Pair of Louis XV-period Vernis Parisien sideboards stamped Mathieu Criard circa 1750
A superb pair of small, single-leaf Parisian varnish corner cupboards decorated with Far Eastern landscapes and Aleppo Breche marble tops. Antique gilt bronze decorations.
Beautiful French work from the Louis XV period circa 1750, stamped by Mathieu Criaerd.
Sizes: H 33.46 In. - W 24.01 In. - D 12.99 In.
En très bon état de conservation et d’usage, nous signalons une ancienne transformation dans les fonds arrières qui ont été légèrement arrondis y compris les marbres.
Biography:
Mathieu Criaerd, born 1689, died February 1, 1776, was a French joiner and cabinetmaker from a family of joiners and cabinetmakers, the son of a Brussels merchant, working in 18th-century Paris.
He was received as a master in the Corporation des Menuisiers-ébénistes on July 29, 1738.
His workshop was located on rue Traversière. He used the stamp M.CRIAERD.
Thanks to the merchant Thomas Joachim Hébert (1687-1773), Mathieu Criaerd received an order for furniture decorated in Martin varnish in the French taste in 1743, for the blue bedroom of Madame de Mailly, Louis XV's favorite at the Château de Choisy.
Mathieu Criaerd supplied a commode for the Dauphin's inner cabinet at the Château de Versailles in 1748.
Another chest of drawers by Mathieu Criaerd was delivered by Thomas-Joachim Hébert on June 22, 1748, to the Château de Compiègne for the bedroom of Queen Marie Leszcsynska at the Carmelite Convent in Compiègne.
Mathieu Criaerd specialized in furniture veneered with Chinese or European lacquer or floral marquetry, embellished with bronzes.
On several occasions, he supplied furniture to Jean François Oeben's workshop, as evidenced by the fact that he was his creditor at the time of his death in 1763.
After his wife died in 1767, Mathieu Criaerd put an end to his business and handed over his workshop to his youngest son Sébastien-Mathieu Criaerd, known as “Criaerd le jeune”, who expanded the commercial side of the business as a furniture broker.
Family:
Antoine Criaerd, his elder brother, cabinetmaker from 1720-1750.
Antoine-Mathieu Criaerd (circa 1724-December 24, 1787), cabinetmaker received his master's degree on April 22, 1747.
Sébastien-Mathieu Criaerd, younger brother of the above.
References:
Jean Vittet, Le marchand Thomas-Joachim Hébert (1687-1773) et l'ébénisterie de son temps, in, Stéphane Castelluccio, Le commerce du luxe à Paris aux XVIIème et XVIIIème siècles : échanges nationaux, p. 194, Peter Lang SA, 2009.
Musée du Louvre: Chest of drawers from the blue room at Château de Choisy and chest of drawers from the Grog-Carven collection.
Musée de Versailles: Chest of drawers and corner chests.
