This armoire from the final quarter of the 18th century, circa 1780, is emblematic of fine furniture made in Provence, the South of France, specifically the city of Nîmes (where the fabric denim gets its name - denim or “de Nimes” - a durable fabric died blue with indigo grown in the region).

More exceptionally, this piece is a trace of a specific Southern French maker, one of the most singular and talented of the period; master furniture maker Pierre Pillot (1748-1822). Pillot comes to mind whenever one encounters an armoire Nîmoise such as this but which presents a high overall quality of execution and a real dexterity in the carvings. Pillot first studied in Paris under Matthieu de Beauve, and so when Pillot moves from Paris to Nîmes in 1776 he brings the excellence of Parisian woodworking to his Southern French workshop. Pillot luckily left more specific criteria we use today in attributing works to his hand, namely his very memorable and pronounced use of neoclassical design and decor elements (the prominent greek frieze underneath the top cornice of this piece, and the unusual squared and tapered feet which end in squared and tapered hooves).

Pierre Pillot’s Parisian mentor was also one of the first master furniture makers to pioneer the use of neoclassicism, and thus Pillot deploys this Parisian trend in Provence where most masters are working exclusively in the curvilinear “style fleuri.” This piece does exhibit much of this anti-classical rococo one expects on furniture from this time and region. The usual attributes of an armoire provençale are present here; a policeman’s hat cornice, doors divided into three molded panels, a bottom entablature sculptured in high relief.

What’s remarkable here about Pillot, is that he didn’t just superficially decorate a fundamentally rococo, curvilinear piece with some neoclassical sculpture. He actually conceived an armoire here which integrates these two opposite styles into its very design. So we have a purely transitional piece which is equal parts of two different styles, one part organic, rococo movement, and another; rectilinear neoclassical order.

The side posts are angled to catch the light, and this is continued up into the top cornice and town into the squared neoclassical feet. Furthermore, the hinges further this angularity by being octagonal and not rounded. We notice how the outer moldings of the doors contain subtle notches, right angles discreetly occurring around otherwise totally curvilinear panels and moldings within.

The monogram at the top of the piece, “JC” represents the initials of a couple for whom this was commissioned as a wedding gift. We notice how this emblem is shrouded in neoclassical laurels or olive branches, and coiffed with a typical Louis XVI period ribbon motif. Inversely, the lower traverse presents another wedding emblem, an openwork carved basket of flowers which is shrouded there rather by stylized rococo motifs.

Inside the piece, the left door has retained its original heart-shaped handle, and the right door still presents this piece’s original and ornate looking mechanism (an unusual one which is in line with the overall quality of this armoire). The original shelving, although slightly warped with age, has been retained, along with the row of drawers inside the piece. The drawer frames are joined by single dovetails fixed by one hand forged nail, as was the practice in the 18th century. The drawer wood is also simple pine which is another hallmark of pre-industrial period pieces which feature less visible or purely functional parts in less noble wood with often rudimentary joinery. The sides of the piece are exceptionally held together by late 18th century original screws and metal plates (a rare and high quality joinery technique as opposed to the usual wooden dowels).

Pierre Pillot, or the “Master of Nîmes,” is remembered today as the most important 18th century furniture maker in the South of France. Some of his work is conserved in the Nimes municipal museum and in the celebrated Musée Fabre in Montpellier.

Height: 108 in. Depth: 27 in. (30.5 at crown) Width: 59 in. (68.5)

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