A Louis XVI gilt-bronze-mounted mahogany serviteur muet, circa 1780, stamped by Canabas

Maigret, 5 June 2013, lot 234.

Joseph Gengenbach (1712–1797), who was received as maître in 1766 and went by the name Canabas, was one of the proponents of an understated, sleek style that gained in popularity during the Louis XVI period and was primarily inspired by English furniture and decoration. This sober style, which often eschewed both gilt-bronze mounts and rich marquetry veneers, radiated from key Anglophile tastemakers like the Marquis de Marigny (brother of Madame de Pompadour) to more general influence across courtly and aristocratic circles. The name for this type of tiered stand, a serviteur muet, is a calque from the English term 'dumb waiter', which was in use as early as the 1720s (P. Macquoid and R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, rev. ed., Woodbridge, 1983, p.227). These stands, when placed in the corner of a dining room, allowed for eating and drinking to continue after servants had been dismissed, creating a more intimate atmosphere for continued conviviality. Similar serviteurs muets attributed to or stamped by Canabas have appeared at auction at Christie's New York, 18 May 2006, lot 738; Artcurial, 8 March 2004, lot 293; Tajan, 12 June 2003, lot 107; Sotheby's Monaco, 15 June 1996, lot 64 and Christie's New York, 26 April 1994, lot 273. A stamped example, also featuring marble tiers like the present lot, sold at Sotheby's London, 3 March 2006, lot 359.