Commode
Mathieu Criaerd (1689 - 1776)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1740
Materials
Kingwood, tulipwood, rosewood, ormolu mounts, marble, oak carcass
Measurements
87 x 129 x 66 cm
Place of origin
Paris
Order this imageCollection
Berrington Hall, Herefordshire
NT 617655
Summary
A kingwood, tulipwood, rosewood and ormolu-mounted commode, French, circa 1740. By Mathieu Criaerd, Maître on 29 July 1738. Surmounted by a moulded serpentine griotte marble top, above three long panelled drawers mounted with elaborate rocaille ormolu handles and escutcheons above a shaped apron and between projecting angles with large pierced mounts trailing to mounted swept feet, stamped M. CRIAERD JME beneath the marble.
Full description
Mathieu Criaerd (1689-1776) became maître ébéniste on 29 July 1738 and, from his workshops in rue Traversière-Saint-Antoine, Paris, produced very high quality furniture. After the death of his wife in 1767, he handed over the business to his son Sébastien. The maker's stamp is often accompanied by the initials ‘JME’, as in this instance, which stands for Jurande Menuisiers Ebénistes, the cabinet makers and joiners guild, further proof that the maker had been officially accepted into the guild.
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust by Mrs C.V. Lawson in 1981.
Marks and inscriptions
Beneath the marble top: M. CRIAERD JME
Makers and roles
Mathieu Criaerd (1689 - 1776), cabinetmaker
References
Kjellberg, Pierre 'Le Mobilier Francais du XVIIIe Siècle', p. 247-249