Chest of drawers in the "Cressent" style

A chest of drawers on slender legs, with three drawers arranged in two rows at the front. It is a piece of furniture in the French Rococo style. The lighter construction of the chest was popularised in the first half of the 18th century by the French ébéniste Charles Cressent. The form he introduced found many followers among the craftsmen of the Louis XV era. The presented chest was made and signed by Parisian ébéniste Jean-Baptiste Tuart the Elder. He obtained his master’s certification in 1741 and was professionally active until 1767. J-B. ran his workshop in a monastery near the Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois church, located opposite the eastern facade of the Louvre. The ébéniste was a typical representative of his era, creating in the Louis XV and "transition" styles – the latter distinguished by a more restrained aesthetic than Rococo, but not yet fully classicistic. He mainly made chests of drawers, corner cabinets, desks, secretaries, and small tables. Among other projects, he fulfilled government commissions. For a time, he collaborated with his colleague and merchant Léonard Boudin, and later with his son, Jean-Baptiste Tuart the Younger.

Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967