Bonheur stamped by Étienne Avril (1748-1791) + JME, in mahogany, Louis XVI period.

A mahogany and mahogany veneer bonheur du jour, featuring two glazed doors and two stepped drawers, a folding top, a drawer in the frieze, and two doors in the lower section. The uprights are fluted, and the tapered legs are fluted. It has a white marble top.

The ornamentation includes gilt bronze mounts with asparagus motifs and an openwork gallery. Louis XVI period. Stamped by Étienne Avril (1748-1791) + JME, cabinetmaker admitted as a master in November 1774.
H: 117 cm - W: 65 cm - D: 37 cm
Excellent condition (restored in our workshop).

Provenance: Galerie Jean Rey, Louvre des Antiquaires, purchased in 2003 (for your information, the piece was bought for three times its current price).

Etienne Avril (1748-1791) – cabinetmaker – master craftsman, November 23, 1774: A cabinetmaker during the reign of Louis XVI, Etienne Avril is known for his furniture with panels framed by bronze moldings. Known as Avril the Elder to avoid confusion with his brother Pierre, Etienne Avril opened his main shop on Rue de Charenton, at the corner of Rue Moreau, and also had shops near the Porte Saint-Antoine.

He received numerous commissions, notably from Queen Marie Antoinette for her apartment at the Château de Saint-Cloud.

During his career as a cabinetmaker, Etienne Avril sold "a large number of commodes, consoles, bookcases, secretaries, and chiffoniers in mahogany and Indian wood, as well as bedside tables." His furniture is most often made of mahogany and satinwood. It is characterized by rigorous, simple lines and large, smooth surfaces, typical of the Louis XVI style. Avril's work also includes, though in smaller quantities, furniture veneered in lemonwood and rosewood, as well as a few pieces with geometric marquetry. The forms are clean, light, and well-proportioned; bronze mounts are almost entirely absent, visible only at keyholes and sometimes as thin framing moldings that emphasize the furniture's architecture.
On the eve of the Revolution, Etienne Avril sold his shop on the rue de Charenton, retaining only the stores near the Porte Saint-Antoine.
After his death, several auctions, each lasting several days, were held to clear them of his vast accumulated stock.

Ref: ZCE8U9AND9