French Master Ebeniste J. Martin's Desktop Card Case, Directoire Period

Description

Title: French Desktop Card Case.
Maker: J. Martin.
Period: 1808 (Early 19th Century).
Style: Directoire.
Origin: Paris, France.

Description: Offered … more Title: French Desktop Card Case.
Maker: J. Martin.
Period: 1808 (Early 19th Century).
Style: Directoire.
Origin: Paris, France.

Description: Offered is a neoclassical tabletop or desktop storage case, painted varnished mahogany veneers, features a locking hinged front door accented by a faux book facade under glass, tooled brass ornamentation applied on four sides, interior fitted with four silk lined storage drawers, rests on brass lion paw feet. Concealed signature in blue ink on verso of front door's rear panel ["J. Martin - Ebeniste - Sceaux (Seine) - 1808"]. See images.

Measures: 8.5 L x 7 D x 8.5 H inches.
Weight: 4 pounds, 5 ounces.

Provenance: Arthur W. Kincade (AWK) (1896-1989), Chairman of the Board and President of The Fourth National Bank and Trust Company (FNBTC), Wichita, Kansas. For posterity, the record of AWK's collection is on reserve at Wichita State University, primarily chronicles a history of his influence upon the FNBTC. The piece was gifted by John Coultis (JC) (1899-2014), an iconic interior designer of his time. He was the patriarch of John Coultis Associates, Inc., a prominent Wichita interior design firm. In 1965, JC was commissioned to create "a library type room with an old traditional touch" for FNBTC. The main banking lobby underwent the most dramatic changes. The former teller cages were removed and new personal banking counters were installed, along with fluorescent lights, hand wrought chandeliers, and carved walnut' woodwork which was utilized in place of the austere marble. Bank president AWK, an avid art collector, saw that the banking lobby was adorned with custom woven English tapestries and other works of art. Offices for the bank executives were created by enclosing an unused light shaft. These offices were designed to encourage "quiet discussion and appreciation of tradition." The exceptional cabinet seems a very appropriate and symbolic gift representative of the undertaking, also played to the patron's fine taste in art.

About the piece: When we look into the origins of furniture created as small-scale models, we learn that they go back to to the high middle ages and the time of the guilds. It was the opportunity for a cabinet-maker to prove his abilities and know-how in small-scale models and consequently become a master in the domain and gain recognition of his talent. Whatever the case and on the whole, the making of a miniature object or piece of furniture sometimes required quite a bit of talent and virtuosity.

Such is the case with this small-scale model of a book case in mahogany veneers with ornate brass plates made up of geometric shapes and ornamented with palmettes, star and dome studs.

The interior has four drawers accented with similar brass plates and pulls, lined with a grosgrain silk, which was often the case with these types of small furniture.

Directoire Period (1790-1805): There was a revival of inlay decoration, using ebony, citronnier, copper, and brass. Marquetry was almost totally absent due to economic restraints. Brass was often used in place of gilt-bronze, and imported woods such as rosewood and mahogany were scarce. Only luxury work was made of solid and carved mahogany. Most Directoire pieces were made of walnut or other fruit woods which could be found in France. Woods were more often painted.

Overall, while the period retained the neoclassical influences of its predecessor, the Directoire style favored ornamentation that was far more elegant and reserved, opting instead for more austere forms.

Directoire furniture can generally be defined by the following characteristics:
Light proportions and rectangular shapes with straight lines
Materials such as mahogany, walnut and elm with plain marble surface and no gilding or inlay.
Very restrained ornamentation with neoclassical motifs such as animal heads, palmettes, tureens and urns.

Overall, the circumstances of the French Revolutionary war led to a decline in furniture quality and the availability of materials. With the Revolution came the the end of the craft guilds in 1791. The rules and regulations by which the trade guilds had governed the training of the craftsmen, their apprenticeship, and compagnonnage, were abolished, and complete freedom of production was permitted in all of the crafts. Furniture making began to decline starting with this reform. The new clients of the day did not have the sophistication to demand the high quality work that had been produced by the menuisiers and ébénistes of the court, and the Directoire government lacked the authority to insist upon it.
The period, largely considered a transitional style between Louis XVI and Empire furniture, the Directoire style portended the tastes of the Napoléonic era to come.

About the maker: Attributed to a descendant of the Martin brothers (Freres Martin). The Martin brothers became renowned for a type of furniture often called Vernis Martin after a type of lacquer or japanned surface used by the Martin brothers, who were named Vernisseurs du Roi (or Varnishers to the King) by Louis XV. The Martin brothers — Guillaume, Etienne-Simon, Robert and Julien — were essentially trying to imitate Chinese lacquer with European-themed subjects.

Their wares — and those who imitated them — ranged from snuff boxes to carriages, and their decoration style persists to this day. Despite the damage to the veneer seen at the top side edges and sympathetically repaired apron edges (ebonized), the piece is aesthetically pleasing.

Examples of other pieces actually made in France at this time are generally marked “Made in France,” so this piece holds true as marked "Sceaux (Seine) - 1808." Vernis Martin furniture tends to bring good money when sold. As a Vernis Martin antique, even with its condition, the valuation range is appropriate for such a rarity, a small-scale model.

Included: Model cabinet, AWK's business card (on verso, hand script " 18th Century English Card Case - Gift of John Coultis" in pencil), original remnant dark mahogany cove molding trim.
Not included: Key. less