58 - Roger Vandercruse, known as Lacroix

Roger Vandercruse, known as Lacroix Chest of Drawers France, Transition Period, approximately 1770 90 x 60 x 135 cm Made of rosewood, amaranth, and various fruitwoods. Two drawers without a crossbar and three half-drawers above the top. The two drawers are treated as a single decorative unit featuring an allegory of music and medallions with amphorae; on the sides are “labyrinth”-style geometric designs surmounted by vegetal volutes. Upper section featuring three small drawers decorated with geometric inlays. Handles and air vents in gilded bronze, finely chased with plant garlands, and a band in gilded bronze chased with a laurel leaf motif. It rests on arched feet with finely chiseled gilded bronze trim. The top surface is made of Aleppo breccia. The stamp “R.V.L.C.” appears on the right rear leg.Roger Vandercruse Lacroix, of Flemish origin and a Maître in 1755, was among the most renowned cabinetmakers of his time, influencing and contributing to the evolution of furniture toward Neoclassicism. His clients included Madame du Barry, Victoria of Bourbon-France (Madame Victoire), Queen Marie Antoinette of Habsburg-Lorraine, and Louis XVI of France. Furniture of his design is preserved at the Palace of Versailles.Provenance: Galleria Piero Betti, Via del Babuino, Rome, (1991); purchased there by the current owner. Reference bibliography: P. Kjellberg, *Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle*, Paris, 2002, p. 791, fig. p. 798 - a; C. Roinet, Perrin & Fils Antiquaires, Roger Vandercruse dit La Croix, Paris, 2000, p. 70, fig. 26.