Commode
This commode is attributed to Jean-Henri Riesener because of the meticulous craftsmanship and the presence of gilt-bronze mounts that are found on other furniture signed by the cabinetmaker. Particularly remarkable is the jewel-like Apollo mask on the frieze, which ranks among the finest examples of the period. This commode also incorporates Riesener’s characteristic drawer construction with a hollow on the bottom’s edges. Flanked by curved ends and containing open shelves, this type of commode, of which Riesener made only few, was created in the early 1780s and was probably designed to display prized objects of porcelain or lacquer in a salon or bedroom.
Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.
Duveen. Frick, 1918.
Source: Furniture in The Frick Collection: French 18th- & 19th-Century Furniture (Pt. 2) & Gilt Bronzes. Volume VI. New York: The Frick Collection, 1992.
