Description

Ebony commode with black Japanese lacquer veneer with chinoiserie decorations. The multilinear surface in red and yellow breccia tops a series of gilded bronze decorations. The three doors on the front each display a Chinese landscape painted in gold. This commode, which comes from the collection of the 4th Duke of Westminster, is noteworthy not only for the beauty of the Japanese lacquer décor that dates back to the 17th century, but also because of the relevance given to the gilded bronze Bacchic masks, earlier in taste while the other metal ornaments are more plainly Neoclassical. Bernard II was famous for the bronze pieces he personally crafted and added to his furniture.