Louis XVI Style Commode 'Christelle', Green Patina & Gilt-Bronze

"Christelle" - French Louis XVI Style Commode, Hand-Patinated by André Debono, Green & Cream Finish, Rouge Marble Top - Three Drawers - 89x47.5x92 cm (35x18.7x36 in)

Introduction
At Maisons Rares, our mission is to source and elevate the pinnacle of French craftsmanship across all eras.
"Christelle" is a contemporary artist's creation by André Debono, whose hand-applied patina transforms a classic Louis XVI-style commode into a piece that looks as though it has stood, untouched, in a Provençal château for two centuries - a beautiful object "dans son jus." Each of André Debono's pieces carries a first name; Christelle is this one - refined, softly feminine, and full of character.

The Artist: André Debono and the Art of Patina
André Debono, in parallel to his practice as an established contemporary abstract artist, has developed a remarkable expertise in the art of decorative patina. Working on carefully chosen antique and vintage carcasses, he re-imagines each piece with a painstaking, hand-built painted finish that recreates the faded, time-softened beauty of 18th-century furniture found "in its original state." This is not an old paint surface but a deliberate, expert artistic treatment - layered, distressed, and finished entirely by hand, so that no two pieces are ever alike. What André Debono offers is not age, but the soul of age, achieved through craft.
Each work is given a first name and enters the Maisons Rares collection as a signed, one-of-a-kind creation.

This Piece: "Christelle"
For Christelle, André Debono chose a soft green ground with cream-outlined panels, hand-distressed in the Italian and Gustavian manner so that the surface reads as gently time-worn - the coveted patine à l'ancienne. The result is quiet, faded elegance: a piece that feels collected rather than bought, at home against both period and contemporary interiors.
The underlying commode is in the pure Louis XVI style - a rectilinear case on turned, tapering legs, canted front corners, and three graduated drawers - and provides André Debono with an elegant, well-proportioned foundation. The drawers are fitted with finely chased gilt-bronze wreath ring pulls and rococo cartouche escutcheons; the gilt-bronze angle mounts at the top corners are of a slightly heavier, more rococo model, their gilding worn at the high points to reveal a warm reddish underlay - the honest glow of old gilt bronze. Crowning the piece is a genuine rouge marble top, its deep oxblood ground veined with white and grey, a rich stone that lifts the whole and ties beautifully to the warm tones of the bronzes.

Condition & Authenticity
Christelle is a finished, fully functional piece in excellent decorative condition, the three drawers sliding well. Its green-and-cream painted finish is the recent, hand-applied artistic work of André Debono - a deliberate decorative patina, not an antique paint layer, and we describe it plainly as such. The rouge marble top and the gilt-bronze mounts are genuinely old and show honest age. The gentle wear in the painted surface is part of the intended artistic effect.
This piece is a signed, one-of-a-kind creation and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Maisons Rares, attributing the work to André Debono.

Design Context
Christelle is wonderfully versatile. In an entryway, dress the marble top with a large lamp, a stack of art books, and a sculptural object. In a bedroom, a single piece makes a characterful dresser, or name-matched companions from the collection can flank a bed. The muted green sits beautifully against off-white, greige, or deep plaster-toned walls, while the rouge marble picks up warm accents - terracotta, ochre, aged brass. Equally at home in a classic Provençal interior and in a pared-back contemporary scheme searching for one piece with soul.

Technical Specifications
Artist: André Debono
Piece Name: "Christelle"
Style: Louis XVI Style
Origin: France
Materials: Marquetry and solid wood carcass; genuine rouge marble top; gilt-bronze mounts
Finish: Hand-applied artistic patina by André Debono - green ground with cream panels, distressed (patine à l'ancienne)
Dimensions: Width 89 cm x Depth 47.5 cm x Height 92 cm (35x18.7x36 in)
Configuration: Three graduated drawers on tapered legs
Condition: Excellent Decorative Condition - a finished contemporary creation; marble and bronzes genuinely old, painted patina recent and by the artist
Authenticity: Signed, one-of-a-kind creation. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Maisons Rares, attributing the work to André Debono. Part of the Salons Alexandre et Maisons Rares collection.