An Early Louis XV Ormolu-Mounted Brass-Inlaid Ebony Boulle Marquetry Commode by Claude Lebesgue, circa 1740. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012 

The serpentine Saint Anne Marble top above conforming case profusely inlaIed with scrolling foliage, with pierced mounts cast with scrolling foliage, ruffles and wings, stamped ...EBES...and JME to front left corner; 32½ in. (82.5 cm.) high, 51¾ in. (131.5 cm.) wide, 25½ in. (65 cm.) deep . Lot 118. Estimate $150,000 - $250,000

Provenance: Acquired from Didier Aaron, 2002. 

Literature: [Possibly] Comte de Salverte, Les Ebébnistes du XVIIIème Siècle, Paris, 1927, p. 200. 
Didier Aaron Catalogue, 1994-1995, cat. 30. 

Exhibited: [Possibly] Exhibition of Decorative Arts, Paris, 1882. 

Notes: This splendid commode is a rare example of one of the last great flowerings of Boulle marquetry in the early Eighteenth century. The scrolling brass inlay on an ebony ground, a technique synonymous with the work of André-Charles Boulle, blends dense, branch form patterns on the drawer fronts with the older, Bérain influenced designs on the sides. A closely related example attributed to Noël Gérard shares another unusual feature where the rich brass inlay overlaps the naturalistic ormolu angle mounts. (A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français, 1989, p.113, fig.70).

Claude Lebesgue worked during the first half of the 18th century with his brother, François, and son, also Claude, who gained his maîtrise in 1750 and continued working until his death in 1789. The remaining details of Lebesgue's life, including the date of his maîtrise and his work are largely unknown. However, the 'JME' stamp on the commode confirms a circa date of 1740 as this stamp was first introduced in 1743.

This commode may very well may be the one referenced in the entry for Lebesgue in Nicholas Salverte's 1927 edition of Les Ebenistes due XVIII Siècle. There, the art historian Alfred de Champeaux describes a "une belle commode en bois d'ébène, ornée d'incrustations de cuivre et de bronzes à rocailles." seen at the 1882 Paris Exposition of Decorative Arts.

Christie's. 500 Years: Decorative Arts Europe Including Oriental Carpets. 7 June 2012 . New York, Rockefeller Plaza