A stunning and most impressive French 19th century Napoleon III period Ebony, brass, ormolu and Fleur de Pêcher marble cabinet attributed to Befort Jeune. The two door cabinet is raised by fine mottled feet below the base decorated with fine... — Read More

A stunning and most impressive French 19th century Napoleon III period Ebony, brass, ormolu and Fleur de Pêcher marble cabinet attributed to Befort Jeune. The two door cabinet is raised by fine mottled feet below the base decorated with fine inlaid brass fillets and a central striking pierced ormolu reserve of a mask of a beautiful maiden flanked by scrolled foliate movements. The two doors at the center display recessed panels with exceptional intricately detailed scrolled foliate brass designs with finely etched accents framed within wrap around foliate ormolu bands with remarkable foliate reserves and rosettes at each corner, and foliate keyhole escutcheons. The doors open to reveal two unique and extremely decorative burl elm shelves with fine inlaid fillets at the front and the impressive original top to bottom lock. The elegantly curved sides display additional masterfully executed inlaid brass foliate designs with impressive architectural tapered columns decorated in a similar manner. Above are striking foliate ormolu reserves and an additional pierced reserve of a mask of a beautiful maiden also flanked by scrolled foliate movements. Above is the original Fleur de Pêcher marble top fitted within a superb gadroon designed ormolu band.

Mathieu Befort (1813-1880) aka Befort Jeune, was a renowned Parisian cabinet maker, son of Jean-Baptiste Befort (died 1840), who established his Paris workshops in 1817 in the Faubourg Saint Honoré. The firm received a medal at the 1844 Exposition Des Produits de L'industrie Francaise. Later Befort Jeune was recorded working at Rue Neuve-Saint-Gilles between 1844-1880. The high quality of his work allowed him to become purveyor to Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie. Befort was very successful in creating pieces in the manner of Boulle and Renaissance.  — Read Less