Louis XVI Drum Table, Stamped L. Moreau, 18th Century

Louis XVI Drum Table, in Mahogany, stamped Louis MOREAU, from the 18th Century. It opens on the front with 2 doors, revealing 2 shelves with a small drawer. It is topped with its white marble veined with Grey, surrounded by an openwork gallery in gilded Bronze. It stands on 3 sheathed feet, fitted with small Bronze clogs and connected by a circular spacer surrounded by a Bronze astragal. It is in very good condition. It measures 85 CM in height, and 36 CM in diameter. Louis Moreau (1740-1791) Cabinetmaker-sculptor. Paris. Received Master on September 27, 1764. He employed skilled workers such as the cabinetmakers Bircklé, Foullet, Topino, the founders Guinaud and Cottin and the gilders Prégermain and Fagard. After obtaining his master's letters in 1764, Louis Moreau, bought, on rue de l'Echelle -Saint-Honoré "A la descente des Tuileries", the shop of his fellow cabinetmaker, Denis Genty, who had just gone bankrupt. With his furniture, in mahogany veneer, with floral decorations and ornamentation of gilded and chiseled bronzes and with his very diverse marquetry with geometric motifs of Chinese lacquer or varnish, he quickly acquired a great reputation and a renowned clientele. He also worked for the Court, which, through the administration of Menus plaisirs, placed numerous orders with him. In Louis XV, Transition and Louis XVI style, his creations are very varied as evidenced by a label found on one of his pieces of furniture: "made and holds Store: Secretaries, Wardrobes, Chests of drawers, Bookcases, Cylinder desks, Gaming tables, English mahogany tables and everything relating to Carpentry and Cabinetmaking in Paris" However, Louis Moreau employed other craftsmen and often only made part of the furniture he sold, which makes it possible that some works signed with his stamp were not made by him. Involved in politics quite early on, Louis Moreau was deported to the island of Anjouan where he died in 1802. His wife and then his son Louis took over his shop, which they kept until the end of the Empire. MUSEUMS Bonheur-du-jour Louis XVI - Musée Carnavalet - Paris Transition chest of drawers with double projection inlaid with geometric motifs - Metropolitan Museum - New York BIBLIOGRAPHY French Furniture of the 18th Century - Pierre Kjellberg - Les Editions de l'Amateur - 2008 Cabinetmakers of the 18th Century - Comte François de Salverte - Les éditions d'Art et d'Histoire - 1934