oak carcase veneered with mahogany and ebony; gilt bronze mounts; blue and white porcelain plaques; mottled white marble top and panels
Description
Chest with four dawers. Detached colums in recesses at all four sides. Sphinxes at each end. Decorated at the handles and escutcheons with ceramic (?) plaques.
This chest mounted with porcelain plaques is unusual—such ornamentation typically appears on small worktables or desks. The plaques, probably made at the royal porcelain manufactory at Sèvres, imitate the well-known blue and white ceramics produced by the Wedgwood factory in England. This commode may have been designed by Dominique Daguerre, who had strong business ties with both Josiah Wedgwood and the Sèvres manufactory.