The well-proportioned box-shaped body is made from oak with amaranth and kingwood (violet wood, a kind of Brazilian Rosewood). It is a French lacquer-work in so-called "Vernis Martin", named after the inventors, the brothers Martin and their sons. Vernis Martin was around between 1720 and 1789. In a catalogue of the Museum für Lackkunst (museum of lacquer art) in Münster, Germany, the curators speak of Vernis Martin as "the finest of an exuberating production of luxury goods in late Ancien Régime." And they go on: "Famous for their dazzling imitations of the admired East Asian lacquer works, they increasingly turned away from the Far Eastern models since the 1740s, began a change in the color range and, under the influence of goldsmiths' works, developed radically new ways of decoration. Turning to the motifs of contemporary French art completed the emancipation from Asia. But it was only the hardness and transparence of the patented lacquer they developed that made the variety and quality of their works possible."

This piece of furniture is an example of the "style transition" which flourished between 1750 and 1780 and which blended elements from Louis XV, Louis XVI, rococo and classicism, creating a harmonious whole. The marble slab is the so-called "Gris St. Anne" from the Atlantic Pyrenees (Arudy), which became increasingly popular at the time of Louis XVI. The classicist quality can be seen from the beautiful austerity of the box-shape, while the curved legs are baroque in character, a typical piece, therefore, of "style transition".

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Literature:

Französischer Lack im 18. Jahrhundert. 13.10.2013-12.01.2014. Museum für Lackkunst, Münster 2013