Lot 810 D‡α

Nicholas Sageot was made a master in 1706 and alongside André Charles Boulle is considered one of the most important ebenists of his era. He married Marie-Brigitte, daughter of the cabinetmaker Jaques Roussel, in 1711. However, he closed his workshop and sold his inventory in 1720. He became mentally ill and entered an institution in 1723 where he remained until his death in 1731.
Sageot was specialised in finest quality office furniture, and several bookcases are attributed to his hand. In contrast to André-Charles Boulle, Sageot usually used red tortoiseshell in his works instead of brown. De Salverte mentions a punched stamp with "SAGEOT" and a "JME" monogram. Although the origin of the round stamp is unknown, works bearing it are doubtlessly attributable to Sageot.
Important works by Sageot can be found in the Museé National de Château Versailles, the Musée du Petit Palais, the king's palace in Stockholm, the Bavarian National Museum in Munich, the Ansbach Residence, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Wallace Collection, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The bureau mazarin was the first multi-functional desk in the history of furniture. It was developed around the mid-17th century, during the reign of Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino, Cardinal Mazarin (1602 - 61), as minister of France. Mazarin took over the position following the death of Richelieu in 1642. He was a great collector of books, manuscripts, and incunabula, and his extensive private library was opened to become the first public library in Paris upon his death in 1691. It is highly probable that this type of desk was produced for his studies and offices, and may even have been used in his library.