ATTRIBUTED TO JEAN-FRANCOIS OEBEN, CIRCA 1765

The quality of craftsmanship and the overall form of this sécretaire indicate that it was the work of an exceptional cabinet-maker. Whilst the curvature of the legs harks back to the Louis XV period, the slender rectangular body indicates the influence of the nascent Louis XVI style. Although not stamped, it bears all the hallmarks of the celebrated ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763). Both the quality of the marquetry and the pictorial effect of the floral composition as well as the fluidity of the design, on the central panel and the side panels, are reminiscent of Oeben's oeuvre. Furthermore, the entrelac frieze of the upper section echoes friezes that can be found in particular on numerous 'Transitional' commodes stamped by him. The present lot can be compared to a stylistically very similar sécretaire stamped by Oeben, offered for sale at Sotheby's, New York, 25 April 1998, lot 338.