A fine and rare Louis XIV ormolu-mounted pewter, brass, tortoiseshell and ebony Boulle marquetry coffer (coffre en tombeau) Circa 1685-1690 Attributed to André-Charles Boulle after designs by Jean Bérain and A.C. Boulle

the sarcophagus-shaped casket with a stepped rectangular hinged lid fitted at each corner with an ormolu lion’s mask continuing to a tapered strap cast with pendant bellflowers terminating in paw feet, the sides with ormolu handles, the slightly flared rectangular base raised on paw feet; the whole veneered with panels of première partie and contre partie Boulle marquetry in brass and tortoiseshell forming arabesques, rinceaux, flowerheads and stylized lambrequin, the interior veneered in contre partie in pewter and tortoiseshell to match the exterior.

Collection of Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, 14 rue du Centre, Neuilly-sur-Seine, sold, Sotheby’s, Monaco, June 23, 1976, lot 20

Collection of Roberto Polo, sold, Ader Tajan, Paris, November 7, 1991, lot 141

Palais du Louvre, Pavillon de Marsan, organized through the auspices of the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, Louis XIV, Faste et Décors’, 1960, no. 179, illustrated in the catalogue, pl. LII

Il Mobile nei Secoli, 1969, p. 45, fig. 62.

H.D. Molesworth and John Kenworthy-Browne, Three Centuries of Furniture, 1969, p. 72.

A. Pradère, Les ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 104, no. 134.

Philippe Julian, 14 rue du Centre, Neuilly-sur-Seine, privately printed catalogue of the collection of Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, Monaco, 1961, illustrated on the chimneypiece of his bedroom.

G. Wannenes, Les Bronzes ornementaux et objets montés, Milan, 2004, p. 71.

By far the most important of all early 18^th century cabinet-makers, Andre-Charles Boulle’s influence has endured since his death in 1732.  His furniture rarely went out of style during the 18^th century which indeed ended with a major revival of Boulle-style furniture.  His was one of the very few names considered important enough to be noted in 18^th century sales catalogues.  Boulle’s workshop produced a stunning variety of pieces, from clock-cases to pedestals to monumental armoires; he is one of the craftsmen most responsible for the development of the commode and of the bureau plat and in all cases, his work surpassed mere utility.  For this reason it was sought after by 18^th century connoisseurs who prized it as much as they did the paintings hung above it and the precious objects placed upon it.

Colbert, principal minister to Louis XIV recommended Boulle to the king, referring to him as le plus habile de Paris dans son métier; in 1672 Boulle was appointed Ebéniste, Ciseleur, Doreur et Sculpteur du Roi and granted workshops in the Louvre.  Initially granted three mezzanine floors below the Grande Galerie, this space was enlarged in 1679.  Sometime before 1685 he was given a second set of rooms on the present site of the Victory of Samothrace; finally he expanded still further buying an outhouse which abutted onto his lodgings and around which he built a number of temporary buildings.  An establishment of this size is an excellent indication of the success of his enterprise.

It was during the period of this final expansion that Boulle was undertaking the production of his celebrated coffers on stands, including one which was made for the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV, in 1684.  Slightly larger, at 122 cm. high (with its stand), 45 cm. wide and 35 cm. deep, it was noted in the Comtes des Batiments du Roi on January 9, 1684: ”A Boulle ébéniste, pour un coffre de marquetterie pour Monseigneur …700 Livres”. This coffer may be one of the two conserved in the J. Paul Getty Museum. 

It was also during this period that Boulle was undertaking the decoration of the Grand Dauphin’s apartments at Versailles which included spectacular inlaid floors and boiseries.  In spite of his privileged location and reputation, Boulle provided few pieces to the Crown and his principal clientele included important financiers, ministers, foreign dignitaries and the rulers of Europe; he also supplied furniture to the duc de Bourgogne, to the Regent and to the duc d’Orléans.

THE COFFERS OF ANDRÉ-CHARLES BOULLE

Known in the early 18^th century as “coffres de toilette”, these innovative pieces were highly prized and sought after.  In August 1671 the duc de Crequi offered Louis XIV two "petits cabinets d'ecaille de tortue en forme de sepulcre, avec quelques ornemens de filigraine d'argent".  The duc had purchased these coffers during a recent visit to Flanders.  This demonstrates that this model of coffer, albeit made in Flanders, already existed by 1671.

The coffer cited above, delivered for the Grand Dauphin in 1684 is the earliest Boulle model recorded.  The declaration somptuaire recorded in Boulle’s workshop on April 7, 1700 lists deux petits coffres avec leurs pieds.  The Acte de Delaissement executed when Boulle handed over his workshop to his sons in 1715 cites: douze pieds de coffres ayant des guesnes ou de cabinets on bois blanc de sapin 600 Louis.  A third inventory taken in 1720 after a disastrous fire destroyed Boulle’s workshops noted the loss of douze coffres, avec leur pieds du différentes grandeurs et formes.

These coffers derive from drawings; one of which suggesting the overall shape, is published in Mariette’s folio Nouveaux Deisseins de Meubles et Ouvrages de Bronze et Marqueterie Inventés et Gravés  par André-Charles Boulle, in 1707.  The second drawing by Bérain again suggests the shape and incorporates a similar strap with lion’s mask and paw feet.  The former drawing is referred to as a coffre de toilette.  They were sometimes also  referred to as a coffre de nuit.  They do not, however, appear to have ever been referred to as “marriage coffers”.  This is probably a 19^th century invention, possibly coined by Havard who was under the impression that the coffer made for the  Grand Dauphin had been ordered by Louis XIV as a wedding present for his son.  The dates involved, however, do not seem to support this theory.

Boulle’s coffers were made in a variety of sizes and styles. Two now in the J. Paul Getty Museum (illustrated, G. Wilson and C. Hess, Summary Catalogue of European Decorative Arts in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2001, p. 3, no. 4) present a larger version of the present lot.  Executed “en tombeau” they have slightly domed stepped lids, above a flared cornice and boldly curved sides above a slightly flared rectangular base; they are 26 inches in height (66cm) and 35¼ inches wide (89.5cm).  The sarcophagus shape of the present lot and the Getty coffers is by far the rarest form, the only other example currently recorded is in the collection of the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim.