Secrétaire

The writing cabinet by Denis Toupillier (master from 1764) is separated from the secrétaire by Legry (1745–1792) by more than a decade. Both pieces were made in Paris, during the reign of Louis XVI (1774–1792) and in the style named after that monarch. Yet if we compare these pieces, whose function is exactly the same, we can observe telling differences both in the way they are shaped and in their decoration. The legs of Toupillier’s secretaire are cylindrical, while those of the Legry piece are square cut. On the doors of the earlier piece the entire surface is covered by branching leafy creeper with flowers; onthe later one the master has arranged already expressly classicist decorative elements in a stricter system, into circles and in to oval floral wreaths. This mode of composition is repeated on the pull-down writing flap, the surface of which is decorated with characteristic motifs, butterflies flying out from the four corners; in the likewise oval floral wreath medallions, musical instruments. On the Toupillier piece the musical instrument depictions on the writing surface are spread out under a wide canopy. To this the keyhole, which is shaped like the lid of a coffin, is suited wonderfully well; on the Legry piece, on the other hand, this is simplified into a plain rectangle. On the Legry piece the horizontal articulation of some of the structural elements is more emphatic, stressing the horizontal row of bronze laurel leaves. On the doors, drawers and writing flap, as well as on the trimmed edges also, floral bouquets, rosettes, and acanthus leaves can be seen. Legry’s secretaire is an emphatically classicist work, while preserving something of the transitional style. Similarly to the work of Toupillier and unlike the commodes, its mark may be read not under the marble top, but in the lower left-hand corner of the back, from the bottom upwards: J L F LEGRY JME.