Small Louis XVI Style Dresser, 19th century

Small Louis XVI Style Dresser
This small Louis XVI style dresser comes from France and dates back to the second half of the 19th century.

The two drawer commode stands on slightly curved legs which are decorated with foliate bronze sabots. The special part about this piece is the beautiful marquetry on top and front. On the front the artisan created a marquetry with an illustration of the fable “The Fox and the Crow”, one of Aesop’s famous Fables. It was also published in La Fontaine’s collection of fables in the late 17th century. Since the fable stands at the beginning of La Fontaine’s fables, generations of French children commonly learned it by heart. This explains also the many settings by French composers. The fable is depicted no less than three times in the border of the Bayeux Tapestry and it has been speculated that a political commentary is intended.

It was also very popular in other European countries and we can find depictions of it in various illustrations, paintings and decorative art objects.

The top and the sides of the dresser show very pretty floral marquetry decorations. It has its original bronze fittings. This is the perfect eye catching piece for a smaller entry way or a living or bedroom setting.
Details
The dresser measures Height: 29.34 in (74.5 cm), Width: 13.98 in (35.5 cm), Depth: 12.21 in (31 cm) and comes refinished with a shellac finish. It ships from Germany and includes shipping costs to Boston.