Chest of drawers in the

A chest with four front drawers, in the traditional "en tombeau" style, resembling the shape of a sarcophagus. This distinctive form, introduced to French furniture by Charles André Boulle, dates back to the 17th century. The presented chest is from the second half of the 18th century and was made and signed by Jean Holthausen. He was an ébéniste of German origin who obtained his master's qualification in Paris on 17 August 1764. Few of his works have survived, mostly in the Regency, Louis XV, and Transition styles (from Louis XV to Louis XVI). The displayed chest is a typical example of Holthausen's craftsmanship: veneered with lighter panels of rosewood, bordered by darker species of amaranth wood; richly adorned with gilded bronze castings such as handles, keyhole escutcheons on the drawers, front edges of the chest, as well as its legs and lower "apron." True to the French Baroque furniture tradition, the top is made of marble with a profiled edge.

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