Preserving what deserves to last

Assessment

The wood had been dulled by time and ultraviolet light. The old oxidised varnishes masked the natural contrast of the woods; veneers had lifted or were missing, and the gilt bronzes had lost their lustre.

Work carried out

• Diagnosis and dismantling — Careful removal of all the bronze mounts and the lockwork, to protect the carcase during the work.
• Stripping and cleaning — Removal of the old oxidised varnishes that masked the natural contrast of the woods.
• Marquetry repairs — Lifted or missing veneers were made good with hot hide glue — bone and sinew glue — to respect the historical integrity of the piece.
• Cleaning of the mounts — The bronzes were cleaned with gentle solutions, to revive the original gilding without altering it.
• French polishing — Application of a traditional shellac French polish, built up coat by coat by hand. It "wets" the wood, restoring the depth of the tulipwood and the colours of the marquetry.

Technical sheet

Typology

Single-door low cabinet, bombé front and sides

Style

Transition Louis XV / Louis XVI spirit

Dimensions

Height 105 cm | Width 115 cm | Depth 48 cm

Woods

Tulipwood veneer, purpleheart framing, sycamore maple and boxwood for the marquetry; solid oak carcase

Mounts

Gilt bronze: corner mounts with espagnolette heads, sabots, central apron mount, escutcheons

Top

Brocatelle or breccia marble

Workshop time and team

Close to 140 hours of work.

Assessment

This two-part buffet reached the workshop in a critical state. The lower left door was entirely missing, exposing the internal structure. The original varnish was dulled, dried out and scratched, masking the richness of the grain. The floral marquetry was soiled and lifting in places; the bronze and brass mounts had lost all their lustre.

Work carried out

• Historical reconstruction — Bespoke making of the missing door. The chief difficulty was reproducing the floral marquetry medallion exactly, selecting and cutting woods — burl, fruitwoods — to echo the original right-hand door.
• Surface restoration — Gentle stripping and re-laying of the lifted veneers. Application of a traditional shellac French polish, built up by hand layer after layer to reveal the depth of the walnut and the mahogany.
• Enhancement of the details — Deep cleaning and polishing of the bronze mounts — shell pediment, corner mounts, sabots — to recover the original gilding without altering the chasing.
• Architectural additions — Fitting of a veined marble top at the junction of the two sections, and installation of a mirror at the back of the credenza to multiply the light and lighten the volume.

Technical sheet

Typology

Two-part buffet / glazed credenza, Napoléon III / Transition style

Materials

Solid wood carcase, precious wood veneer, polychrome floral marquetry, bronze mounts, marble top, bowed glass panes

Techniques

Veneer patching, fine marquetry, traditional French polishing, marble restoration

Where this piece belongs

Formal dining room, large hall or vestibule as a statement piece, executive office as a collector's display cabinet.

Assessment

On its arrival at the workshop, this desk suffered from an old varnish, badly light-damaged and soiled, which entirely obscured the work of the front. The bronze mounts were oxidised and the wood could barely breathe.

Work carried out

• Stripping and regeneration — Careful removal of the old varnish without attacking the original patina of the wood, followed by the re-gluing with hide glue of veneers lifted over time.
• Restoration of the marquetry — Filling of the micro-losses in the floral decoration with species rigorously identical to those of the period.
• Enhancement of the mounts — Complete dismantling, cleaning in a gentle bath and hand polishing of the bronzes — sabots (foot mounts), escutcheons — to revive the chasing without distorting it.
• French-polished finish — Application of a genuine shellac French polish, built up by hand layer after layer. This technique alone can restore the mirror effect and the visual depth of the figured veneer.

Technical sheet

Typology

Slant-front desk with sloping fall-front and cabriole legs, Louis XV style

Carcase

Solid oak

Veneering

Figured tulipwood and kingwood veneer

Decoration

Polychrome floral marquetry — boxwood, sycamore maple, stained fruitwoods

Mounts

Finely chased bronze on the sabots and escutcheons

Dimensions

Width ~95 cm | Height ~100 cm | Depth with fall-front closed ~48 cm

Assessment

On arrival, this Renaissance-inspired chair presented a bare skeletal frame, stripped of its functional elements. The structure suffered from marked drying-out, surface damage and critical structural play at the X-shaped crossings. The complete absence of seat and back made the piece unusable.

Work carried out

• Structural consolidation — Reworking of the X-shaped joints, cleaning of the rebates and traditional gluing to restore mechanical strength without altering the historical integrity of the piece.
• Treatment and patina of the wood — Cleaning of the oxidised layers, careful sanding and deep feeding — a blend of hard oils and beeswax — to revive the warmth of the walnut.
• Leatherwork and upholstery — Bespoke making of the curved back and the suspended seat in full-grain bull calf leather, fixed and spaced by hand with forged upholstery nails.

Technical sheet

Model

Savonarola / Dante folding chair, curule chair with crossed frame

Wood

Finely figured solid walnut

Associated materials

Full-grain leather in an ochre / honey tone, aged iron upholstery nails

Dimensions

Width 68 cm | Overall height 76 cm | Depth 60 cm

Workshop time and team

About 40 hours of work spread over two weeks, to respect the drying times and the tensioning of the leather. One master cabinetmaker specialising in complex joinery and one saddler-upholsterer.

Where this piece belongs

Seating and collectors' furniture — for an interior seeking the union of patinated wood and a warm leather.

Assessment

The desk arrived with a badly worn surface: the top rubbed, the writing surface blackened, the edges damaged, the old finishes incomplete and the ornament no longer legible. The silhouette remained elegant, but the piece had lost its character as a ceremonial desk.

Work carried out

• Stabilising the structure — Inspection of the carcase, reworking of the joints and preparation of the worn areas before any finishing work.
• Reworking the edges and the top — Levelling of the edges, cleaning of the old layers and reintegration of the central writing surface.
• Preparation for the finish — Successive sanding and surface priming to obtain an even, level surface across the shaped sections and the fronts.
• Pale finish and gilded accents — Application of a pale finish, then rework of the gilded lines and mounts to restore the desk's decorative relief.

Technical sheet

Typology

Bureau plat with three drawers, shaped top and cabriole legs

Style

Louis XV / Rococo inspiration

Finish

Pale satin finish, dark writing surface, gilded accents

Use

Lady's desk, executive desk or ceremonial piece

Dimensions

To be confirmed at the workshop

Where this piece belongs

A private study, a reading room or a reception room where the desk is to remain legible as the central object.

Assessment

On arrival, this commode bore the marks of an eventful past. Trapped beneath several flaking layers of paint — black over a red primer — the surface was deeply unstable and crazed. The decision was not to return this country piece to bare wood, but to embrace a contemporary finish and make of it an assertive design object.

Work carried out

• Stripping back and stabilising — Complete thermal and chemical stripping to remove decades of flaking paint and recover a sound substrate.
• Preparing the substrate — Coachwork-style preparation: treatment of the wood, filling of the deeper defects, levelling compound and successive very fine sandings to obtain an absolutely flat surface — the essential condition of a successful lacquer.
• Colouring and lacquer — Spray-booth application of a cardinal red lacquer with a deep satin finish. It protects the wood while setting up a contrast with the classical architecture of the piece.
• Enhancing the hardware — The original ring pulls on their backplates were removed, stripped of residual paint and polished to bring out the natural sheen of the matt brass.

Technical sheet

Typology

Straight-fronted commode with three stacked drawers, overhanging top, plinth on shaped console feet

Carcase

Solid wood — traditionally pine, poplar or beech for furniture intended to be painted

Finish

High-resistance polyurethane lacquer, cardinal red, satin

Mounts

Drop handles with rings on circular backplates in solid brass

Dimensions

Width ~100 cm | Height ~85 cm | Depth ~45 cm

Workshop time and team

About 40 to 50 hours. Applying the lacquer is quick; it is the preparation of the ground — stripping, filling, sanding — that takes 80 % of the time and guarantees a flawless surface. One surface-preparation specialist and one lacquer painter.