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  Commode (chest of drawers) by Jean-Henri Riesener  
                 
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© Waddesdon Manor, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust
 

Formerly in Hamilton Palace, South Lanarkshire, now in Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton, acquired some of the very finest pieces by the famous French furniture-maker, Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806). Riesener had been appointed ébéniste du Roi in 1774 and, over the following decade, supplied furniture worth 938,000 livres to the French royal palaces.

 
                 
 

This commode or chest of drawers was made for the bedchamber at Versailles of the Comtesse de Provence, the wife of Louis XVI's eldest brother and the future Louis XVIII. It was completed in a very short time. The order was placed on 8 February 1776 and the piece was delivered on 30 March. Although the price was reduced from 8,250 to 7,750 livres, it was still the most expensive commode supplied by Riesener that year.

The 10th Duke displayed the commode in the Music Room at Hamilton Palace. It is clearly recognisable as 'A beautiful inlaid Marquetrie Pier Commode of 5 Drawers with Vase of Flowers in front and much enriched with chased metal ornaments and French marble Slab', in the list for the Music Room, in the inventory compiled in the early 1850s. The commode was bought for £2,310 at the 1882 Hamilton Palace sale and is now at Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury.

 
                 
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