Louis XV Chest of Drawers by J. Bircklé

Important Louis XV chest of drawers, made by Jacques Bircklé (1734-1803) in Paris around 1765: on four curved legs standing all-round bulging corpus with two small drawers in the upper area and two large drawers below. All drawer fronts are similarly decorated with fine marquetry in the form of matching curved rectangular cartouches, the sides show rectangular cartouches with indented corners. Handles, keyhole frames, decorative apron and sabots of finely chased and gilded bronze in moving Louis XV ornamentation. A red and gray speckled marble top serves as the upper finish. Jacques Bircklé, born in 1734, received his master’s degree in 1764 and initially had his workshop in the rue de Charenton, later moving to the rue Saint Nicolas. Over the course of his career, he developed an illustrious clientele and received commissions from Marie-Antoinette for Saint Cloud Castle, as well as from the Duc d’Orleans and the Princesse de Lamballes, among others. Bircklé worked on furniture in various styles from Louis XV to Louis XVI: they are usually characterized mainly by a high quality of marquetry and less by an excessive wealth of bronze applications. His furniture can be admired today in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris as well as in the Musée Lambinet in Versailles. Literature: Kjellberg, Pierre: Le mobilier francais du XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 2008, pp. 74-78. Condition: very good, refreshment of the shellac polish, min. signs of age and use, min. abrasion.