The furniture of Mathieu BEFORT - Napoleon III period

MATHIEU BEFORT, known as “BEFORT JEUNE”…

The cabinetmaker of exceptional furniture…

Born in Paris on 15 February 1813, Mathieu BEFORT, grandson of an already well-known family of cabinetmakers, would produce, throughout his life, exceptional furniture for exceptional clients. His pieces are highly characteristic and little copied; they are pieces of state furniture directly inspired by the productions of André Charles Boulle.

This highly characteristic furniture uses codes that we have described below. Most of his pieces take up all or some of these codes, giving each of his creations a rare quality. This cabinetmaker and marquetry specialist, specialized like his father in the making of Boulle furniture with complex marquetry and bronzes, has seen his works gain more and more value over the decades. He worked little with red tortoiseshell, preferring brown tortoiseshell, whose “honey” colour better suits the harmony of his furniture, together with inlays combining brass and pewter, with much work in contre-partie (predominantly metal).

His bronzes are often his own creations, or reworkings from prestigious bronziers such as Thomire, which makes his furniture unique. Some of his works can be seen in famous places, such as the Élysée Palace, in the President’s office, where a pair of two-door cabinets by Mathieu BEFORT is present, in the corridors of the Louvre, in a few prestigious châteaux, and in certain museums, such as the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.

Some of his creations occasionally resurface at auction houses, and it is easy to see the prices this cabinetmaker can command…

Mathieu Befort’s stamps differ over time: the earliest pieces are signed “Befort Jeune”, then a little later “BJ”, notably when the piece left the workshops but not necessarily from the hand of the master himself, and then “Befort” as well. There may be a number when the pieces form part of a pair (“Befort 1”), as with Pretot.

Finally, some of Mathieu Béfort’s pieces are neither signed nor stamped, but can be recognized by the codes explained above.

A simple one-door side cabinet is valued at between €4,000 and €6,000; a richer, stamped piece regularly changes hands at between €8,000 and €12,000; two-door examples between €12,000 and €18,000; and certain other exceptional pieces can comfortably pass the €30,000 to €50,000 mark.

Here, explained, are the elements by which Mathieu BEFORT’s furniture can be recognized.

Here are some of his works, most of them sold by our gallery, together with a few other examples. We try always to have one or more pieces by this cabinetmaker to offer our clientele.