Exceptional table by Alfred-Emmanuel BEURDELEY

Rectangular tricoteuse table with mobile panel forming a flap on the front. Inlaid decoration in amaranth on a lemon tree background with quatrefoil latticework. The table is adorned in the middle with sixteen circular medallions in enamelled copper with polychrome and gold decoration in the style of Coteau in gilded bronze frames. The openwork uprights are joined by a bar crowned with an openwork basket in gilded bronze.
Decoration of engraved and gilded bronzes such as rosettes, pearls, leaves and garlands.

The table is the one reproduced in L’Ameublement d’art français 1850-1900, Camille Mestdagh, Les éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 2010, page 68 (fig. 71).

Provenance: A. Beurdeley sale, May 6th-9th, 1895, Etude Chevallier, Galerie Georges Petit,
lot 283.

This table is one of the original creations by Alfred II Beurdeley. Its structure is inspired by the past, intended to be used for handiwork and invented by Jean-Henri Riesener for Marie-Antoinette on the occasion of the birth du Dauphin in 1781. It introduced innovative elements such as the inlaid pattern and the pattern cut of the uprights, unknown in the 18th century. The matching table is particularly breath-taking, designed by a certain J. Werner with the use of medallions in the style of Wedgwood.

Beurdeley also pays tribute to the 18th century through his choice of materials by reusing enamelled copper medallions, probably crafted by the famous enameller Joseph Coteau. In Beurdeley’s work we often observe the use of elements dating from the 18th century associated with a contemporary structure.
Joseph Coteau (1740-1812), was one of the most famous dial painters of the second half of the 18th century. He also painted on jewellery and porcelain. He moved to rue Poupée in Paris in 1778.

Stamped A. BEURDELEY A PARIS.
French work in the Louis XVI style from the end of the 19th century.

Bibliography:
PAYNE, C., Paris, the quintessence of furniture in the 19th century, Monelle Hayot editions, 2018.
(table by J. Werner reproduced on page 548).