A gilt-bronze-mounted ebony, bois citronnier and amaranth inlaid secrétaire à abattant ensuite with a pair of cartonniers by Jacob-Desmalter each with inset floral watercolour paintings signed by E. Panckoucke Restauration, circa 1825

the secrétaire with a rectangular Belgian fossilised black marble top above an egg-and -dart border, the frieze drawer centred with trophies and a three fleurs-de-lys, flanked by a gilt-bronze medal, one depicting the Homage to Asclepius and inscribed Guerin Pinx. and Barre Sculp. and the dated MDCCCXXIV (1824) and the other depicting Pax driving her chariot over Europe and signed Barre F., the fall-front applied with a watercolour painting on vellum of mixed flowers signed E. Panckoucke, within a gilt-bronze border opening to reveal a leather-lined writing surface with a frieze drawer above a mirrored recess with four short drawers above a further long drawer inlaid with stylised anthemions and berried laurel leaves in amaranth on a bois citronnier ground, with mahogany drawer linings, the brass lock signed . Jacob Desmalter à Paris flanked by pilasters with doric capitals, the lower section also mounted with a watercolour painting on vellum of mixed flowers signed E Panckoucke, within a gilt-bronze border opening to reveal three long drawers each side mounted with a ribbon-tied berried laurel branch and a thrysus on a platform base, the cartonniers each with a fossilised Belgian black marble rectangular top above a laurel leaf border interposed by stylised anthemions with the front of each inset with a watercolour painting on vellum of mixed flowers, signed E Panckoucke within a gilt-bronze border with a geometric panel above and below inset with agates, the lower section applied with four patera, opening to reveal six later tooled red leather-fronted cartonniers with gilt-bronze handles above two banks of slats in oak on a platform base

Most probably commissioned by Marie-Caroline, the duchesse de Berry (1798-1870), (see fig. 1), for one of her residences, possibly the château de Rosny sur Seine
Jacques Kugel, Paris
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Château Bellerive, Geneva

In very good conserved condition and can be placed immediately. A rare set of exceptional quality. Cartonniers: Old very minor marks, chips and water marks to the marble tops which are not too noticeable. There is a very minor triangular restoration to the rear left corner of the marble top on one of the cartonniers which has been very well executed and is hardly noticeable. The gilt-bronze mounts are of very good quality casting and chasing. The ebony is generally in very good order with only some vertical construction cracks down both sides of one cartonnier which will need attention but can easily be filled. There are also some other smaller vertical cracks to the sides of the other cartonnier but these can be left as they are not too noticeable. There are some very minor chips to the ebony veneer commensurate with age and normal usage. There are also hairline construction cracks down the front of both cartonniers generally which can easily be left consistent with age and are normal in ebony veneer. The painted panels are in generally very good order with more vibrant colours than in the catalogue with some minor craquelure. However, there is a small vertical tear in one of the painted panels on one of the cartonniers (visible on the far right pull-out in the catalogue photograph), but this is not too noticeable and can easily be touched up. The leather fittings in the cartonniers are later and one has the label Fougué, Paris. There is a slight gap at the angle where the ebony veneer meets at the top right of the cartonnier illustrated on its own, as visible from the catalogue photograph. Secrétaire: There is a vertical crack together with another very minor one down the left side when facing the piece which can easily be filled and two smaller ones on the right side which are not too noticeable and can be left . There is a minor old restoration to a very minor vertical crack towards the edge of the right side. The ebony is also slightly rippled on the front of the fall-front as visible from the catalogue photograph. There are some very minor vertical hairline cracks on the fall-front and across the frieze drawer which can be left as they are normal with age and for ebony veneer and inside it towards the rear edge and screws are visible where the mounts have been attached.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Henri Regnoul-Barre, Les Barre graveurs généraux des Monnaies créateurs des premiers timbres-poste français et grecs. Paris, 1978, p. 5.
Pierre Arizzoli-Clémental and Jean-Pierre Samoyault, Le Mobilier de Versailles chefs-d'oeuvre du XIXe siècle, Dijon, 2009, p. 91. 
Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Le Mobilier Français du XlXe Siècle, Paris, 1989, planche LXXIX.
Fabienne Seillan, Le château de Villeneuve-l'Étang, propriété privée de la duchess d'Angoulême, L'Objet d'Art, no. 414, June 2006, pp. 74-82.
Elisabeth Hardouin-Fugier, The Pupils of Redouté, Leigh-on-Sea, 1981, p. 53.
Archives nationales, 371 AP : Archives du duc et de la duchesse de Berry, fonds du château de Rosny.
371 AP / 2 : the Duchesse de Berry's accounts from 1817 to 1831.

We would like to thank Dr. Fabienne Seillan for her assistance with this footnote and in particular the Provenance of the Duchesse de Berry. 

This visually stunning and rare set of furniture comprising a secrétaire and pair of cartonniers is constructed in precious and exotic materials including ebony embellished with exquisitely cast and chased gilt-bronze mounts and panels of agates and watercolour paintings on vellum to spectacular effect. It almost certainly must have been an important and specific commission by a member of the Bourbon family in the first quarter of the 19th century and the most likely candidate would appear to be the celebrated Duchesse de Berry, due to her interest in collecting furniture made from exotic materials in the latest fashion, her love of botany and her connection with the painter Ernestine Panckoucke, whose paintings embellish these pieces and the Duchesse's well documented commissions to the firm of Jacob-Desmalter. Furthermore, the frieze drawer of the secrétaire is mounted with her coat-of-arms amongst military trophies. 

Although the exact Provenance has not been possible to substantiate with any certainty to date, as the furniture does not seem to have been under the administration of the royal Garde Meuble, which would seem to indicate that it was a private commission. Furthermore, there is very little furniture in ebony recorded under the Restauration emphasising its rarity. This is the reason why the furniture delivered by Jacob-Desmalter for the Duchesse de Berry at the château de Tuileries in 1821 is particularly noteworthy.
One must consider in this context the archives of the château de Rosny (National Archives) and its furniture, and also examine the engraved medals mounted on the secrétaire. The archives of the duchesse de Berry are incomplete, as for example, there is no record whatsoever of the purchase of works by Anne Ernestine Panckoucke, the artist (see post), whilst the catalogue of the auction of the collections of the duc and Duchesse de Berry indicate that there was a watercolour by this artist at the château de Rosny, and unfortunately there is no evidence of the delivery of this set of furniture in the remaining documents. Nevertheless, the archives contain some very interesting bills from Jacob-Desmalter. These documents, which are very detailed, provide accurate descriptions of the furniture delivered to the Duchesse de Berry not only in Rosny but also in her other residences:Bagatelle and the Tuileries.

The Jacob-Desmalter commissions for the Duchesse de Berry:
In a bill dated 10th October 1821, several pieces of furniture made of ebony are recorded and designed on the same principle as the secrétaire à abattant and the cartonniers offered here, delivered by Jacob-Desmalter to the Château des Tuileries:

- a table of Gothic style made of French ebony designed to received eleven cameos painted by Isabet [Jean-Baptiste Isabey], representing several views of the château de Rosny, which are placed on top, framed by small bronze frames and between them are fitted bronze arrows, the said frames are supported by pins adorned with laurels and ribbons, the middle frame similar and decorated with palm leaves and foliage, the edge of the said table is covered with a bronze frame decorated with several  moldings and arranged to receive the glass which covers the said table, the foot is composed of a decorated gothic dome, supported by three triple columns with their capitals and bases and abacuses, the said columns are fitted on a triangular base which is carried by three gothic chimeras carved in the round
- a table of Gothic style similar to that above to receive "fixés" [sous verre]
- a table of Gothic style to receive Thiery's rich drawing, made up of a carved frieze of rich Gothic ornaments all around, in addition Gothic arches cut in the solid wood....terminating in flowers, the whole is supported by eight columns with capitals and bases and astragals carved in the same way, the center is occupied by an octagonal column ending with leaves, the whole is fitted on an octagon which is supported by eight lions carved in the round with the greatest care
-a Chinese screen made of French ebony  divided into two panels in height, which were filled with solid mahogany panels arranged to be varnished and painted by HRH, each panel will be decorated with a bronze frame carved and gilded.
-to jardinières made of French ebony.

However, the most interesting record is a bill of supplies made by Jacob-Desmalter for the duchesse de Berry and delivered during  1824. On 30th August 1824, the cabinet maker delivered to the Château des Tuileries :

"Two large pieces of furniture altered in the Chinese style to receive lacquer painted panels by HRH,  the panels of which are framed with moldings cast bronze, carved, assembled with nuts and gilded, the uprights simulate bamboo, in the frieze there are two lockable drawers, there are ornaments inlaid in copper in the "fields" around the panels which are inlaid pewter wires, the said furniture made of mahogany, the outside dyed in ebony, sanded and varnished with the greatest care".

It is possible to identify this furniture in a description provided by the auction catalogue of the collections of the duc and Duchesse de Berry under the number 629 : "Deux armoires en ébène avec incrustations de cuivre, panneaux en laque, intérieur en acajou" [Two ebony cabinets inlaid with copper, lacquer panels, mahogany interior]. At that time they were at the Château de Rosny.

The archives of the Duchesse de Berry from the château de Rosny, unfortunately incomplete, offer multiple parallels to the present set of ebony veneered furniture comprising a secrétaire à abattant,and two cartonniers. These documents are evidence that this set is most probably part of a group of  furniture made by Jacob-Desmalter for the Duchesse de Berry and delivered during the 1820's. They belong to a homogeneous group on account of not only their technique but also their composition in precious materials.

Although the Duchesse de Berry acquired Rosny fully furnished she continued to fill it with newly acquired decorations, furniture and art. In her memories the Duchesse de Maillé states: "Rien ne peut être comparé au mobilier de Rosny: tous les étages et toutes les chambres sont également recherchés et soignés. Elle apporte en ce lieu ce qu'elle aime tout ce que le roi lui donne et tout ce qu'elle achète, de sorte que l'on peut dire que Rosny est encombré de meubles, mais il faut rendre cette justice à Madame qui le mérite, elle a fort bon goût. Tout chez elle est bien choisi. Elle a le sentiment du beau comme une Italienne".
Most of the beautiful furnishings from Rosny were dispersed after 1830, when the Duchesse had to leave France. However, at the beginning of her exile she managed to have a significant part of furniture and objects sent to Trieste, before she transferred them to her estates in Austria.
Furthermore, it is also worthwhile by means of a comparison, to consider the following pieces illustrated and recorded by Ledoux-Lebard, op. cit., planche LXXIX,a meubles à portes by A. Jacob, also with floral painted panels by E. Panckoucke,  which was in the exhibition: Marie-Louise et le Roi de Rome, Musée des Invalides, 1962: Toilette-coiffeuse à caisson en loupe executed for the Empress Marie-Louise who became the Duchesse de Parma, stamped A. Jacob-Desmalter, rue de Bondy, 30. The lockplates were stamped A.-Jacob Desmalter a Paris, reproduced here in fig. 2. The same author also op. cit., p. 366, records  the sale at Galerie Georges Petit 5th December 1930 lot no. 39: très beau bureau ministre... il ouvre a neuf rangs de tiroirs latereaux; en loupe de citronnier avec ornements de plaquettes en agate herborisée dans des encadrements de bronze...:it also had the stamp A. Jacob-Desmalter a Paris on the lockplate of the external drawers, This confirms the supply by Jacob-Desmalter to aristocratic clients of furniture applied both with painted panels and agate plaques reproduced here in fig. 3. . Also lot 40 of the same sale records : `paires de très hauts meubles-cartonniers en bois de citronnier' which were attributed to Jacob-Desmalter. 

Property from the collection of the Duchesse de Berry was sold in these Rooms, in the Noblesse Oblige sale on 14th April 2011,  and included, lot 208, a Royal gilt-bronze and miniature mounted ebony cased set of drawing instruments by Alphonse Giroux, circa 1829, with the coat-of arms of the three fleur-de lys as on the present piece. 

The framing mounts with scrolls and lotus leaf at the angles and gilt-bronze rosettes can be seen on a larger scale on a mahogany meubles en serre-papiers, one of a pair, illustrated by Arizzoli-Clémental et al op. cit., p. 91, delivered in 1810 by Jacob-Desmalter for the grand cabinet of the Emperor Napoleon at the Grand Trianon.

The medals upon the secrétaire:
Jean-Jacques Barre realised a medal on the subject of "Les Victoires et Conquêtes des Français de 1792 à 1815", which refers to Napoléon's conquests. Barre also made a medal depicting "L'offrande à Esculape". For this composition, he was inspired by a painting by Pierre Narcisse Guérin (1774-1833). "L'offrande à Esculape", now at the Louvre Museum, dated by all the modern sources to 1804. Furthermore, in the dictionary of Charles Gabet, this painting is said to have been made in 1802 and was at that time in the Palais de Trianon, in the park of Versailles. Barre may not have needed to see the original to create his medal because there were engravings by Henri Guillaume Chatillon after the painting of Guérin. No evidence permits us to connect these artists or these works specifically to members of the royal family. However, a portrait of the " Duchesse de Berry with her child " by Guérin was auctioned in Bern on 26th October 1988. 

Regnoul-Barre, op. cit., p. 5, illustrates the medal on this secrétaire depicting the Hommage to Asclepius, by J.-J. Barre (1793-1855) medallist and `Graveur général des Médailles' from 1842-1855 . He was entrusted in 1834, with the engraving of the coins of Louis Philippe. An interesting postscript is that in 1824, he produced a medal of Dr Charles Fleury Panckoucke (1781-1844) of Paris, the husband of the artist who executed the painted panels on this set of furniture.

François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (1770-1841): 
He was the favourite cabinet-maker of Napoleon and belonged to a dynasty of leading cabinet-makers and was the son of the most celebrated seat furniture maker Georges Jacob. He took over the family's workshop in 1796, together with his brother Georges and the firm became known as Jacob Frères and remained in rue Mesaly or Meslée until 1825. He would have seen his father work on superlative objects such as the chairs for Marie-Antoinette's dairy at Rambouillet. Amongst Jacob-Desmalter's first commissions, was the decoration and furnishing of the town house of General Bonaparte and his wife Josephine in the rue Chantereine and the surviving furniture illustrates the patriotic and symbolic tastes which were so characteristic of the Directoire period heralding the Empire style. His next major commission was for the Récamiers, important and influential French bankers. At about the same time the firm was commissioned to decorate and furnish Malamaison, by Percier and Fontaine, which was the country retreat of Josephine. The firm also provided furniture for Bonaparte's apartments at the Tuileries and also exhibited at the second and third Expositions des Produits de l'lndustrie Française held in 1801 and 1802 in the courtyard of the Louvre and Jacob-Desmalter received a Gold Medal at the 1802 exhibition. 

Georges, his brother died in 1803 and then the firm continued for nine years under the directorship of his father and after that Jacob-Desmalter used his own personal stamp "JACOB.D. / R. MESLEE" applied from 1803 to 1813. It was during the Empire period that his reputation was established and his talent fully recognised, as it is recorded that in 1807, the firm employed 350 workmen. In 1809, he executed the malachite furniture at the Grand Trianon comprising two meubles d'appui, two candelabras and a vase supported by three large chimeras with the head of Hercules and a lion pelt. The latter after a design by Percier and Fontaine was modelled by Cartelier, had already been employed by Jacob-Desmalter for the throne of Napoleon at Fontainebleau. Jacob was known to work with the outstanding bronziers of the day such as Thomire and Delafontaine. His work according to Serge Grandjean, 'is esteemed not only on account of its stylistic homogeneity but because of its consistent high quality'.

Anne-Ernestine Panckoucke (1784-1860):
The Duchesse de Berry was well known for her interest in botany and in particular in the painting of flowers. She was herself a pupil of the painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté as well as Anne-Ernestine Panckoucke. Also according to Hardouin-Fugier op. cit, a watercolour by the artist was in the duc de Berry's collection. 

Panckoucke was born in Paris on 10th June 1784 and died in 1860. According to family tradition, as a small girl she (née Désormeaux) together with her parents fled the French Revolution and emigrated to Germany. Her husband whom she married prior to 1814, Louis-Fleury Panckoucke, was a writer, politican and publisher and they had many influential friends in artistic and intellectual circles. Ernestine studied under Prudhon when the latter was working for Empress Joséphine, his patroness at Malmaison. There Ernestine must have met Redouté, though at that time, she was still  known as `élève distinguée du célèbre Van Spaendonk'. Both she and her husband became neighbours of both Redouté and the  Pastorets at Fleury. On her master's advice, Ernestine Panckoucke painted in around 1827, garlands of flowers in a first floor room of her Fleury house. In 1830 she went to Edinburgh with her husband, when he was elected as a member of the local Society of Antiquaries. With Turpin as co-designer she contributed to his Flore usuelle in 1831. One watercolour by her was in the duc de Berry's collection. From the design of a table top in the Musée de Tours, it seems that neutral or dark backgrounds were typical of her 1840's production. According to Hardouin-Fugier, op. cit., `Unlike other pupils of Redouté, whose works remain nearly untraceable, those of Ernestine Panckoucke (one in the Broughton Collection, the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), be they skilfull botanical drawings or opulent highly decorative, impressively painted later works are numerous enough to place (her)...in a class of her own, as one of Redouté's most gifted pupils'. 

The Duchesse de Berry:
On 5 November 1798, Maria-Carolina, Princess of Naples and Sicily, was born in the royal palace of Caserta. She was the daughter of Francis I, King of the Two Sicilies and his wife Maria Clementina, Archduchess of Austria. Her grandmother was Queen Carolina of Naples, herself a daughter of the celebrated Austrian Empress Maria-Theresa. In 1816, aged eighteen, this young, blonde, light-hearted and energetic princess was married to Charles Ferdinand, Duc de Berry, heir apparent to the French throne, thus becoming Marie-Caroline, Duchesse de Berry.  The entire future of the Bourbon dynasty now lay on the shoulders of the young couple and yet despite this responsibility the two soon fell deeply in love with each other. Thanks to her natural joie de vivre, kindness and good humour, the Duchesse invigorated the tired dynasty and enlivened the strict etiquette of the royal court at the Tuileries.
In 1818, the Duke and the Duchess acquired the château de Rosny which became their favourite residence. Until the abdication of Charles X, Rosny would remain the place where the Duchesse de Berry felt happiest. A daughter, Louise, was born to the couple in 1819. Then tragedy struck four years after their marriage, the Duke was murdered in front of his wife on a frosty evening in February 1820. It appeared that with his death the old line of the Bourbon dynasty had come to an end but fate had a further twist when, seven months after the death of his father, the desperately desired heir to the throne of France, Henri, Comte de Chambord, Duc de Bordeaux, was born in September 1820. This birth was seen as a miracle, not least because the little prince was born on 29 September, the feast of St Michael, the patron saint of France. The entire population of France instantly fell in love with the child and his mother.
From then on the Duchesse de Berry became the undisputed social centre of the royal court, the most fashionable and most portrayed princess of her time. Thanks to the new art form of lithography her image quickly became known throughout Europe. She shortened her skirts, showed her ankles, dressed in menswear for horse riding and arranged fancy dress balls in the Tuileries. Bored by the Empire style the duchess adopted the neo-Gothic, adored the Renaissance and redesigned the castle and park of her beloved Rosny. Her influence on the fashion of Romanticism was paramount in every sphere, from theatre and the romantic operas of Rossini to the contemporary painters and draughtsmen whose works she acquired to expand the famous art collection of her husband, not forgetting miniaturists, cabinetmakers, ivory carvers and porcelain manufactories among many others. Famous poets and composers dedicated works to the duchess and the French statesman François René de Chateaubriand recounted her life story in his Memoirs from beyond the grave, which was to become one of the most widely-read books of the 19th century, published in 14 languages. In 1824, Louis XVIII died and his brother Charles X succeeded him to the throne. The revolution of 1830 overthrew the dynasty of the older line of the young Duc de Bordeaux.
Based on a democratic majority, Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, from the younger line of the Bourbons, became new King of the French. The principle of legitimacy had come to an end. The Restauration was over and the Tricouleur again the banner of France. The Duchesse de Berry now accompanied the royal family into exile to Scotland although not without having arranged for a significant amount of furnishings, art and personal belongings to be shipped to the safe haven of Trieste beforehand.
Determined to regain the crown for her son, she conspired against Louis Philippe and landed in April 1832 in Marseille naïvely hoping the French troops would follow her appeal to overthrow the King. As soon as Louis Philippe recognized the threat, he mobilized the military all over France in order to track her down. Despite this Marie-Caroline managed in six adventurous weeks to escape from Marseille to Nantes on horseback, in men¹s clothing, armed with pistols, and accompanied only by a small band of supporters. She and her companions waded through bogs, swam across rivers and slept in haystacks. In Nantes, centre of the  Vendée region, she found refuge from June to November. Finally after having been denounced, she was captured and imprisoned in the fortress of Blaye near Bordeaux. Then yet another twist of fate, so typical of the Duchesse de Berry¹s life, took place. Apparently she had secretly married Count Ettore Lucchesi Palli, son of the Prince of Campofranco and governor of Sicily, in 1831 and in February 1833 she announced that she was pregnant. In May 1833, a daughter named Anna Rosalia was born. At this point Louis Philippe released her from imprisonment since as the wife of an Italian count she was no longer a political threat. After a short stay in Palermo, she reached Austria where Emperor Francis I granted her exile in October 1833.
In the following years four more children were born to the Duchess and her husband. In 1837, she acquired castles and estates in Styria and in 1844 the Palazzo Vendramin on the Grand Canal in Venice, then part of the Austro/Hungarian Empire. Marie-Caroline, died aged 82 on 16 April 1870 at Brunnsee, her castle in Austria.

Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan(1933-2003) was born in Paris the son of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan and Princess Andrée Aga Khan. He served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1966 to 1978. His interest in ecological issues led him to establish the Bellerive Foundation in the late 1970's, and he was a knowledgeable and respected collector of Islamic art. During his lifetime Prince Sadruddin assembled one of the finest private collections of Islamic art in the world. He became a knowledgeable and respected collector, accumulating a priceless collection of paintings, drawings, manuscripts and miniatures.