Wassmus Stamped Chateau Chest Of Drawers In Marquetry And Gilded Bronze

French work, 19th century

Spectacular and sublime chest of drawers in abundant gilt bronze marquetry stamped by the renowned cabinetmaker HENRI-LEONARD WASSMUS.

Provenance from a Chateau in the Loir-et-Cher region of France.

The cabinet has four drawers on the front, and is of very high quality, with a lot of cahet.

Capped with its original white marble, this piece of furniture has not undergone any restoration,

An old restoration on the marble not altering in any way the quality and beauty of this piece of furniture.

Wassmus frères; the company's activity spans the entire 19th century. Under the Second Empire, they became suppliers to the Crown. From 1810, Jean-Henri-Chrétien and his brother, Jean-Henri-Christophe, worked in the same workshop, before their descendants, who became manufacturers of artistic cabinetry, took over. The main creator and designer was Henri-Léonard fils, an excellent artist according to his contemporaries.

Wassmus Jean-Henri-Chrétien, born in gossenfloete, hanover, son of a landowner. he moved to Paris, 2, cul-de-sac guéménée, with his brother Jean-Henri-Christophe; he lived and worked with the latter all his life. on March 23, 1816, he married Angélique Roussel, who died before 1845; he probably died around 1860, as suggested by an auction held after his death on December 10, 1860. He lived successively at 11, rue Neuve-Saint-Gilles in 1824, 1, rue du Parc-Royal in 1828, 64, rue Amelot in 1830, 163 rue Saint-Antoine in 1834, 5, rue du Fauconnier in 1841, and 146, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis from 1853. He was appointed expert for the inventory taken after the death of his colleague Arguyot's wife in 1824. He filed for bankruptcy on September 4, 1829, with assets of 21,961F and liabilities of 30,615F; he obtained his composition in 1831: the trustee of the bankruptcy was cabinetmaker J-W. The furniture sold at auction after his death gives an idea of the high quality of the work produced by the two brothers' workshops.

Wassmus Jean-Henri-Christophe, also born in Grossenfloet, settled with his brother at 2, cul-du-sac Guéménée, and married Louise-Marie-Antoinette Roussel on July 13, 1816. His brother and fellow cabinetmakers Nicolas Goltz and Charles-Louis Hoffmeister were his witnesses. As the two brothers married two sisters, they all lived and worked together; their children also stayed in the family workshop, so it's not possible to identify the work of each of them. The house became particularly important in the second half of the century, probably under the influence of Henri-Léonard. In 1840, according to the almanachs du Commerce, they were cabinetmakers in modern and antique furniture of all kinds. In 1844, they added the Riesener, Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, and all objects de curiosités, and in 1853 Boulle-style furniture in rosewood and ebony, richly inlaid with flowers, bronzes and porcelain. At the 1844 Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie Française, Wassmus jeune presented Louis XV-style inlaid furniture, and a small sideboard decorated with porcelain, after Greuze.

Ref: I9MHDV16GU