Pair Of Bookcases Stamped Feuerstein.

Made of mahogany, it features gilt bronze ornamentation. The front opens with two partially glazed doors adorned with gilt copper weave. The stepped pediment is decorated with gilt bronze fluting surmounted by gilt bronze dentils. The slightly projecting canted uprights are decorated with fluting, and the sides are adorned with a reserve. The bookcases rest on a molded plinth.
Louis XVI period.
H 205 x W 123 x D 46 cm.

This same pair of bookcases was presented by the Etienne Lévy gallery at the Biennale from September 22nd to October 9th, 1988, at booth 5.

Joseph Feuerstein, born in 1733 in Bregenzerwald, in the Bavarian Tyrol, quickly came to practice the profession of cabinetmaker in Paris and became a master there on April 29th, 1767. He lived on rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, "on this side of "Des Enfans-Trouvés," producing precious furniture in veneered wood and mahogany, which he adorned with gilt bronze mounts by Habert. After 1790, he ceased his business without leaving his home, where he died on November 30, 1809. A skilled craftsman, he signed his work FEVERSTEIN. He is the creator of a beautiful mosaic commode with rosettes that was part of the collection of the Marquise de Ganay, née Ridgway. The Duchess of Brissac owned another commode by him from the late Louis XV period, decorated with original marquetry depicting astronomical emblems. Joseph Feuerstein produced Louis XV furniture, but primarily Transition and Louis XVI pieces, with well-considered forms and meticulous craftsmanship, in veneer, marquetry, or mahogany. He used high-quality veneers with contrasting grain and chevron patterns, which he often framed with Greek key moldings. A frieze of dentils and gilt-bronze channels adorns our bookcases. Mahogany is used mainly for Louis XVI furniture, such as the pair of bookcases shown here, with their very rigorous yet elegant lines. As for the bronze mounts, rather limited overall, they appear primarily as friezes and are very finely chased. The gilder Habert is cited as a collaborator. Note the elegance and refinement of the decoration and veneer on our pair of bookcases, which suggest the timeless quality of these pieces. Bibliography: XIVth International Biennial of Antique Dealers. Grand Palais, Paris. September 22 - October 9, 1988. pp. 262, 263. Comte de Salverte, Les ébénistes du XVIIIème siècle, leurs oeuvres et leurs marques, fifth revised and augmented edition, F. de Nobele, Paris 1962, p. 118. Pierre Kjellberg, Le mobilier Français du XVIIIème siècle, Dictionnaire des ébénistes et des menuisiers, Les Editions de l'Amateur, 2008, pp. 350, 351, 352.