A Louis XVI Style Lacquer Mounted Table by Henry Dasson

Object Description

– Exquisite Louis XVI style table by renowned maker Henry Dasson, inspired by Marie-Antoinette’s furniture

– Stunning Asian lacquer panels featuring mytholigical deer motifs

– Exceptional craftsmanship with ormolu caryatid legs, interlaced stretcher, pierced gallery, and floral garlands

A Louis XVI Style Lacquer Mounted Table
By Henry Dasson

after the model by Adam Weisweiler
for Marie-Antoinette’s bedroom at Château de Saint Cloud

The table incorporating earlier Asian lacquer panels, aventurine surfaces and refined mercury gilt bronze mounts, supported on ormolu legs with female caryatids terminating in toupie feet and joined by an interlaced stretcher bearing a gilt bronze basket, the frieze set with ormolu floral garlands, a central breakfront panel opening to reveal a mahogany-lined sprung drawer, the rectangular top showcasing three stunning lacquer panels of mountainscapes and spotted deer— symbol of longevity and grace in Chinese mythology— surmounted by a three-quarter pierced gallery. The carcass stamped ‘Henry Dasson’ and the ormolu bearing the initials ‘H.D.’
French, circa 1885

Object History

The eighteenth century prototype of this table was delivered in 1784 for Marie Antoinette’s use at Château de Saint Cloud, where it remained until the French Revolution. Almost half a century later, the table was acquired by the French Empress Eugénie, who placed it in her Salon Bleu at the Tuileries, where she would often entertain guests. Later in the nineteenth century, some of the greatest Parisian cabinetmakers such as Sormani and Dasson created their own versions of the table. A nearly identical example by Dasson was sold in 2010 (Christie’s New York, 22 October, 2010 lot 320) for $158,500.

Object Literature

A symbol of longevity and grace in Chinese mythology, the word deer is pronounced lu, a homonym for emoluments—favors granted to officials. They therefore represent wealth, nobility and success in imperial examinations (civil service exams for selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy in Imperial China).

Deer were the faithful companions of Shu Lao, the god of longevity, and the goddess Magu. They were reputed to live long and to be the only creature able to find the mushroom of immortality, linghzhi.

Object Condition

Excellent condition

Object Details