A PAIR OF EMPIRE GREEN-PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT CURULE STOOLS, CIRCA 1805 |

stamped LEBRUN

Property from the estate of Richard Weininger, Christie's New York, November 22, 1980, lot 227

These handsome stools are in overall good conserved condition. Sturdy, they appear to have been redecorated and display minor losses to gilding and painting throughout. There is slight movement to joint to one of central flowerhead.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The curule stool derives from the sella curulis of Antiquity, a seat in the shape of inverted C's used by magistrates and other public officials. The form was revived during the late Louis XVI period by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené who supplied a series of 64 curule stools for Marie-Antoinette's Salles des Jeux at the palaces of Fontainebleau and Compiègne.  24 of these are still in Fontainebleau today, whereas other pairs are now in various museum collections including the Metropolitan, Cleveland and the Getty, and a further pair was sold Christie's Paris, September 10, 2018, lot 56.
The form proved extremely popular during the French Empire period, as Napoleon strove to model his regime on that of Ancient Rome, and ceremonial stools played an important role in palace etiquette, with only courtiers of the highest rank having the right to use them.
The stamp of Lebrun has not to date been traced.  Denise Ledoux-Lebard (Le Mobilier du XIXe siècle, Paris 2000) records a furniture maker or supplier named Lebrun listed in the Paris Almanach de Commerce of 1812 at 11, Rue des Petites-Ecuries.  It is remotely possible, though unlikely, that the stamp refers to Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance (1739-1824), who was named prince-architrésorier of the Empire by Napoleon in 1804 and received official lodgings both in the Tuileries Palace and the Hôtel de Noailles in the rue Saint Honoré, furnished by the Imperial Garde-Meuble.  Some of the furniture used by Lebrun has been recorded, notably a large suite of seat furniture supplied by Jacob Frères (sold Artcurial Paris, December 12, 2016, lot 113).  This group, like other items of furniture associated with Lebrun, bore a label with the name of Lebrun rather than a stamp however, following the conventional practice.