Louis XV-style dressing table, Attributed to André Mailfert (circa 1905-1925).

This elegant three-panel dressing table, richly inlaid with flowers, is a remarkable example of André Mailfert's early productions, made between 1905 and 1925.
To the untrained eye, it could pass perfectly for an authentic Louis XV powder cabinet from the XVIIIᵉ century.
Yet analysis reveals it to be a very high quality antique copy, typical of Mailfert's work, executed strictly according to period techniques.

Cabinetmaking faithful to the practices of the XVIIIᵉ century.
Mailfert liked to use old wood from dismantled furniture, which explains the magnificent internal oxidation visible here: deep patinas, old veining, wood naturally grayed by time.

Marquetry of great finesse, executed as in the XVIIIᵉ century:
The floral decoration in veneer is further proof of the exceptional quality of this piece of furniture:
rosewood frieze,
contoured frames in amaranth,
veneers lightly oxidized to recapture the depth of an antique wood,
hot sand shading, an authentic technique used in the XVIIIᵉ to model leaves and petals,
This rare technical mastery places this dressing table among the finest antique copies from Mailfert's early period, when he truly strove to reproduce the work of the great cabinetmakers.

Reused antique hardware and materials
Another Mailfert characteristic:
use of antique hardware,
hand-filed lock escutcheons,
reused period hinges,
real mercury mirror, probably from an old frame or overmantel, reinstalled in the cabinet.

These details are impossible to fake without authentic antique materials, which Mailfert loved.

False traces of wear and tear and "controlled aging
True to his taste for trompe-l'œil, Mailfert sometimes added "hints of history" to convince even the professionals:
piece of old canvas glued under the bottom of a drawer to imitate a XVIIIᵉ restoration,
traces of wear deliberately accentuated,
small irregularities created to simulate a piece of furniture that has "lived".

Mailfert liked to say that he "fabricated the past" and loved the idea of fooling the antique dealers themselves.

This dressing table clearly derives from highly accomplished Louis XV models, variants of which can be found in the productions :
by Léonard Boudin,
Macret,
and other Parisian workshops during the reign of Louis XV.

Like L'Escalier de Cristal, Mailfert used antique models. The fundamental difference is that Mailfert sought to age the furniture, to invent a history for it, whereas L'Escalier de Cristal took on prestigious new copies.

Here, everything - from the frame to the materials to the marquetry - shows that the intention was to make an undetectable copy, according to the criteria of the early XXᵉ market.

Conclusion:
A beautiful dressing table attributed to André Mailfert, made according to the techniques, materials and aesthetics of the XVIIIᵉ century. A fascinating piece of furniture for its quality, the fidelity of its construction, and the way in which it skilfully reproduces the work of the great Parisian cabinetmakers, while bearing the mark of Mailfert's "old woods" and singular practices.
A rare piece, representative of Mailfert's early period.

Ref: BQ90TL226P