Lot 55
  • 55

A FRENCH RÉGENCE BRASS AND TORTOISESHELL MARQUETRY CARTEL CLOCK, ATTRIBUTED TO BVRB IST, CIRCA 1720 |

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 EUR
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Description

  • Haut. 105 cm, larg. 60 cm ; height 41 1/3  in., width 23 1/3  in.
decorated with jasper columns, the dial and the movement signed Estienne le Noir A Paris

Condition

The photograph is quite accurate.The marble column on the right is split, with some loose. The marquetry in good overall condition, except a few expected cracks to the tortoiseshell. The gilding was refreshed. The movement looks complete but was slightly modified. With a pendulum, no winder.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. 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. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.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."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

Catalogue Note

The composition of the marquetry and the gilt-bronze ornaments are likely to come from a Parisian workshop circa 1710-1720, and probably that of BVRB I, who would have realized several pieces of furniture for the Elector of Bavaria in the early 18th century. The marquetry is full of downstrokes and more fanciful than the one that can be found on panels by André-Charles Boulle; it includes recurring patterns like birds, insects, various animals, while using the traditional repertory with arabesques and grotesques popularised by Jean Bérain. Some caskets attributed to BVRB I were realised with mother-of-pearl and tinted horn, materials that can also be found on panels of some pieces of furniture as the bureau from the Getty Museum (87 DA 77) or the commode from the Galerie Maurice Segoura in 1986 (reproduced in J-D. Augarde, op.cit. p. 66).

Bernard I Van Risen Burgh (c.1660-1738)

He was born in Groningen, Holland, around 1660, and moved to Paris in 1694. He married Jacqueline Martel in 1696 and they had five children, including Bernard II, the celebrated BVRB II, and Jean-Laurent, a marchand-mercier in Lisbon. He qualified as Maître in 1722 and specialized in making Boulle marquetry clocks. His skill was recognized by his peers, who elected him one of the four jury members for the Maîtrise examination from 1728-30. He worked on Rue du Faubourg-St-Antoine and must have enjoyed an excellent reputation, attracting such prestigious clients as the Duchesse de Retz and the Prince-Elector Maximilian of Bavaria, for whom he worked for over twenty years. His furniture output has, until recently, remained little known, and was divided between the Louis XIV and Régence styles.

His estate inventory, drawn up on 7 January 1738, suggests his workshop was a prosperous concern: it included stock of 600 livres and silverware valued at 1,433 Iivres. His workshop is described as comprising seven work-benches, a sizable number for the time. The inventory lists mainly clock cases, some in Boulle marquetry. Most were unfinished, suggesting he sold them on to colleagues, who then completed the veneer, marquetry or varnishing. The inventory also refers to the carcase 'of a large, six-foot bureau' with brass moulding and doe-hoof sabots. Like other leading cabinet-makers of the time, he had his own moulds for some of his bronzes, described as follows in his estate inventory: 'twenty large figures both of infants and others, together weighing 64Iivres ... 35 livres of un chased casts ... eight bronze terms with palms.'

The inventory also names the bronzier who supplied him: Sr Blondel, owed the sum of 580 livres for 'cast merchandise supplied to the late gentleman, who had told him they were to be sent to his son in Lisbon' - either Jean-Laurent, the marchand-mercier who sold his father's works in Portugal; or BVRB II, who worked in Lisbon (mainly for the King of Portugal) from 1730-38.

The inventory reveals that, at the end of his life, BVRB I was producing almost nothing but clock cases, and that he continued using the same marquetry technique into the early years of Louis XV's reign. We also see that his workshop still had the wherewithal to produce sizable pieces of furniture. 

BVRB I worked for several dealers, including Edmé Gallery (1658-1758), François Darnault's predecessor at the sign of the Roy d'Espagne on Rue de la Monnaie, who supplied the equestrian figure by Guillielmus de Grof (with its monumental stand) to Max-Emmanuel of Bavaria in February 1715 for the considerable sum of 10,000 livres. Bernard I Van Risen Burgh's estate inventory shows that he was working with Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus before 1727 (Gaudreaus took him to court and lost), and that his clients included the dealer Thomas-Joachim Hebert.

All Van Risen Burgh's stock was sold at auction and some items, notably the mantel clocks (as per the Deer clock in the Wallace Collection), were bought and re-used by Jean-Pierre Latz.

La composition de la marqueterie et ses ornementations de bronze doré se rattachent vraisembablement à un atelier parisien vers 1710-1720, en l'occurrence celui de BVRB Ier, qui aurait réalisé plusieurs livraisons de meubles pour l'Electeur de Bavière au début du XVIIIe siècle.

La marqueterie est plus libre et déliée que celle rencontrée sur des panneaux d'André-Charles Boulle et intègre des motifs récurrents comme des oiseaux, insectes, animaux divers, tout en utilisant le répertoire traditionnel des arabesques et grotesques popularisé par Jean Bérain. Certains motifs des coffrets attribués à cet ébéniste ont été réalisés avec de la nacre, de la corne teintée, matériaux que l'on retrouve parfois sur les panneaux de ses meubles comme sur le bureau du musée Getty (87 DA 77) ou la commode de la galerie Maurice Segoura en 1986 (reproduite dans J-D. Augarde, op.cit. p. 66).

Bernard Ier Van Risen Burgh (v. 1660-1738)

Né à Criningue en Hollande vers 1660, il s’installa à Paris en 1694 et épousa Jacqueline Martel en 1696. Il eut cinq enfants dont Bernard II, le célèbre BVRB II, et Jean-Laurent, marchand-mercier à Lisbonne. Spécialisé dans la production de cartels, pendules, et régulateurs en marqueterie Boulle, il accéda à la maîtrise en 1722. Il fut reconnu par ses pairs qui en firent l’un de leurs quatre jurés pour l’examen à la maîtrise de 1728 à 1730. Installé rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, sa réputation devait être excellente comme l’attestent le prestige de certains de ses clients : la duchesse de Retz et le prince Electeur Maximilien de Bavière pour qui il travailla pendant une vingtaine d’années. Sa production est restée méconnue, voire ignorée jusqu’à peu. Sa production se divise entre des meubles de style Louis XIV et de style Régence. Son inventaire après-décès établi le 7 janvier 1738 nous indique que son atelier était prospère : un stock de 600 L d’argent comptant et une argenterie estimée 1 433 L y sont comptés. Son atelier y est décrit et il comportait sept établis, chiffre élevé pour l’époque. L’inventaire mentionne quasi uniquement des caisses de pendules dont certaines en marqueterie Boulle. La plupart de ces caisses étaient inachevées ce qui laisse supposer qu’il les revendait à ses confrères qui les terminaient en placage, marqueterie ou vernis. L’inventaire décrit aussi « un bâti d’un grand bureau de six pieds garni d’un carderon, de quatre rampes et quatre pieds de biches ». Comme les autres grands ébénistes de son époque, il possédait les propres moules de certains de ses bronzes dont on trouve les descriptions suivantes dans son inventaire après-décès : « vingt grosses figures tant d’enfants que d’autres, pesant ensemble soixante-quatre livres », « trente-cinq livres de fontes non ciselés » et « huit termes de bronze avec des palmes ».

Cet inventaire indique aussi le nom du bronzier qui le fournissait : Sr Blondel attendait une somme de 580 L pour « marchandises en fonte qu’il a fournies au défunt qui lui a dit qu’il les destinait pour envoyer à son fils qui demeurait à Lisbonne ». Il s’agissait soit de Jean-Laurent, marchand-mercier établi à Lisbonne qui commercialisait les œuvres de son père au Portugal ou de BVRB II qui travailla de 1730 à 1738 à Lisbonne, principalement pour le roi de Portugal.

Par cet inventaire, on voit que BVRBIer ne produisait quasiment plus à la fin de sa vie que des caisses de pendules et qu’il poursuivit cette technique de marqueterie au-delà des premières années du règne de Louis XV. On voit aussi que son atelier disposait encore de tout le matériel nécessaire pour la conception de grandes pièces de mobilier.

BVRB Ier collabora avec plusieurs marchands dont Edmé Galley (1658-1758), prédécesseur de François Darnault à l’enseigne du Roy d’Espagne, rue de la Monnaie, qui livra, avant le 24 février 1715, à Max-Emmanuel de Bavière le monument équestre de Guillaume de Grof et son socle pour la somme considérable de 10.000 livres. L’inventaire après-décès de Bernard Ier Van Risen Burgh montre que dès avant 1724, il collaborait avec Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus, lequel perdit un procès contre lui, et qu’il comptait le marchand Thomas-Joachim Hébert parmi ses clients.

L’intégralité du stock de Van Risen Burgh fut dispersée aux enchères et quelques-uns de ses modèles, notamment la pendule aux biches (un exemplaire conservé à la Wallace Collection de Londres), furent rachetés et exploités par Jean-Pierre Latz.