Pair Regency Style Gilt Accent 2 Drawer Nightstands by Auffray

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Description

A handsome and beautifully matched pair of Louis XV-style walnut cabinets by Auffray & Co. of New York, combining the … Read more A handsome and beautifully matched pair of Louis XV-style walnut cabinets by Auffray & Co. of New York, combining the warmth and richness of walnut with restrained gilt decoration and the graceful curvilinear forms associated with eighteenth-century French furniture.
Each cabinet is surmounted by a rectangular top with subtly shaped edges and a gently serpentine front. Beneath are two generously proportioned drawers, their fronts softly bowed and framed with delicate gilt mouldings. Circular central escutcheons provide a strong decorative focal point, while small gilt-brass ring pulls are positioned symmetrically on either side. The hardware is particularly well suited to the French character of the pieces, adding refinement without overwhelming the attractive walnut surfaces.
The cases display the characteristic movement of the Louis XV tradition, with gently swelling lower sections and shaped aprons rather than rigid architectural lines. The lower apron follows a graceful serpentine contour and is highlighted with a gilt edge and a small central shell ornament. Slender cabriole legs continue naturally from the case and terminate in gilt sabots, giving these substantial cabinets an unexpectedly light and elegant appearance.
The walnut has a particularly pleasing warm brown coloration, with subtle variations in grain visible across the tops and drawer fronts. The combination of dark polished walnut and restrained gold detailing gives the pair a sophisticated appearance that works equally well in a traditional French-inspired interior or as accent pieces in a more contemporary room.
Auffray & Co. was an important New York source for high-quality French-style reproduction furniture and decorative furnishings. Period trade material documents the company in New York as early as 1944, when it advertised itself as a maker of fine French Provincial antique reproductions noted for their carefully developed old finishes. USModernist By the 1960s, the firm was listed in the professional interior-design trade as producing fine French reproduction furniture representing a variety of historical periods. USModernist
The company was closely connected with the decorating and interior-design trade. Bernard Auffray was described in 1961 as an importer and manufacturer of custom furniture who designed and supplied specialized cabinetry for professional interior decorators. World Radio History Auffray continued to be recognized for French reproduction furniture into the late 1960s, with a New York showroom serving the design community
The present cabinets are an excellent representation of that tradition. Their Louis XV-inspired bombé forms, walnut construction, shaped drawer fronts, cabriole legs, gilt mouldings, shell ornament and traditional hardware capture the elegance of antique French furniture while retaining the substantial construction associated with quality twentieth-century American cabinetmaking.
As a true pair, they are especially desirable and would make outstanding bedside cabinets, end tables or flanking chests, offering both useful storage and considerable decorative presence.


Dimensions: 28.5 inches high x 29.25 inches wide x 18 inches deep See less