拍品 42
  • 42

A GOLD BOÎTE À MINIATURES, ADRIEN-JEAN-MAXIMILIEN VACHETTE, PARIS, 1798-1809 |

估價
20,000 - 30,000 EUR
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描述

  • 9cm., 3 1/2 in. wide
rectangular, all sides set with fixé-sous-verre miniatures representing different views of the Folies de Monceau within chased acorn and oak leaf borders on a sablé ground, maker's mark, Paris unofficial baby's head 2e titre, cock's head petite garantie 1798-1809, later French control marks, the front rim inscribed: Vachette Bijoutier à Paris, the left rim inscribed '2ème titres'

來源

with a little type-written label and a handwritten addition 'cadeau de Napoléon'

Condition

the chasing in crisp condition, the miniatures in good condition; very small traces of damp on the lower right corner on the front side panel and in the same place on the back side panel, the base panel with traces of damp to the top left corner and along the right edge close to the cagework
"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."

拍品資料及來源

Interestingly, the figures in the miniatures on the present box do not all wear contemporary dress, as in the famous engravings of the Folies de Monceau by Louis Carrogis Carmontelle (1717-1806), but those on the left of the centre on the lid are dressed in the style of the Ancien Régime. Contrary to what one might expect, the miniatures are also not directly based on the engravings by Carmontelle, whose designs for the Parc Monceau are among the earliest examples for a landscape garden in France. Carmontelle had studied drawing and geometry, two ideal prerequisites for becoming a topographical engineer, in which function he had entered the service of the Comte Pons de Saint-Maurice, governor of the Duc de Chartres, in 1758. Not only did he draw and design landscapes and architectural monuments, but he was also a writer of plays and farces, for which he also designed the costumes. In 1763, Carmontelle had been appointed general director of entertainments and it is widely presumed that the unusual and densely-designed Parc Monceau should also be considered in this wider context of entertainments for its vivacious patron, Louis-Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans (1747-93), Duc de Chartres (see David Hays, Carmontelle's Design for the Jardin de Monceau: A Freemasonic Garden in Late-Eighteenth-Century France, Vol. 32, No. 4, Sites and Margins of the Public Sphere, 1999, pp. 447-462).

In his function as a lecteur for the Duc de Chartres, Carmontelle also taught drawing to his son Louis-Philippe, the future King of the French (see lot 41 in this sale). It comes as no surprise that the Duc de Chartres with his strong passion for anything English, partially also originating in his friendship with the Prince of Wales, later George IV, had commissioned Carmontelle in 1773 with the design of a landscape garden after English models. Five years later, the Folie de Chartres were completed, combining different influences or styles fashionable at the time, such as exoticism, orientalism, antiquity, rustic landscapes and others (see map, fig 1). Most of these are represented on this gold box, and a few have survived in the Park Monceau to this day, such as the Egyptian pyramid, the rotunda, the Corinthian colonnade. Parts were destroyed during the French Revolution, such as one of the bridges included in Carmontelle's designs (see fig. 2), which was already missing when Vachette made this box at the turn of the century (see fig. 3).

When Guy de Maupasssant describes the Park Monceau as 'ce bijou de parc élégant, étalant en plein Paris sa grâce factice et verdoyante, au milieu d'une ceinture d'hôtels princiers' in 1889 (Guy de Maupassant, Fort comme la mort, Ollendorf 1889, chapter III, p. 67), his praise would have only referred to the post-revolutionary remains of the nineteenth century, leaving readers to wonder what bewildering and exciting effect the Folies de Monceau must have had on contemporary visitors just after their completion in 1778.