Lot 48

Jean Louis Benjamin Gros LOUIS XV STYLE BUREAU PLAT

Jean-Louis-Benjamin Gros was registered as an "ébéniste" and "marqueteur" (cabinetmaker) at 27 rue des Blancs-Manteaux until 1850, and then at 43 rue des Tournelles until 1863. He worked with the Winckelsen company as its chief cabinetmaker. He was also an independent "master ébéniste and marqueteur" and worked at various locations in Paris. Together with his son Aristide-Henry, Gros exhibited at the World's Fair in Paris in 1855, where he won an award, which brought him many important commissions. Gros was known for the virtuoso quality of his individual pieces, as evidenced by the writing desk offered here, known in French as a "bureau plat." The term originated in the 17th century, and this type of furniture is characterized by its shape, decorative gilded bronze fittings, and large leather-covered writing surface. In the case of the desk on offer, contrasting dark ebony wood was chosen in combination with brass worked using the Boulle technique and exceptionally high-quality fire-gilded bronze with animal (lion paws, snakes), figural (side reliefs, mascarons), and plant motifs. The dominant feature of the desk are the bronzes with the motif of Hercules' Nemean lion skin, which are analogous to the desk of Louis XV in Versailles by Jean-Henri Riesner and Jean-Francois Oeben, or the desk by Guillaume Beneman now in the Waddesdon Manor collection. The desk has a total of three drawers. Completely restored, including new leather. Lit.: Christopher Payne, Paris furniture - the luxury market of the 19th century, Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 2018, pp. 382-383.