An exceptional flat-top desk, fully finished in Vernis Martin, featuring three belt drawers and imitating Chinese and Japanese lacquer. It is adorned with chinoiserie decorations in gold, red, and green polychrome on a black background, depicting lakeside landscapes animated with figures and fishermen\u2014a refined example of French craftsmanship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The top, covered in patinated red leather, is centered with a black leather marquetry inlaid with gold tooling.<\/p>\n The desk stands on four elegantly curved legs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Created around 1760, this desk exemplifies the art of Vernis Martin, a technique perfected in 1728 by the Martin brothers of Paris. They developed a closely guarded lacquer imitation formula designed to rival the costly imported lacquers of Japan and China.<\/p>\n Overall excellent condition. Routine restorations and maintenance performed in our workshops. The leather has been replaced.<\/p>\n Height: 29.5 in\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Length: 47.2 in\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Depth: 23.2 in\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vernis Martin, made from copal resin, was invented to compete with Asian lacquer. It provided a more affordable and flexible alternative, perfectly suited to the curved forms of French furniture. Beyond its practical advantages, it became a medium for artistic expression, reproducing contemporary paintings on furniture. Note: In the late 19th century, the term \"vernis Martin\" was incorrectly applied to folding fans, which had no connection to the original 18th-century technique.<\/p>\n Les fr\u00e8res Martin, pionniers du Vernis Martin au XVIIIe si\u00e8cle<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n The Martin Brothers, Pioneers of Vernis Martin in 18th-Century France During the Age of Enlightenment, Parisian craftsmen Guillaume and \u00c9tienne-Simon Martin revolutionized furniture design with their invention of Vernis Martin. Patented in 1728, their innovative formula\u2014composed of copal, pigments, and resins\u2014mimicked the lustrous effect of Oriental lacquer at a fraction of the cost, while adapting seamlessly to the curves of French furniture, unlike rigid and expensive lacquer panels.<\/p>\n Based in the artisan quarter of Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, the Martin brothers catered to a growing demand for exotic decor. Their workshop produced pieces adorned with landscapes, floral motifs, and chinoiserie, captivating the elite of the time. Though less resistant to moisture than authentic lacquer, their varnish remained popular well into the 19th century.<\/p>\n Their contribution to decorative arts is significant: they made luxury accessible to a broader audience. Today, their work is celebrated and studied, as seen in the 2014 retrospective at the Mus\u00e9e des Arts D\u00e9coratifs in Paris, which highlighted their unique expertise.<\/p>\n Cette version conserve les faits historiques tout en utilisant une formulation originale. Si tu veux ajouter des d\u00e9tails ou modifier le ton, n\u2019h\u00e9site pas \u00e0 me le dire !<\/p>\n In 1742, Mathieu Criaerd (1689\u20131776, master in 1738) crafted a commode, a corner cupboard, and a writing table in blue and white for Madame de Mailly, commissioned by the merchant H\u00e9bert. Only the commode and the base of the corner cupboard survive today, preserved in the Louvre.<\/p>\n 2014: \"The Secrets of French Lacquer: Vernis Martin,\" Mus\u00e9e des Arts D\u00e9coratifs, Paris (February 13\u2013June 8).<\/p>\n Thibaut Wolvesperges, French Lacquer Furniture in the 18th Century, \u00c9ditions de l\u2019Amateur. Anne Forray-Carlier and Monika Kopplin (eds.), The Secrets of French Lacquer: Vernis Martin, Paris, Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs, 2014.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bureau plat d\u2019\u00e9poque Louis XV en Vernis Martin \u00e0 d\u00e9cors chinoisant, vers 1760 Un bureau plat d\u2019exception, en Vernis Martin toutes faces, ouvrant par trois tiroirs en ceinture, imitant les laques chinoises et japonaises, orn\u00e9 de d\u00e9cors chinoisant or et polychromes rouge et vert sur fond noir. Ses paysages lacustres, anim\u00e9s de personnages et de […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cate"],"yoast_head":"\nOrigin and Dating:<\/b> :<\/h4>\n
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