Louis XVI Commode, Stamped Canabas, 18th Century

Louis XVI chest of drawers, half-moon shaped, in Satin Marquetry, surrounded by Gilt Bronze Friezes. It is stamped CANABAS and JME (Jurande des Maîtres Ébénistes). It opens with 2 large drawers and 2 doors on each side, all of which close with a key. It is topped with its White Carrara Marble in a half-moon shape to follow the chest of drawers. It measures 82 CM in Length, 86 CM in Height and 46 CM in Depth. CANABAS Joseph Gengenbach Joseph Gengenbach known as Canabas (1715-1797) – master's degree obtained on April 1, 1766: Of German origin, Canabas - whose real name was Joseph Gengenbach - arrived in Paris in the 1740s. Both a cabinetmaker and a carpenter, he used both veneer and solid wood. His talents were employed at that time by famous cabinetmakers, such as Jean-François Oeben and Pierre Migeon while he worked as a privileged worker on rue de Charonne. The workers' book of the latter, who was also a merchant, records the furniture deliveries made by Canabas until 1761. Once he obtained his master's degrees, he expanded his activity from the main street of Faubourg Saint-Antoine, serving a private clientele and a few renowned merchants such as the Presle brothers. Canabas then established himself as a specialist in fancy, practical, and often newly designed furniture. He thus created a large number of small and carefully crafted pieces of furniture during his career. His style was very particular: he used mahogany wood of a rare quality, of a remarkable color, a very tight grain and he distinguished himself by the perfection of their cabinetwork. Extreme sobriety was required and left room for any decoration except for a few discreet moldings. Bronzes were practically absent. A few models belong to the Transition style with still slightly curved legs. But the majority of them are related to a Louis XVI style. They are scrupulously studied to serve specific uses. Among the first in France, Canabas will design furniture intended to be used during meals or assemblies in the absence of servants, light furniture, easy to move, most often equipped with casters. The most typical ones are known in a fairly high number of copies: refreshment table, pedestal table, music stand, "mute servant" or "servant", reading table or even planter. After the passage of the Revolution, prosperity returned to Canabas until his death under the Directory. At the time of his sale, his workshop still included, according to the posters and notices, a whole series of "secretaries, chests of drawers, pedestal tables, desks, sliding and sliding tables, cylinder bedside tables, consoles, men's and women's toilets, chiffonniers, office chairs and other objects, mostly in solid mahogany, decorated with copper and in the best taste.