19th C French Louis XV Style Ormolu Mounted Marble Top Cabinet by Droward

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This exceptional Louis XV-style bombé commode is a particularly sumptuous example of the French decorative tradition, combining a richly figured … Read more This exceptional Louis XV-style bombé commode is a particularly sumptuous example of the French decorative tradition, combining a richly figured Rouge marble top, warm veneers, delicate painted and inlaid decoration, elaborate gilt-bronze mounts, and a large romantic figural scene. With its dramatically curved silhouette and abundance of ornament, the commode was clearly conceived as an important statement piece, intended to be appreciated as much for its artistry as for its practical function.

The commode is surmounted by a substantial shaped Rouge marble top, displaying a wonderfully dramatic mixture of deep burgundy, russet, brick red, gray, cream, and irregular white veining. The marble is molded along its exposed edge and follows the serpentine contours of the case below. Beneath it, the upper cabinet swells outward in the characteristic bombé form, creating the voluptuous, continuously curving profile so closely associated with the Louis XV and Rococo traditions.

A particularly beautiful feature is the upper frieze, veneered in richly colored wood and decorated with delicate scrolling foliate marquetry or painted arabesques in lighter golden tones. These elegant flourishes are framed by extensive gilt-bronze moldings, including a substantial cast border immediately below the marble and additional leafy mounts sweeping around the projecting corners.

The front is dominated by a magnificent paint-decorated panel, framed within an elaborate cartouche of scrolling gilt bronze. The scene depicts a group of playful putti or cherubic children within an atmospheric woodland landscape, rendered in warm amber, golden brown, russet, green, and deep red tones. The figures emerge from the romantic, painterly landscape almost as though they were part of an eighteenth-century pastoral fantasy. The unusually large scale of this painted decoration gives the commode an especially theatrical character.

Above the painted scene is a finely modeled gilt-bronze Rococo cartouche, while the lower portion is enriched with an exuberant shell and acanthus mount. Smaller scrolling bronze ornaments continue around the panel, emphasizing its complex serpentine outline.

The sides of the cabinet continue the sophisticated decorative treatment, with richly figured veneers and additional scrolling ornament. Strongly curved corner stiles descend into elegant cabriole supports, terminating in substantial gilt-bronze foliate sabots. The shaped lower apron, with its double-arched profile and central scroll, further reinforces the fluid movement of the overall design.

Stylistically, the commode draws heavily upon the grand Louis XV tradition, particularly the luxurious Parisian furniture of the eighteenth century and its later nineteenth- and early twentieth-century revivals. Its bombé case, serpentine marble, asymmetrical Rococo scrollwork, floral ornament, cabriole supports, extensive gilt-bronze mounting, and romantic painted decoration all contribute to an unmistakably opulent French character.

What distinguishes this commode is the richness of its combined materials. The fiery coloration of the Rouge marble, deep polished woods, golden bronze mounts, delicate arabesques, and luminous hand-painted figural scene create layer upon layer of decoration. Viewed as a whole, it has the presence of a piece of decorative art rather than simply a chest or cabinet—an exceptionally elaborate Louis XV-style bombé commode capable of commanding an important position in a formal salon, entrance hall, library, or richly furnished interior.



Dimensions: 44.25 inches high x 38.75 inches wide x 17.5 inches deep See less