Louis XVI Chest Of Drawers, Stamped B. Molitor, 18th Century

Louis XVI chest of drawers, stamped Bernard MOLITOR, from the 18th century, on the left front upright. It opens on the front with 5 drawers, including 2 without crossbars, and 3 small drawers in the belt. It is in rosewood marquetry surrounded by Greek fillets in precious wood, in amaranth frames. The uprights and the 3 small drawers are in simulated fluted marquetry. It is topped with its Saint Anne Grey Marble with reverse cavet. It measures 130 CM in length, 66 CM in depth and 85 CM in height. It is in very good condition. It is only recently, after much research, that we have begun to know and be able to talk about the life and activity of Bernard Molitor. Coming from Luxembourg, he arrived in Paris in 1776, with his cousin Michel and together, they opened a small workshop in the privileged district of the Arsenal. It is believed that Michel would have worked with him for some time before actively participating in the Revolution. Once his mastery obtained in 1787, Bernard Molitor therefore continued his trade as a cabinetmaker alone and established himself on rue de Bourbon-Saint-Germain, Molitor very quickly acquired a great reputation and received commissions from 1788 from the Court, seduced by the austere elegance of his productions and eager to moderate royal expenses. When the Revolution broke out he closed his establishment but reopened it shortly after, helped by several craftsmen to produce together a wide variety of furniture: chests of drawers, secretaries, desks, small tables, in mahogany, with pure lines, and perfect execution. Very innovative, at the end of the Louis XVI era, he announced the Empire style by using on his refined furniture, decorated with bronzes, motifs of ivy leaves wrapped around detached columns as well as friezes of stylized palmettes or winged griffins which would be commonly used under the Empire. Alongside luxurious works, Molitor also produced more classical furniture, always in mahogany and executed with the greatest care. Bernard Molitor therefore went through this troubled period without great difficulty. In 1802 he moved his workshops to rue Saint-Honoré, then, under the Empire, to boulevard de la Madeleine. He ended his days near Fontainebleau where he died in 1833.