Louis XV style ormolu mounted rosewood commode a médailler

The commode (cabinet) is composed of a serpentine body which is covered by a veined red marble top. The body is decorated with parquetry lattice work and ornate ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts. These take the form of ormolu stylised scrolled acanthus leaves which are draped with medals on ribbons. The body also features navy oval medallions, containing ormolu depictions of classical Bacchic figures riding wild animals and other pastoral scenes. These medallions are draped with ormolu flower swags and those on the sides are topped by ormolu seashells. The cabinet body is composed of two front doors, each of which opens to reveal two parquetry-fronted drawers with foliate ormolu handles. The doors are separated by a central ormolu band, with a classical female mask at its top. The cabinet stands on four ormolu cabriole legs, with ram head tops and whorl feet.

This cabinet is based on a model by the Antoine-Robert Gaudreau (French, c. 1680-1746), the Ébéniste du Roi (royal cabinetmaker) to King Louis XV. Gaudreau crafted the original commode in 1739 for Louis XV at the palace of Versailles. When crafting the cabinet, Gaudreau followed a design provided by the Slodtz brothers. The original commode is now located in the Cabinet des Medailles at the Bibliotheque Nationale.