A gilt-bronze mounted mahogany and giltwood bergère, by Jacob Desmalter circa 1810

with padded back and cushioned seat, the arm supports in the form of winged sphinx heads above square tapering legs on paw feet, stamped JACOB D.R.MESLEE, with label to backrail 'Marechal Ney / Petit Salon'

Marechal Ney, Duc d'Elchingen, Prince de la Moskowa (1769-1815), Hotel de Saisseval, Petit salon (salon bleu), rue de Lille, Paris;
Possibly with Marechal François Certain-Canrobert (1809-1895);
 John Waller Hills MP (1867-1938), High Head Castle, Cumbria;
By family descent to the present owners, on loan to the Bowes Museum, Bernard Castle (inv.: L1/57) 1970's to 2015.

Rina Nakazawa-Piras, L'Ameublement du Marechal Ney sous le Premier Empire - Hotel de Saisseval, sa residence parisienne. Master's dissertation, Universite de Paris IV - Sorbonne, U.F.R. d'Histoire de l'Art, 2006, p.188-190.

Sarah Medlam, The Bettine, Lady Abingdon Collection; the bequest of Mrs. T.R.P. Hole, A Handbook. Victoria & Albert Museum, 1996, p.48-49.

In country house condition, one patera missing from arm support, the upholstery distressed and with tears needing replacing, there are repairs to back leg and to top back rail, small losses to carvings, marks and scratches consistent with age and use.
"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."

This bergère is part of a commission of Empire furniture ordered by one of Napoleon closest generals, Marechal Ney, from the firm of Jacob Desmalter. It is listed in the Marechal Ney’s inventory done after his execution in 1815 as being part of a suite of furniture comprising two large bergères, two smaller bergères two other bergères, two fauteuils, four chairs, two tabourets en X and one tabouret en pied.  The suite was in the Petit Salon (also known as Salon Bleu) in the Hotel de Saisseval and it was still there when Ney’s widow rented the hotel to the Conde de Peralada, the Spanish Ambassador, the following year, as listed in the rental agreement and again in a inventory in 1820. The suite probably left the Hotel de Saisseval when this was sold in 1820, and it is thought that the present lot was acquired by Marechal Canrobert, a hero of the Second Empire. Part of the suite was purchased by Lord Stuart de Rothesay (1779-1845), British ambassador in Paris, and later entered the Victoria and Albert Museum collections, when the collection of Bettine, Lady Abingdon (1896-1978), his relative, was bequeathed to the museum.

The present lot was acquired by Jack Hills MP (1867-1938) and the chair was at one of his residences, High Head Castle in Cumbria, where it can be seen in one room photograph, shot by Country Life in 1921.