Charles Topino (1742-1803, Master in 1773), secretaire “à abattant”

Period : Paris, circa 1780.

Material : oak frame and softer wood ; tulipwood, satinwood and amaranth marquetry ; polychrome wood marquetry against a light-colored wood background ; boxwood and ebony filets ; ormolu ; leather ; brèche violette marble.

Dimensions : 50 3/8 in. high (128 cm.); 30 3/8 in. wide (77 cm.); 15 in. deep (38 cm.).

Stamp : C. TOPINO / JME.

Signature : W.S. BROADWOOD, 20, inscribed in ink on a label glued to the back of the secrétaire.

Origin : private collection.

Bibliography : Alexandre Pradère, Les ébénistes français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 318, ill. 361. Sylvain Barbier Sainte Marie, “Charles Topino, circa 1742-1803”, Les Cahiers du Mobilier, Paris, 2005, p. 133, ill. 63.

Description

This straight-line secrétaire in tulipwood marquetry with outset canted front corners unfolds a tripartite façade including a large frieze drawer sumptuously applied with a rosette and fleurets ormolu interlace.