Louis XVI Period Bureau Plat Stamped Avril

Louis XVI period mahogany, mahogany and mahogany veneer bureau plat on an oak frame, opening with three large drawers in the belt, as well as two pulls on the sides. The top is covered in leather. It rests on four tapered and fluted legs topped with rings and finished with bronze sabots and casters. Very good original condition, (very light restorations, revarnished with a buffer by our workshop) Condition report and technical photographs on request. Stamped E.AVRIL Etienne Avril received master on November 23, 1774 H. 77.5cm - W. 145cm - D. 75cm Called Avril the elder so as not to confuse him with his brother Pierre, Etienne Avril, opened his main shop on rue de Charenton, at the corner of rue Moreau but also a few stores near the Porte Saint-Antoine. He was asked for many commissions, notably Queen Marie-Antoinette for her apartment at the Château de Saint-Cloud. During his time as a cabinetmaker, Etienne Avril sold "a quantity of chests of drawers, consoles, bookcases, secretaries and chiffoniers in mahogany and Indian wood, bedside tables, etc." His furniture was most often made of mahogany and satinwood. It was characterized by rigorous and simple lines and large, plain surfaces, typical of the Louis XVI style. Avril's work also consisted, but in smaller quantities, of furniture in lemonwood veneer, rosewood and some models in geometric marquetry. The shapes were clean, light, well-proportioned, the bronzes almost absent, visible only at the keyholes and sometimes in the form of fine framing strips that emphasize the architecture of the furniture. At the dawn of the Revolution, Etienne Avril sold his shop on rue de Charenton to keep only the shops at Porte Saint-Antoine. After his death, several auctions, lasting several days each, were organized to clear out the countless items he had accumulated. Public collections Château de Fontainebleau Musée Marmottan – Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs – Lyon