Rare French piece on view

This superb piece of furniture, which dates back to the early 1700s, has reassumed pride of place in the dining room at Bowhill House following its recent restoration.

Examples of Boulle’s work can be seen at the V&A, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the JP Getty Museum in LA.

However, only two other known pieces by the maker of this form of chest furniture are known in the world, one at the Louvre, the other in the Royal Collections at Windsor Castle.

Helen Currie, house manager at Bowhill, said: “The Boulle commode was sent to Yannick Chastang’s studio in Kent, the world-respected authority on the conservation of Boulle, where the brass inlay, ebony and tortoiseshell embellishments were removed, cleaned and repaired, and a poor 19th century replacement gilt-bronze mount was recast to a quality similar to that of the original.

“It looks fantastic and can be seen as part of the Bowhill House tour, where visitors can hear more about its past.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to see a beautiful, important and rare example of Boulle’s work right here in the Borders.”

The commode sits alongside exciting pieces from the Buccleuch art collection including paintings by Thomas Gainsborough and Antonio Canaletto.

For opening hours and more information on Bowhill, visit www.bowhillhouse.co.uk