A French 19th century gilt bronze mounted satinwood, rosewood, amaranth and marquetry side table by Emmanuel Alfred Beurdeley (1847-1919)


after Charles TopinoThe top, sides and back of the frieze inlaid with 18th century tea and letter writing paraphernalia, with one frieze drawer, on square tapering legs, branded: 'A. BEURDELEY, A PARIS', 72cm wide x 38cm deep x 73cm high, (28in wide x 14 1/2in deep x 28 1/2in high)
|A bonheur du jour executed by Emmanuel Alfred Beurdeley, which is inlaid with a style of marquetry originally introduced in France between circa 1765 and 1770 by the cabinet maker Charles Topino, is illustrated in C. Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'Art Francais, 1850-1900, fig.'s 34 & 80, pp.'s 45 & 86. This bonheur du jour is characterised by very similar Topino type marquetry which appears on all sides of the present lot.The Beurdeley familyBy the 1850s the firm developed by Louis August Alfred Beurdeley had become one of the most successful antique dealers in Paris, which counted the 4th Marquess of Hertford, the Empress Eugénie and the Rothschilds among their illustrious clientele. From 1838 onwards the shop was located at the Pavillon de Hanovre on the Boulevard des Italiens, where paintings by old masters such as Chardin, Boucher and Fragonard, as well as porcelain, 17th and 18th century bronzes and French furniture were on offer. Louis-Auguste Alfred, who received medals in the Paris Great Exhibitions of 1855 and 1867, was referred to as "the favourite of the aristocracy". He provided furnishings for the Chateau de Chantilly on behalf of the Duc d'Aumale and a trousseau chest for the Empress Eugenie upon her marriage to Napoleon III. He also provided furniture for the Tuilleries Palace. In the inventory executed in 1861 after Mme. Beurdeley's death, clients listed included the Comte de Choiseul-Praslin, Prince de Beauvau, Comte de Breteuil and Sir Richard Wallace. Lionel de Rothschild wrote in 1864 to his son Leopold: "Mamma has only been to see the Beurdeley Curiosities... but the high prices frighten everybody." Starting with a small workshop, probably firstly devoted to restoration work, Louis Auguste Alfred decided to design and produce furniture himself so consequently he founded the workshop that was later taken over by his son Emmanuel Alfred in 1875. Emmanuel further expanded the Beuderley workshops and enterprise as a whole and in the process went on to create some of the most beautiful French furniture of the 19th century. The business was closed in 1895 and no less than 20 auctions had to be held to disperse its stock. After he retired, Emmanuel Alfred's reputation as a collector grew, notably for 18th century French ornemental drawings.LiteratureC. Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'Art Francais, 1850-1900, 2010, Paris.