Guéridon

Guéridons of such simple yet elegant design were popular in the 1790s and derived from earlier, more elaborately decorated versions. Molitor’s use of galleries and an undertier, which either rested on or was connected to the legs with short stretchers, was much imitated by his contemporaries who recognized the beauty in the simplicity of his designs. A drawing by an anonymous ebéniste of a piece almost identical to the table offered here, is illustrated in the major biography on this very interesting cabinet-maker ”Molitor, Ebéniste from the Ancien Régime to the Bourbon Restoration” by Ulrich Leben and exhibits Molitor’s strong artistic influence. As the Empire style became more elaborate and lavish during the first few years of the 1800s, such restrained pieces vanished from the repertory of Molitor and other furniture makers of the time. Subtle and simple works such as this guéridon remain as products of an era when simplicity was the virtue of the craftsman.

Bernard Molitor was the rare ébéniste whose furniture-making business prospered both before and after the French Revolution. He arrived in Paris from Luxembourg when he was quite young and experimented first with a career in sales. In a 1778 newspaper he advertised insect repellent, and six years later he was selling "hand-warmers...made in the form of books, for use in church, in a carriage, at the theatre or when traveling."

Molitor did not become a master ébéniste until 1787; one of his earliest commissions was to construct a mahogany floor for Queen Marie-Antoinette’s boudoir at Fontainebleau. This led to other orders from the queen and members of the aristocracy. Although the Revolution forced him to close his workshop for a period of time, he opened it again with even greater success. With the help of a large staff, Molitor was able to produce a variety of commodes, writing and dining tables, desks, secrétaires, and cabinets, usually veneered with mahogany, satinwood, or Japanese lacquer and decorated with finely chased gilt bronze mounts. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered several pieces of furniture for his residence in Saint-Cloud from him. In 1811, Molitor became fournisseur de la Cour impériale (purveyor to the imperial court). By 1800 he purchased a house on the exclusive rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where he died in 1833 as a wealthy man.