183. Emmanuel Alfred BEURDELEY (called Alfred II) Rare secretary with flap decorated with inlaid marbles and hard stones of birds, fruit cups and characters, in inlaid frames of precious wood. It opens from top to bottom with a drawer, a flap and two leaves. In front, each panel, illustrating a bowl of fruit and birds on branches, is enhanced by a is enhanced by a frame in maple marquetry on a mahogany background, decorated with medallions, ribbon bows, laurel garlands and draperies. The sides decorated with small paintings representing characters in traditional Italian costumes and flowers. A fleur de lys takes place in the center on the sides. Ornamentation in chased and gilded bronze including falls, moldings of frames, entries of keys and sabots. Portor marble top. Stamped A. BEURDELEY A PARIS. Louis XVI style, late 19th century, after the model of Nicolas Petit. 142 x 68 x 37 cm. (Cracks and restorations to the marquetry, scratches, accidents). Provenance : Acquired by Mr. Justin Lecoules in 1924 in Marseille (for the sum of 5000 francs), transmitted to his son Mr Pierre Lecoules in 1955 and remained in the family until today. The association of the marquetry of hard stones with the marquetry of precious wood in light relief is very audacious and shows the extreme mastery and skill of the craftsmen solicited by Alfred II Beurdeley. The inlaid decoration forms here a case to emphasize the panels of hard stones among which we observe the use of carnelian, agate, lapis lazuli, amethyst quartz, malachite, paesine and marble stones. Two secretaries with inlaid decoration of hard stones of this model are known to date. The one we are presenting and the one that belonged to Mr. Beurdeley with which it forms a counterpart. All both of equal dimensions, have a similar decorative register, identical ornaments in gilded bronze, marble marble tops and both stamped A. BEURDELEY A PARIS. The one of Mr. Beurdeley appears in the eponymous auction that took place at the Galerie Georges Petit from May 6 to 9, 1895: "Lot 328 - Secretary of Louis XVI style, presenting on its three faces plates, birds, vases, animals, etc., in mosaic. animals, etc., in mosaic of hard stones surrounded by framing motifs in marquetry of light wood. light wood. It is enriched with gilded bronzes. Top of marble Portor. Very attached to this piece of furniture which took place in his bedroom of the private mansion rue de Clichy, Beurdeley finally decided to withdraw it from the sale. It then joined the family collection until its sale in 2011 at the time of the sale of part of the Beurdeley collection in London (Bonham's, 06/07/2011, lot 162). It was then sold in Paris, as part of the collection of Prince Al Thani at the Hôtel Lambert in Paris (Sotheby's, 13 October 2022, lot 638). The sale catalog tells us that during the inventory of the contents of the mansion drawn up in 1901 in 1901, Beurdeley mentions the secretary in these terms: "Secretary in maple decorated with mosaic paintings motivated by an ornamentation in marquetry of wood. Top in Portor marble. Executed by A. Beurdeley son after a model of Petit who had made a similar furniture for the Crown of France, which explains the fleur de lys on the sides. Although to this day this furniture has not been located, Anne Droguet, in her reference work on the work of Nicolas Petit, refers to a piece that could correspond. The secretary that we present is also decorated with fleur-de-lis on the sides. Piece of furniture of order, of a prohibitive cost at the time, it is the reflection of the excellence of the decorative arts in the second half second half of the XIXth century.