Nicolas Grevenich - Large Mahogany And Gilt Bronze Serving Console - Late Louis XVI Period

Elegant serving console in mahogany and mahogany veneer, gilded bronze trim, the fluted uprights shaped in the style of Molitor resting on top legs. It is covered with a white marble top set in a gallery finely pierced in waves, the lower top also topped with marble framed in bronze. Our sideboard opens with a large lockable belt drawer. Stamp of Nicolas Grevenich on a rear pillar. End of the Louis XVI or Directory period, 1790s or 1800s. Provenance, Maurice Ségoura gallery in the 1980s.

Nicolas Grevenich, master in 1768, is considered one of the greatest cabinetmakers of the 18th century. Born in the Rhineland, he settled in Rue du Bac where he worked successfully for many years after obtaining his master's degree in Paris in 1768. Under Louis XVI, the General Almanac of the Merchants of the Kingdom considered him "one of the most notable in his profession". In 1791, the Garde Meuble de la Couronne ordered several mahogany screens from him for the Palais des Tuilleries. He subsequently transferred his establishment to Quai Malaquais then to Rue Monceau Saint-Gervais where he worked until the beginning of the Empire. At the start of his career, Nicolas Grevenich produced some Louis XV style furniture, but very quickly he specialized in Transition furniture and Louis XVI furniture. His creations were always infinitely careful, framed with nets or decorated with richly chiseled bronze. Grevenich, left only remarkable works.

Our console is a large format model, very neat and with elegant proportions. It is an ideal piece of furniture in a dining room, entryway or living room.
If this type of serving console was a great success, it is characterized by the excellence of its finishes: quality of the bronzes, but also of the execution of the cabinetmaking: the work of the grooves is so regular that it seems made by machine. It is interesting to note this particularity of the productions of the greatest cabinetmakers of the 18th century such as Riesener, Oeben, Molitor and Grevenich who sought perfection down to the smallest details, to the point that one could sometimes confuse their productions with furniture from the 19th century. Our piece of furniture is similar in quality to a Sormani piece of furniture, yet it is from the end of the 18th century.
If Grevenich was active until the Empire, it is difficult to date this piece of furniture precisely. The patterns chiseled on the bronzes are reminiscent of those found on Directoire or Consulate clocks. Which leads us to believe that this service must date from the 1790s or 1800s.

Furniture in excellent condition, which has been refinished with a new stamp. Gilding of the bronzes well preserved. Dismantling during the restoration showed that the lower marble had been replaced (bears the name Segoura below) identical to the upper one which is indeed original. It is possible that the bottom of the drawer was redone with an old walnut board, identical to the rest of the drawer structure also in walnut.

Length: 135cm
Depth: 61cm
Height: 92cm

Ref: OC8P2VM3BU