A wood veneer and marquetry ENCOIGNURE opening... Lot 258

A wood veneer and marquetry ENCOIGNURE opening with a curved front leaf decorated with a central floral marquetry, the uprights pinched, it rests on two front cambered legs. Breche marble top. Ornamentation of gilded and chased bronzes, stamped G. P (Pierre Gouthière 1732 -1813). Stamped Pierre BERNARD (1715-1770) Louis XV period H : 88 W : 63 D : 46 cm (restorations) Nota : Pierre Bernard (ca. 1715 - after 1770) was one of the finest cabinetmakers of the Louis XV period. Known for his fine floral inlays and exquisite, original rococo bronze fittings, Bernard's talent was noticed relatively early in his career and he was appointed cabinetmaker with special privileges for the king and the royal court. Today, works bearing Bernard's imprint are rare, but in his day he was a veritable celebrity, and his contemporaries were full of praise for him. His works can be found in legendary collections such as those of Augustin Blondel de Gagny and François Boucher. Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) received numerous commissions from the French royal family. He is the inventor of gilding with a vat. Pierre Gouthière learned the chasing trade from François Ceriset, whose widow he later married. At the height of his success, between 1772 and 1780 he built a private mansion, now known as the Hôtel Gouthière. It is located at 6, rue Pierre Bullet, behind the town hall of the 10th arrondissement. Financially ruined, he was forced to sell the town palace. He died in extreme poverty in 1813. Bibliography - Comte François de Salverte, Les ébénistes du XVIIIe siècle, G. Vanoest, 1927, pp. 21-22. - Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, 1989, pp. 63 ff. - Christian Baulez, Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813), in: Ottomeyer/Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich 1986, p.561 ff.