the Consulate or early Empire period, circa 1800-1805, comparable to the work of Bernard Molitor or a similar cabinetmaker such as Jacob Frères, who also used these winged women as armchair consoles.

Bernard Molitor (1755 - November 17, 1833) - cabinetmaker in Paris, master on October 26, 1787. Molitor quickly became one of the leading Parisian cabinetmakers and received commissions from the Court from 1788. Thierry de Ville d'Avray, general commissioner of the Garde Meuble de la Couronne, was seduced by the austere elegance of his productions and also wanted to moderate royal spending. A very innovative man, Molitor was a precursor of the Empire style, one of the main artisans of this "Transition Louis XVI Empire" style. From the end of the Louis XVI era, he heralded the Empire style by using Egyptian busts, ivy leaf motifs wrapped around detached columns, and friezes of stylized palmettes or winged griffins, which would become common during the Empire, on his refined furniture, adorned with bronzes. Several pieces of furniture signed by Molitor feature sheath figures placed at 45° angles, as on our console table. At the forefront of design during the Revolutionary period, he navigated this era without difficulty. In 1802, he moved his workshops to Rue Saint-Honoré, and then, during the Empire, to Boulevard de la Madeleine. Molitor continued his career until the Restoration, enjoying great success, even though he did not receive major commissions from the Emperor and then the Court. He ended his days near Fontainebleau, where he died in 1833.

A fine amateur piece, one of the very fine Empire consoles we have had in the last 10 years.

The console is in excellent condition; it has been fully restored (newly refinished varnish), and the gilded bronzes have been cleaned. The marble is intact, with a small chip in the left corner. The back was formerly covered with a mercury glass from the same period as the console.

Back width: 126.5 cm
Front width: 115 cm
Height: 92 cm
Depth: 55 cm

Ref: 66EF26WBQ7