Nineteenth Century mahogany and ormolu mounted tricoteuse
An elegant Nineteenth Century French mahogany and ormolu mounted tricoteuse by G. Durand; the lobed top veneered in beautifully figured mahogany with an ormolu mounted gallery and fall front, raised on end supports united by an oval shelf and standing on swept legs which terminate in the original acanthus cap castors. Stamped G. Durand.
The skill of Durand can be seen in the careful choice of mahogany veneers for the tricoteuse and the use of two different brass alloys to create different effects on the ormolu mounts. All of the ormolu is original
Provenance
Gervais-Maximilien-Eugène Durand, (1839- circa 1920) founded the Maison Durand firm in 1870, producing fine eighteenth century furniture. The firm exhibited at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, winning a silver medal and Durand was commended as ‘un ébéniste aussi habile que modeste, qui expose pour la première fois les meubles de premier ordre, dont il est à la fois le déssinateur et l'exécutant; il marche sur la voie tracée par les maîtres tel que Beurdeley et Dasson.’ (A cabinet maker as skilled as he is humble, he is exhibiting for the first time his furnishing of the hightest standards. He designs and creates them; he is walking in the footsteps of giants such as Beurdeley and Dasson).
