Rare 18th Century Brass Mounted Writing Table in the Manner of Adam Weisweiler

A rare late 18th / early 19th century period amaranth and citronnier writing table retaining original leather and Qianlong lacquer panel, in the manner of Adam Weisweiler.

France, circa 1790-1810

Why we like it

This exquisite little table's 'Klismos' legs, its most excellent sophisticated design, exquisite Qianlong lacquer panel and superb brass-work make it a fabulous specimen of French neoclassical design.

A closely related dessert table or etagere with identical brass supports, panelled lower tier, ormolu-capped sabre legs and pierced galleries was sold Sotheby's Paris, 19 April 2016, lot 330 (€15,000).

This distinctive design is part of a known small group of such writing tables executed in the manner of the ébéniste Adam Weisweiler (d. 1820) and likely commissioned by the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796) during the last quarter of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century. The classical columns are derived from Weisweiler's model for a guéridon à double colonnettes, a preparatory drawing of which is illustrated in P. Lemonnier, Weisweiler, Paris, 1983, p. 90

Adam Weisweiler was among the most accomplished Parisian ébénistes of the Louis XVI period, receiving his maîtrise on 26 March 1778 and establishing his atelier on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. His career was intimately linked to two dominant marchands-merciers: Dominique Daguerre (active until his death in 1796) and subsequently Martin-Eloy Lignereux (1751–1809).

The majority of comparable pieces to have come to market are unstamped, and are attributed to the master on stylistic and circumstantial grounds. The absence of a stamp on any given piece is therefore entirely consistent with attribution, since pieces supplied through the marchand-mercier were typically unmarked. 

Understanding the commercial ecosystem in which this table was produced is essential to its attribution. The marchands-merciers operated as luxury taste-makers and intermediaries between craftsmen and royal/aristocratic clients. Dominique Daguerre, whose boutique 'à la Couronne d'Or' at 85 rue Saint-Honoré was patronised notably by Marie-Antoinette, was the primary commercial force behind Weisweiler's most celebrated commissions of the 1780s. After Daguerre's death in 1796, his partner Martin-Eloy Lignereux (1751–1809) continued the business, collaborating with Weisweiler and also with the bronziers François Rémond and Pierre-Philippe Thomire.

The use of Chinese Qianlong-period lacquer panels as applied decoration is well documented in the output of both Weisweiler and his contemporaries within the Daguerre/Lignereux commercial network. Such panels were imported and then mounted into furniture carcasses by the marchands-merciers, who controlled the supply of these luxury materials.

The Louvre collections preserve a closely related guéridon (Inv. OA 5471, Département des Objets d'art) of yew wood with gilt-bronze mounts, dated 1785–1815, with a documented provenance beginning with Madame du Barry, who purchased it via Daguerre & Lignereux on 31 December 1791 for 720 livres and gave it to the Duc de Brissac. It subsequently passed through the Revolutionary confiscations, to the boudoir of Joséphine at the Palais des Tuileries (1809), then to Napoleon's imperial apartments (1811), and finally to the Musée du Louvre in 1870. This object provides a direct institutional benchmark for dating and provenance of the Daguerre/Lignereux/Weisweiler guéridon model.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs holds the preparatory drawing for a Weisweiler guéridon destined for the Comte Skawrousky, which depicts the characteristic brass column uprights central to the design vocabulary of the present table. This drawing represents a key documentary anchor for attribution within this furniture group.

Dimensions

Width: 50 cm / 19.7”
Depth: 29.5 cm / 11.6”
Height (to the top of the writing surface): 78 cm / 30.7”

Height (to the top of the inkwell): 82.5 cm / 32.5”