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an image of a desk with a drawer on top of ita small desk with a drawer on top of itan image of a small desk with a drawer on itan old wooden desk with a green top and drawers
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109 - A curved ‘Bonheur du jour’ cabinet, finished in rosewood and…
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
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Description
A curved ‘Bonheur du jour’ cabinet, finished in rosewood and violetwood veneer, decorated with a butterfly-wing motif and interlaced scrollwork, surrounded by a boxwood border. The lower section opens via a sliding curtain and two side drawers. The hinged top is lined on the underside with green leather. It reveals a central sliding shelf and two side flaps, concealing storage compartments. The body opens via two drawers and rests on four curved legs fitted with castors. Chiselled and gilded bronze fittings: lock plates, pull handle and set-in feet. Stamped ‘G. CORDIE’ and bearing the JME guild mark (beneath the left crossbar). Guillaume CORDIE (1725–1785). Cited as a master in 1766. Paris. Louis XV period Dimensions: H_103 cm W_ 64 cm D_44 cm Minor damage and losses Comparative work Christie’s Paris auction. 16 October 2012. Lot 48. Million Paris auction. 18 June 2010. Lot 168. Comparative bibliography: Guillaume Cordié, the master of ‘bonheurs-du-jour’. L’Estampille/L’Objet d’Art no. 470. Guillaume Cordié worked as an independent craftsman before obtaining his master’s certificate in 1766. He set up his workshop on Rue de Charonne, where he remained until his death. His works, of fine quality and harmonious proportions, are predominantly in the Louis XV and Transition styles. He mainly produced small pieces of furniture: heart-shaped dressing tables and writing tables; however, Guillaume Cordié was unquestionably the master of ‘bonheurs-du-jour’. These pieces, made of rosewood veneer, feature an upper section closed by two sliding doors and include two small drawers set into a coffered panel. A top folds out to form a writing surface. The curved legs of his pieces lend them elegance and grace. Also worth mentioning are a few Transition-style chests of drawers, made of rosewood arranged in the shape of butterfly wings and inlaid with cubes and four-leaf clovers. Compare with our ‘bonheur-du-jour’: Christie’s Paris, 16 October 2012, lot 48, and Millon, 18 June 2010, lot 168. Bibliography: “Guillaume Cordié, the master of ‘bonheurs-du-jour’”, L’Estampille/L’Objet d’Art no. 470, pp. Expert: Stéphane PEPE - Expert: Stéphane PEPE
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About the sale Classical Art #14
Auction location
Auction time 10/17/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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