Louis XV Corner Circa 1750 Stamped Pierre Bernard And Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813)

Very important Louis 88 cm. L. 63 cm. D. 46 cm. Pierre Bernard (ca. 1715 - after 1770) was one of the best cabinetmakers of the time of Louis XV. Known for his fine floral inlays and exquisite and original Rococo bronze fittings, Bernard's talent was noticed relatively early in his career and he was appointed cabinetmaker with special privileges for the king and the royal court. Today, works bearing Bernard's stamp are rare, but in his time he was a true celebrity and his contemporaries were full of praise for him. His works are found in collections as legendary as those of Augustin Blondel de Gagny and François Boucher. Literature: Count François de Salverte, The cabinetmakers of the 18th century, G. Vanoest, 1927, p. 21-22. cf. Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIII Siecle, 1989, p. 63 et seq. Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) received numerous commissions from the French royal house. He was the inventor of matte gilding. Pierre Gouthière learned the trade of engraver from François Ceriset, whose widow he later married. At the height of his success, he had a private mansion built between 1772 and 1780, today called Hôtel Gouthière. It is located at 6, rue Pierre Bullet, behind the Town Hall of the 10th arrondissement. Having ruined himself financially, he had to sell the municipal palace. He died in 1813 in great destitution. Literature: Christian Baulez, Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813), in: Ottomeyer/Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich 1986, p.561 et seq. Inv. no. 1,026  €2.900