Fall-front Secretary

Maker Bernard Molitor (French, 1755-1833)

Plaquesplaques painted by Charles Nicolas Dodin (French, 1734 - 1803, active 1754 - 1803)

Plaquesplaques by Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (French, active from 1756 to the present)

Additional Title(s)

Secrétaire en Cabinet

Collections

European Decorative Art Highlights

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Datesecretary: 1812-1816; plaques: center:1783, left:1774, right:1777

Mediumoak, walnut, poplar, and fir or pine carcase veneered with kingwood, tulipwood, purplewood, mahogany, sycamore, maple, citronnier, holly, boxwood, and ebony; soft-paste porcelain plaques; gilt-bronze mounts; gray bleu turquin marble top; leather writing surface

Dimensionssecretary: 56 3/16 x 33 5/8 x 16 7/16 in. (142.7 x 85.4 x 41.8 cm.) plaque (center): 15 1/8 x 18 3/4 x 1/4 in. (38.4 x 47.6 x 0.6 cm.) plaque (left): 8 1/8 x 5 1/2 x 5 3/16 in. (20.6 x 14 x 13.1 cm.) plaque (right): 8 5/16 x 5 5/8 x 5 1/16 in. (21.1 x 14.3 x 12.9 cm.)

InscribedSecretary: Stamped on top under the marble on the proper left side and on the top edge of the drop front: B·MOLITOR; stamped on the bottom edges of both upper drawers in the nest box, the top frieze drawer, and the large central drawer of the nest: IW; a typed paper label inside the bottom drawer: AN OLD FRENCH 18TH CENTURY / UPRIGHT SECRETAIRE OF THE / LOUIS XVI. PERIOD, INLAID / WITH TRELLIS AND FLORAL / DEVICES. AT THE SIDES ARE / ORMOLU FEMAL [sic] FIGURES WITH / CORNUCOPIAE. IN THE CENTRE / A SEVRES PLAQUE WITH SCENE FROM ROLAND, AND SEVRES / PLAQUE EACH SIDE. SIGNED / B. MOLITOR; Duveen label: 28113. Porcelain plaque (center): The front of the plaque is signed in the lower left corner on the capital of the broken column in dark brown enamel, d'Aprés F. Boucher / Dodin en 1783. The reverse of the plaque is marked in blue enamel with the crossed Ls of the Sèvres manufactory enclosing the date letters FF for 1783; below the crossed Ls is the letter k, the mark of Dodin; the horizontal strokes of the crossed Ls are additionally inscribed in higher relief blue enamel, Dodin 1783 and d'aprés F. . . . ucher. A paper label stamped with the Douanes de Paris mark was formerly adhered to the back of the plaque. Porcelain plaque (left): The reverse is painted in blue enamel with the crossed Ls of the Sèvres manufactory enclosing the date letter V, for 1774; below the Ls is the letter k, the mark of Dodin; the reverse is also marked with an L in graphite. Porcelain plaque (right): The reverse is painted in blue enamel with the crossed Ls of the Sèvres manufactory enclosing the date letter Z, for 1777; below the Ls is the letter k, the mark of Dodin; above the Ls is a single dot; at the lower intersection of the crossed Ls, the date 1777 is painted in higher relief blue enamel; the reverse is also marked with an R in graphite. A paper label inked with the number 1373 is adhered to the back of each plaque. A paper label stamped with the Douanes de Paris mark was formerly adhered to the back of each plaque. The same customs mark is stamped directly on the back of the left porcelain plaque.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.

Status

On view

Label TextThis unusual secrétaire underwent several alterations over two centuries. Its shape and gilt bronze mounts are typical of the cabinetmaker Molitor, who worked for Marie-Antoinette. A fall-front writing surface conceals a cabinet containing shelves and drawers for storage. The large Sèvres porcelain plaque on the front was added in the late 19th century by Alfred de Rothschild, who owned both the secrétaire and the porcelain-topped table in which the plaque was originally set. The plaque was painted by Charles-Nicolas Dodin in 1783; it is a copy of François Boucher’s 1734 painting Rinaldo and Armida, now in the Louvre. The two smaller Sèvres plaques mounted on the sides of the cabinet are also by Dodin and date to the 1770s. They were added to the secrétaire sometime between 1884 and 1927, when it entered the Huntington collection.

Object number27.22