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8 Furniture & Decorative Arts Auction on 26 March 2020 Two exceptional pieces of furniture are highlights of the Decorative Arts auction on 26 March: a chest of draw- ers by the ébéniste François Lieutaud (ca. 1665–1748), which was originally owned by the Ansbach court, and a “table mécanique” with magnificent marquetry, from the workshop of the virtuoso furniture designer Abra- ham Roentgen (1711–1793). The Baroque chest of drawers (ill. 1), created around 1728/30, was probably commissioned by the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Carl-Friedrich- Wilhelm (1712–1757), who later gave the valuable commode to one of his ministers, Count Christoph Friedrich von Seckendorff-Aberdar (1679–1759). This stately piece of furniture is a product of the mature aesthetic movement in French furniture design short- ly after the reign of Louis XIV, and can be dated to the Régence period, around 1730. Although not signed, the Seckendorff chest of drawers can be attributed with certainty to François Lieutaud. The bronze es- cutcheons and sabots cast for the Seckendorff chest of drawers are outstanding decorative elements that point towards their creator: they can be found in vari- ous works by Lieutaud, for example on a bureau plat in the Ansbach Residence stamped by him. This chest of drawers is thus part of a larger set commissioned from the ébéniste . François Lieutaud came from a family of sculptors. After training as a master carpenter in Mar- seille, he developed his skills as a cabinetmaker in early 18 th -century Paris, and was strongly influenced by the master furniture artist André-Charles Boulle. Later, Lieutaud himself was an important inspiration for the generations that followed him, especially for furniture makers in Germany, such as the Ansbach court cabi- netmaker Martin Schuhmacher. The second work appears at first glance to be a simple table with sweeping curves, but on closer inspection it turns out to be a mechanical piece of furniture, a “table mécanique” (ill. 2).When the richly inlaid top is opened, a small secretary, which had previously been completely concealed, can be liftedout of the interior at the pushof a button. Themechanismof the furniture as well as the marquetry are both characteristic of a central figure of mid-18th century furniture craftsmanship. The ingen- ious inventor AbrahamRoentgen, who learned his craft during years of travel in the Netherlands and England, developed ever new combinations of sophisticated mechanisms that astonished the public. At the same time, his virtuoso use of exquisite materials enabled him to create marquetry work in a particularly artistic manner. In this table, the panel depicts an imaginative plant arrangement, with exotic flowers, fruits and song- birds as well as all kinds of colourful insects. Roentgen used various precious woods for these inlays, including rosewood and tulipwood. For a varied appearance, he fire-shaded the wood or tinted it in colour. Over time, the Roentgen studio developed its own technique, the so-called marquetry "à la mosaïque". In this method, and as seen in the present table, instead of engraving and colouring larger areas as is usually the case, the smallest wooden parts are sawn out and re- assembled into a mosaic. The much finer shadow and light effects achieved in this way in Roentgen'smarque- try were described as "painting in wood". 1 The Seckendorff commode by Francois Lieutaud. France, Paris circa 1728/30. 80 × 130 × 65 cm. Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000 2 A Rococo finely inlaid “table mécanique”. Neuwied circa 1760/65. Workshop of Abraham and David Roentgen. 87 × 88 × 99 cm (open). Estimate: CHF 60 000/80 000 "Design" in the 18 th century 1 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FURNITURE Stephan Koller skoller@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com