Rare New Orleans Plum Pudding Mahogany Armoire by Dutreuil Barjon Jr.

Rare New Orleans Plum Pudding Mahogany Armoire mid-19th c., attributed to Dutreuil Barjon Jr., New Orleans, two paper labels affixed to cornice, one paper label verso of base, ogee and beaded cornice, bead molded case, ripple molded panel doors, ogee plinth, bracket feet, en suite with previous Barjon, Jr. armoire. Note: The furniture of Dutreuil Barjon, Sr., is described by W. A. Feuillan, Jr., as "made of mahogany, which came from St. Domingue, and of wild cherry, a native Louisiana wood, ... well-proportioned and substantially made. His designs were simple, in good taste..." Among the notable free Black cabinetmakers working in nineteenth-century New Orleans, Dutreuil Barjon, Sr., established a distinguished furniture-making enterprise that would continue through the next generation. His workshop was located on St. Ann Street by circa 1820 and, by 1823, at 245 Royal Street. His son, Dutreuil Barjon, Jr., trained under his father and succeeded him in the family business in 1856, following the elder Barjon's retirement to Paris, France. Furniture produced by the Barjon workshop is preserved in important institutional collections, including the Louisiana State Museum, The Historic New Orleans Collection, and the Hermann-Grima House, New Orleans. The family's work has also been featured in exhibitions examining the artistic achievements and enduring contributions of Black artisans to American decorative arts. The Barjon family's legacy represents an important chapter in the history of New Orleans cabinetmaking, reflecting the craftsmanship, entrepreneurial achievement, and artistic contributions of free people of color in the antebellum South. References: Stephen Harrison, "The Nineteenth-Century Furniture Trade in New Orleans," The Magazine Antiques, May 1997, pp. 748–759. Margo Moscou, "New Orleans' Freemen of Color: A Forgotten Generation of Cabinetmakers Rediscovered," The Magazine Antiques, May 2007, pp. 540–544. Sharon Patton, "Antebellum Louisiana Artisans: The Black Furniture Makers," International Review of African American Art, 1995, p. 19. 100 x 73 x 27 in. (254 x 185.4 x 68.6 cm.)

Estimate:£2,237.11

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