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 displayed chest was made and signed by Parisian ébéniste Germain Landrin. He obtained his master’s certification on 16 January 1738, and remained professionally active almost until his death (around 1782-1785). However, not all of his works were signed with his name. For a considerable time, he worked for other renowned masters such as Denis Genty, Pierre Migeon, or the German-born French royal ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (Johann Franz Oeben). By working under their names, Landrin mastered the workshop techniques and adopted their forms and decorative motifs. He became independent only in the 1750s, running his workshop in Paris, first at Rue Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, and later at Rue de Charonne. He typically crafted small furniture in the Louis XV, Transition, and Louis XVI styles. Like many masters of his time, he adorned his creations with gilded bronze castings. He used veneers made of violet wood (a type of acacia), rosewood, and amaranth. He combined different types of veneers in a chequered pattern, creating a chessboard effect. He also frequently employed a diagonal veneer arrangement, achieving the "butterfly wings" effect, which is visible in the example of the presented chest.

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