S otheby's is proud to present a selection of impressive objects from an important Parisian private collection, offering exceptional pieces of decorative art as well as old master works of art.
This collection, assembled over the 1970s and 1980s by a couple of erudite aesthetes, asserts a magnificent, tastefully coordinated array of 18th-century furniture and classic paintings. Mixing all the styles and materials with taste, they created a unique atmosphere in the heart of Paris. Gilt bronze is represented with decorative Louis XV firedogs “aux chiens” and “au cheval” but also with an impressive Louis XIV style chandelier. They enjoyed colorful furniture with this Louis XVI green lacquered commode stamped by Topino, the pair of exquisite Louis XV bowls and covers or the German Boulle marquetry cabinet decorated in brown and silvered tones.
A beautiful Boulle chest-of-drawers in tortoiseshell, brass, and mother-of-pearl marquetry, featuring the allegory of time surrounded by foliated patterns and foliage, is one of a particularly refined assortment of Bérain-style dressers. This is a perfect example of the new furniture designed under the reign of Louis XIV, at a time when the royal court was becoming sedentary, and commodes were first appearing.
Displaying the finest decorative motifs of André-Charles Boulle’s creations known for the marquetry he developed at Versailles but also for the decorative motifs he used and that became the Louis XIV fashion signature, this commode further embodies the desire to establish Versailles as the capital of the arts. The collectors appreciation for Boulle works is obvious, as they also acquired a Boulle marquetry mirror, and an impressive gilt-bronze chandelier after a model by Boulle with its typical female terms.
Sculpture is also represented through a set of four allegories of moments of the day in the circle of Jan Pieter II van Baurscheit, made in terra cotta and placed close to a pair of giltwood guéridons porte torchères after a drawing by Daniel Marot. These pedestals represent female figures and are a clin d’oeil to Versailles decoration in the Hall of Mirrors.
Among the exceptional furniture, one table with an opening mechanism may be attributed to the cabinet-maker Latz, both for the quality of its marquetry delicately representing flowers and geometrical design, and for its ingenious system of unfurling tablets and drawers.
With hidden push buttons, this table opens on the top, only discovering secret drawers with new secret push buttons. The collectors had a keen eye for armchairs, demonstrated by the pair of bergères bearing the stamp of the Château de Chanteloup – the residence of the Duke of Choiseul, the favorite minister of Louis XV.
This collection includes a very beautiful pair of atypically decorated fireside chairs by Claude Sené, a pair of wood-framed settees by Sulpice Brizard, and a small, most exquisitely decorated sofa bearing the stamp of Georges Jacob.
Art objects complete the array, including a remarkable pair of gilded bronze copper lanterns – probably of Italian origin – which illuminate the collection’s gilt-bronze chandeliers,wall-lights and firedogs. A Louis XIV travelling clock with Boulle marquetry will be offered and matches perfectly with delicate 18th silver pieces such as a Bordeaux teapot and a pair of Amsterdam wall-lights. Some old master paintings were also displayed on the walls with a real preference for Flemish landscapes and still lives, fitting perfectly well with the furniture and the works of art.
The sale Oeuvres Choisies / Une Collection Parisienne truly features the creations of some of the greatest wood makers and gilders of Versailles, which are now part of the major public and private collections around the world.
