France, Louis XV period, c. 1780, by cabinet-maker Pierre Garnier (master as of 1742), mostly oakwood, mahogany veneer and ebony marquetry, matte finish, drawers on both sides (10 drawers in total), conical feet, ornamented with gilt bronze mounts and top edging, extension leaves with gilt decor leather covering on three sides, the underside stamped P. Garnier, c. 79 x 171 x 94 cm, extensible to c. 275 x 148 cm, minor signs of age and use. (MIN)

Pierre Garnier, (1720-1800), became a master craftsman in 1742 at the age of 22 and a member of the ‘Jurande des Ebenistes’ in Paris. His oeuvre illustrates the evolution of all the styles of XVIII century France, beginning with the early Louis XV period, through the Transition and Louis XVI, to the Diréctoire, the period of the Great French Revolution. In the ‘Almanach général des Marchands du Royaume’, Garnier is cited alongside Oeben, Riesener, Weisweiler and Leleu as one of the most important cabinet-makers of the 18th century. He is regarded as one of the inventors of the ‘style à la grecque’, which heralded the beginning of Classicism. In the ‘Petites Affiches’ of 1800 - in his obituary - he is described as someone who for 50 years produced a quality that makes any praise superfluous. In addition to the royal family, he also supplied the higher nobility. His works can be admired in the Louvre, Musée Jacquemart-André, South Kensington Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Arts, among others.

Lit.:
Comte François de Salverte. “Les Ebénistes du XVIII siècle” pp. 130–131 Pierre Kjellberg. “Le Mobilier Français du XVIII siècle” pp. 338–347