Folding Dining Table With A Mechanical Mechanism, Made Of Solid Mahogany In The Style Of Jean François Leleu

Rare folding dining table with a mechanism made of varnished solid mahogany. When folded, it takes the form of a slim console table that can be placed along a wall. Two of the four legs are connected by an ingenious mechanism that allows them to unfold to 90° and thus extend one or two extension leaves. A Parisian piece from the late Louis XVI period, circa 1790, just before the Revolution.

Although unmarked, the high quality of its materials (solid mahogany throughout, even the crossbars under the tabletop), the quality of its carving, and the elegance of its lines bear the signature of a great cabinetmaker whom we have been unable to identify with certainty. However, three years ago we sold a table with this type of mechanism that bore the mark of Jean François Leleu. This may be an unmarked piece by that master, or by another cabinetmaker of equivalent skill.

Jean François Leleu (1729 – September 3, 1807) – Cabinetmaker – Paris. Became a master craftsman in 1764; supplier to the royal palaces.

Jean-François Leleu is rightly considered one of the most talented cabinetmakers of his time. After an apprenticeship as a simplelaborer in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he joined, as a journeyman, the workshop of the famous cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, cabinetmaker to the King, based at the Arsenal. His colleague Jean-Henri Riesener succeeded Oeben after his death in 1763. Leleu, disappointed, then completed his master’s examination, which he passed in 1764, and opened his own workshop on Rue de la Contrescarpe, a workshop he left shortly thereafter for larger premises on Rue Royale. His reputation grew very rapidly. In particular, he became the principal supplier to the Prince of Condé, who commissioned numerous pieces of furniture from him for his various residences. In 1780, he took on his son-in-law, Charles-Antoine Stadler, as a partner, to whom he would leave his business around 1792.
In his early days, still under the influence of Oeben, Leleu’s furniture was grand and sumptuous, but little by little, he adopted a more restrained style. His works, now highly personal, are characterized by great simplicity, with perfect proportions; both the craftsmanship and the choice of materials are remarkable. Leleu produced a multitude of neoclassical Louis XVI-style pieces, “in the Greek style,” with robust, highly architectural forms. The marquetry features regular patterns, grids adorned with four-leaf motifs or rosettes that extend across the entire surface of the square, rectangular, or diamond-shaped panels, always outlined by a darker wood or bronze frame that emphasizes the furniture’s substantial volume. Pieces by Leleu can be found in the world’s leading museums and collections.

A beautiful collector’s piece, perfectly suited for a Parisian apartment belonging toa collector. The ideal size for a comfortable dinner for 4, or even 6. This is truly an interesting piece—a high-quality piece of furniture that remains discreet without being flashy.

Our table is in very good condition. The high-gloss buffed varnish has been cleaned by our cabinetmaker. There is a slight stain on the tabletop.

Depth when the console is closed: 48.5 cm
Table width: 145.5 cm
Maximum length with both extensions extended: 143 cm