tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54363422834178508842024-03-04T20:20:38.544-08:00A Connoisseur's QuestThis blog will promise to maintain a lively discussion of interests by art/antiques appraiser and adviser, Juan P. Lluria, an art historian whose principal focus is the social history and the decorative arts of the Ancien Régime in 18th Century Paris & Versailles as well as its influence in other countries at the time. Attention will also be paid to the 18th Century's impact on society and many individuals inspired by its charm well into our own day!The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-68951064641976911092019-03-24T15:08:00.000-07:002019-12-30T22:27:00.685-08:00GOUVERNEUR MORRIS; HIS PURCHASES OF IMPORTANT FRENCH FURNITURE IN REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD PARISAt at time when transatlantic travel was not lightly undertaken, the greatest sculptor of late 18th Century Paris, Jean-Antoine Houdon, arrived at Mount Vernon in October of 1784, to capture George Washington's head in a plaster model and take measurements of then General Washington's body and returned to Paris in December of that year to finish the full length statue of the general. Although the artist inscribed a date of 1788 on the monument, it was completed sometime in 1791 or 1792 and finally sent to its destination, the newly completed Virginia State Capitol building for which it had originally been commissioned in 1784 by the Virginia General Assembly. It happily remains where it was intended to be displayed, under the capitol's rotunda and is a glorious, inspiring site to behold! It is seen below. <br />
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What is not widely known, is that the sculptor had to return to his atelier and his responsibilities in Paris in the last years of the Ancien Regime in December of 1785. As a result, he needed a stand in model to pose for the body of the general. Fortunately, one of the undeservedly lesser known and appropriately statuesque figures from among the ranks of the American Founding Fathers was around to step up to the platform and model in Houdon's atelier. It was the gregarious and resourceful Gouverneur Morris of New York who had recently arrived in Paris to undertake some affairs on behalf of then recently installed President Washington while attending to some of his own private business affairs in the French Capital on the eve of the tumultuous events of 1789.<br />
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A peg legged <i>bon vivant</i> with, what contemporary accounts suggest, bags of charm, Gouverneur Morris came from the ranks of the real inner circle of colonial aristocracy of British New York. Losing a leg by amputation as the result of an accident during which he was courting a fetching young lady while driving a phaeton in 1780, didn't seem to put a damper on his<i> joie de vivre</i> or cramp his style. And style was also something on which this gentleman who enjoyed life and the company of pretty women was never short. This is an engraved profile portrait of Morris made during his year living in France.<br />
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According to James Madison, it was to Gouverneur Morris, who was an important participant in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, that the finished document owed much of it's polish and clarity of language. Among his additional merits, Morris was a truly talented journalist and chronicler. His diaries, kept during the period he was living in Paris, are seamless and succinct, witty and insightful about men and manners of the upper echelons of Parisian and Court Society during the closing years of the ill fated reign of Louis XVI for whom it's evident that Morris entertained a degree of sympathy.<br />
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This is a plaster portrait bust of Gouverneur Morris by the hand of the great master sculptor of the period with whom we became acquainted above, Jean-Anotine Houdon.<br />
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Arriving in Paris in early 1789, he inevitably called on Thomas Jefferson who was the official American Envoy at the time and who had taken up residence at the elegant Hôtel Langeac, where Morris notes in his diaries, "Mr Jefferson keeps a good table". Jefferson's portrait by John Trumbull made at the time is seen below.<br />
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In his lively diaries, Morris notes one evening on the eve of the convocation of the Estates General, he accompanied Jefferson to the most influential political salon of the day hosted by Madame Necker seen below. Morris did not seem to be as impressed as so many of his contemporaries, by Madame Necker's reputed beauty and gifts of communication and ability to charm people. In his diaries he likened her to a laundress! <br />
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Madame Necker was an inspired promoter of the career of her husband, Jacques Necker who had recently been recalled by Louis XVI to power to bring order to the chaos of the Crown's finanances. By background a Calvanist from Geneva, Necker had enjoyed a long and financially rewarding career as a banker and was believed would deliver the kingdom from financial ruin and restore order when resuming his position of Minister of Finance to which he'd recently been reappointed in 1788. This is an engraved portrait of Jacques Necker below. In the same diary entry in which Morris records his evening at the Salon Necker with Jefferson, he notes that upon making his entrance at the gathering, Messr. Necker had the air of someone who was aware that he was "THE MAN" of the times...</div>
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Although he makes no particular mention of it in his diary entry about the evening, Morris's subsequent and discerning purchases of some of the finest late 18th Century Parisian <i>ébénisterie</i> and <i>menuiserie</i> that first arrived in the fledgling United States, would suggest wherever he went as his social and business peregrinations led him from one aristocratic <i>Hôtel Particulier</i> to another he did not neglect to observe the decor and quality of the appointments which were to gain his admiration and certainly influence his taste. Below is the salon of Jacques and Suzanne Necker's Chateau de Coppet in their native Switzerland in Geneva. It is clearly furnished with fine Louis XVI furniture which can be safely understood to have been ordered by the Neckers when living in Paris in the 1770''s and 1780's and which followed them to Chateau de Coppet when Necker resigned and retired to Geneva in 1790 in the wake of his unsuccessful efforts to save both the French treasury and the King. </div>
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Reading the diaries it becomes apparent that Morris was - and enjoyed being - something of a social butterfly. And it's no less clear he enjoyed calling on many of the widely admired aristocratic beauties of Parisian society of the last years of the Ancièn Regime. Among them was the languid and undeniably well pedigreed beauty seen below, Louis Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon, Duchesse d'Orleans, as painted by Vigée Lebrun. Of course, she was the unfortunate wife of the difficult and revolutionary trouble maker, Philippe, Duc d'Orleans who eventually became the dreaded Philippe Egalité.<br />
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In his dairies. Morris often sights his admiration for the duchess and her restrained composed behavior, when he calls on her at the<i> </i>Palais Royale, as she quietly endures her husband's flagrant infidelities and brazen continued intrigues aimed at undermining the position of their mutual cousin, Louis XVI by the Duc's open involvement in various revolutionary elements which he'd clearly hoped might allow him to be offered the crown and allow him to replace the king.<br />
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However, the lady who made the most profound impression on Morris was the vivacious and irresistible, Adélaïde-Emilie Filleul, Comtesse de Flahaut. Alas! All I could procure in the way of a portrait likeness of the comtesse is this monochrome photo of a ravishing portrait from a monograph on the artist, Adélaïde Labille Guiard who painted it. The portrait of the comtesse with her infant son (believed to have been fathered by Talleyrand and who later grew up to become the lover of Hortense de Beauharnais!) is seen below.<br />
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La charmante comtesse's name is endlessly noted in the diaries... And no wonder. It's clear that, shortly after their meeting, the two were very attracted to one another and the Morris embarked on a steamy liaison with the the comtesse while perhaps aware of her ongoing parallel liaison with the Bishop of Autun, Charles Maurice Talleryand Perigord. No one seems to make the observation that the involvement of the <i>comtesse</i>, at the same time, with a man who had a wooden leg (Morris) and another with a club foot (Talleryand) sheds some light on what one could say about her taste in men!<br />
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Jefferson departed Paris in October 1789 to put some personal affairs in order. But upon his arrival in the United Sates, the recently installed President Washington offered him the position of Secretary of State which he accepted. However, it wasn't until 12 January 1792, that Morris was officially named Jefferson's replacement as American envoy. Prior to that, Morris did serve the American president who unofficially appointed him to act for the him concerning resolving issues dealing with the American war debt to France. Morris was to serve out his new appointment from January 1792 until after the fall of the monarchy and remained in Paris in his official capacity until October of 1794 when the majority of envoys representing other kingdoms and European states had left due to the violence unleashed by the Reign of Terror. In a fascinating article by Louis Schreider III entitled <i>Gouverneur Morris: Connoisseur of French Art, </i>published in Apollo Magazine in June of 1971, we learn that Morris did not return directly home to the United Sates. Instead, he traveled in various German speaking cities. It wasn't until 1801 that he returned to his country seat Morrisania.<br />
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While living in Paris, Gouveneur Morris, nothing less than an astute observer of society's ways, also seems to have developed an appreciation for the unparalleled elegance of the surroundings that were the backdrop of both the salons and the boudoirs he endlessly frequented. The Swedish artist active in the Paris of Louis XVI, Lavrience has left us ravishing visual documentation of the life of the Parisian salons that Morris would have frequented. Two depicting gatherings at the Paris residence of the Duc de Luynes are seen below.<br />
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Lavrience has also recorded the sort of setting in which a contemporary would have enjoyed a morning cup of coffee or chocolate. It is not unlikely Morris's own mornings at his Parisian residence located on the Rue de la Planche, transpired in a similar <i>milieu</i> and surrounding.<br />
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Nor is it too far fetched that many of Morris's gallant sorties in Paris led him to boudoirs and bedrooms like this one in which the setting might conceivably been not unlike the bedroom of La Comtesse de Flahaut.<br />
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From his dairies, it's possible to follow Morris's frequent shopping expeditions which were very often in the company of the Comtesse. Below, the arcades of the <i>Palais Royale</i> are one of many locations where luxury shops were available to the elite and upper middle classes of late 18th Century Paris.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKnqU1I1lf0_n5aPjCRqcIzCWfZnCVD-1UlebjvBSEpl5p4hszdsg5pjGCUll1P_uQPXsTYEuifX3bapUFby61rRtPJwM43xwnba71QTb_o1K_AQSWySVnoaYDmB1KhL3cKmZfvU9b_48/s1600/DSCN0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKnqU1I1lf0_n5aPjCRqcIzCWfZnCVD-1UlebjvBSEpl5p4hszdsg5pjGCUll1P_uQPXsTYEuifX3bapUFby61rRtPJwM43xwnba71QTb_o1K_AQSWySVnoaYDmB1KhL3cKmZfvU9b_48/s400/DSCN0567.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Diaries also record visits to Réveillon, the premier manufacturer of <i>papier peint</i>. Lamentably, as the <i>papier peints</i> were intended for the Parisan residence, it's unknown what patterns were acquired for the Rue de la Planche house. But samples of what Réveillon produced at the time are well known and some are seen below. However, although Morris does refer to visits to Réveillon's factory, in truth, that establishment had been taken over by Jacquemart et Bérnard by mid 1791. The latter continued to produce the same patterns of the manufacturer who it had acquired. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxhoIeOF5vYWlKbB3vmw8i0bmEe8Bl8gtOOqgfaByO9_KlWFvmxFxNk79AJt_D-8UIs24KWz3UR90Vp5uRLTsnwhOOQzxNqz8XmHujZ_dcRkEpR06PShkm0X4CNvPNV8A3RnpKR_bj1uJ/s1600/Reveillon+Wallpaper%252C+Copper+Hewitt+Collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxhoIeOF5vYWlKbB3vmw8i0bmEe8Bl8gtOOqgfaByO9_KlWFvmxFxNk79AJt_D-8UIs24KWz3UR90Vp5uRLTsnwhOOQzxNqz8XmHujZ_dcRkEpR06PShkm0X4CNvPNV8A3RnpKR_bj1uJ/s640/Reveillon+Wallpaper%252C+Copper+Hewitt+Collection.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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One artisan and provider of luxury time pieces who Morris seems to have enjoyed patronizing was the clock and watch maker Lépine who was patronized by the Royal family and court circles. One diary entry on 7 July 1791 we learn, "This morning I write, then go to Mr. Lépine's and order home my clocks; thence to Mr. Le Couteulx's and thence to the Porcelaine Manufacture. Buy there dishes and ornamental china to a too large amount"! Some things never change...<br />
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At a recent auction at Sotheby's, New York, a Lépine mantle clock that once belonged to Gouverneur Morris was sold during a sale of the collections of the late Mrs. Robert Lehman on 18 November 2010 (Lot 128). In inevitable Neoclassical style from the early 1790's, it is of patinated bronze, with ormolu and white marble. It is plausibly the one cited in the diary entry of October of 1792 in which Morris informs us he paid the clock maker 2400 <i>livres</i> for "deux pendules avec ses vases pour accompagner la plus grande". It is seen below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgjuwPCIMGHX_kFP-p7jYb2orCqpdDNfu85F5oOgG_ICQFcmeYtgKBRHQZp_R7w93VYWACqmxM-_vBe0DYDMNObfUVTDZy6dKLIKO7TNIdlHuKAQCY_T-VjYUFEwD1yClJDaXLtzIJs86/s1600/Lipine+Clock+From+Marie+Anotinette+Apartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="659" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgjuwPCIMGHX_kFP-p7jYb2orCqpdDNfu85F5oOgG_ICQFcmeYtgKBRHQZp_R7w93VYWACqmxM-_vBe0DYDMNObfUVTDZy6dKLIKO7TNIdlHuKAQCY_T-VjYUFEwD1yClJDaXLtzIJs86/s400/Lipine+Clock+From+Marie+Anotinette+Apartment.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
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This tall case<i> regulateur</i> clock with works by Lépine (or possibly his assistant Claude Raguet from what is implied by a remaining signed paper label in the clock) and a sumptuous mahogany case by the <i>ébéniste</i> Nicholas Petit, is unquestionably the most important time piece Morris acquired while living on the Rue de la Planche from this first rate clock maker who justifiably enjoyed royal patronage. It is seen below.<br />
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Its upward tapering shape, reminiscent of an antique obelisk, is surmounted by a patinated bronze bust of a Roman senator. The elegantly decorated enamel circular dial plate is appropriately numbered with Roman Numerals and by the most celebrated enameler of the reign of Louis XVI, Joseph Coteau. The clock was sold by Morris family descendants, along with other items that Morris acquired in Paris during his stay, at a notable auction at Christie's in New York on 22 November 1983. <br />
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Among other items offered at this same auction and with which Morris appointed his house on the Rue de la Planche were the two items seen below. One was a seigniorial <i>bureau`a cylindre</i> of mahogany with gleaming ormolu mounts in the manner of Jean-Henri Reisener. It's not too far fetched to envision Gouverneur Morris at this desk writing away, while engaged in endless and demanding diplomatic business and other similar machinations involving a brief ill fated attempt to rescue the royal family for whom he clearly felt sympathy in spite of the fact his official position demanded complete impartiality to the internal political situation in France. It is known that Morris even accepted money for safe keeping from Louis XVI and which years later the envoy duly and honourably saw to it was place in the hands of the sole surviving daughter Madame Royale, when Morris had occasion to return it to her in Vienna where she had take refuge with her Hapsburg relations after miraculously being allowed to leave Revolutionary France in exchange for French Prisoners in Austria. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLheSG_wzPBSbOjm-e4CQy4HY-vIIOG0M5S-Tbhwi-sWyMXxV2axAe1kwzqj7pfJ2mC8GFfDD7kxSHNCTIALBL9bHr6iQz_c62Sq495ChPG78LOYtg3MZ-yg0rTr_OI3QUwdv8ArhH5la/s1600/Morris+French+Furniture+Christie%2527s5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1007" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLheSG_wzPBSbOjm-e4CQy4HY-vIIOG0M5S-Tbhwi-sWyMXxV2axAe1kwzqj7pfJ2mC8GFfDD7kxSHNCTIALBL9bHr6iQz_c62Sq495ChPG78LOYtg3MZ-yg0rTr_OI3QUwdv8ArhH5la/s400/Morris+French+Furniture+Christie%2527s5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another fine example of late Louis XVI period furniture the American envoy acquired for his house and that later followed him to the United States, was this handsome mahogany and ormolu <i>semainier</i> chest of drawers, made ca 1790 and possibly by the atelier of Jean-Henri Reisener. It is surmounted by a fine white marble top of which the rectangular corners have chamfered corners echoing the chamfered sides along the front of the <i>semainier</i>. The applied ormolu borders having a delicately cast egg and dart motif with the ring handles decorated with laurel leaves are of a finesse that one does associate with the productions of the most accomplished<i> ciseleur doreurs</i> of the Paris of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.<br />
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However it is at the Revolutionary Period sales of former French Royal furniture, where Gouverneur Morris availed himself of a unique opportunity to purchase some of the finest furniture of his time and that would not be out of place in the finest palaces of Europe. Below is a published notice of the sales are Morris would have undoubtedly also seen and read. </div>
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The most significant purchase made from these sale was indisputably a suite of seating furniture by the <i>menuisier</i> François II Foliot. The decorative carving was by the artisan Babel, the gilding was done in the atelier of Marie-Catherien Renon, and the suite was executed by designs by Gondoin.<br />
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The suite once, briefly furnished the drawing room of Queen Marie Antoinette in her private suite of apartments at The Chateau de Versailles. Below is a portrait of the ill fated queen for whom Morris retained a great sympathy and a view of the same room from which the suite originally came. The portrait was by the Polish portrait painter patronized extensively by the Queen during the revolutionary period, Kucharsky. It shows a more sober and introspective Marie Antoinette and represents how Morris would have seen her. The current appearance of the room is closer to how the drawing room appeared when it was redecorate later in 1783 for the queen and this suite Morris acquired was relegated to the apartments of <i>Mesdames Tantes</i>, the spinster aunts of Louis XVI.<br />
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The suite of <i>menuiserie</i> acquired by Morris at the Revolutionary Sales has been scattered at various times by descendants of the American envoy. The New York Historical Society has one side chair understood to be the chair used by Louis XVI when he came to visit the queen in the drawing room. it is seen below and photographed during a recent visit to the New York Historical Society.<br />
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Below is one of the various <i>fauteuils</i> Morris acquired from the same suite. As in the instance of the one above, it has a correct replica of the silk, by Lyon weavers and made to designs by Gondoin, with charming Neoclassical motifs as Marie Antoinette would have known it by the Royal upholsterer Claude-François Capin. The newly restored <i>fauteuil `a la reine</i> (literally!) is seen below in its current location at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the Wrightsman Galleries. As can be expected in furniture of Royal category, the carving is particularly outstanding. The frame carved by Babel has delicate <i>paquettes</i> and acanthus motifs. <br />
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Below are more views with details...<br />
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This suite has been scattered around a good deal. The Palace of the Legion of Honour in San Francisco, California, exhibits another canapé from the same suite. It is not certain Morris owned this particular one however... It is seen below.<br />
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Many of the items that made up the purchases Morris made at the various establishments of ateliers, <i>marchands merciers</i> and later at the Revolutionary sales I have illustrated herein, were among various items acquired by Morris in Paris that his family descendants sold at that same aforementioned 1983 Christie's auction. One more intriguing example of superb <i>menuiserie</i> of possible Royal Provenance about which more investigation is merited is the purchase of a pair of canapés offered at that 1983 auction as Lot 217. It was presented to potential bidders and sold as a pair stamped by the Queen's preferred <i>menuisier</i>, the widely admired Georges Jacob. One of the pair, as illustrated in the catalog is seen below.<br />
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As per the Catalog description, this pair, having similar but not identical carved decoration to the prior discussed suite, also "has affixed to its back seat rail the handwritten label inscribed <i>Monsieur Bonnefoy" </i>which made plausible the thesis the pair was ordered on behalf of the queen by her personal man charged with ordering her furniture for Petit Trianon, Bonnefoy-Duplan. His actual title was<i> Garçon Concierge du Guarde Meuble `a Versailles et au Petit Trianon. </i>At the time, the catalog is unable to state with certainty the pair was part of the furniture at Petit Trianon. But what is certain is that the quality of carving and gilding is not inferior to that expected to meet the queen's demanding standards.<br />
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A probably very weary Gouverneur Morris returned to The United States and Morrisania after his return to America shortly after his former Paris colleague Thomas Jefferson had won the Presidential election of of 1800. His portrait by Sharples was made after his return from his long European travels and is seen below.<br />
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After years of wandering the Continent and endless involvements with beautiful and witty women, Morris, at the age of 57 eventually settled down and married the 35 year old Anne Cary Randolph who was the daughter of Ann Cary and Thomas Mann Randolph Sr and the sister of Thomas Mann Randoph Jr who was, in turn the husband of Thomas Jefferson's daughter Martha! It is probably due to this family marital connexion that a suite of Mahogany <i>fauteuils `a la reine </i>, of which some bear the stamp of Georges Jacob, that also seem to have been acquired by Gouverneur Morris while in Paris, ended up being sold or given to Jefferson and were part of the furniture in the Parlour at Monticello where they can still be seen today.<br />
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Of an assertively (if not aggressively!) Neoclassical style often known as <i>Le Gôut Etrusque</i>, these intriguing mahogany armchairs with their clean lines and sweeping saber legs, had been long assumed to be part of the furniture that Jefferson bought from 1784 to 1789 when he lived in Paris and had represented the most advanced taste of the late 1780's as was seldom seen, except in such places as the studio and the paintings of Jacques Louis David for whom, it is documented Jacob provided the artist to use as props that appear in such paintings as his <i>The Lictors Bringing to Brutus and His Family the Bodies of His Dead Sons</i> (dating from 1789) that is seen below. This style, which represented the early stages of <i>Les Styles Directoire </i>and <i>Consulat, </i>aimed to recreate what was then perceived as a more archeological recreation of the furniture used in the world of Ancient Rome.<br />
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But admirable research efforts of the curatorial department at Jefferson's Monticello under the administration of the highly erudite and diligent principal curator of collections Susan Stein has learned that these chairs were originally procured in the early 1790's by Morris and the indication is that they eventually were passed on to Jefferson. This thesis is plausible as the designs are more in keeping with designs from 1790 such as seen in a pair of <i>voyueses</i> from the atelier of Claude Sené that were produced for (but never enjoyed at) the small private residence at the Montreuil village in Versailles being finished for the ill fated younger sister of Louis XVI, Madame Elizabeth. The similar silhouette and sweeping saber legs are clearly in evidence. The chairs, seen below, are currently in the collection of the <i>Musée Nissim de Camondo</i> in Paris where I photographed them during a recent visit. <br />
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While Thomas Jefferson was followed by a shipment of a fine representation of Louis XVI furniture, clocks, porcelain, glass, lighting, mirrors, scientific instruments, wallpaper, and endless other items that filled his Paris residence and most of which ended up at Monticello, it was Morris and James Swan (subject for another blog!) who were the first to bring French furniture of the Louis XVI period of truly royal quality and provenance to the United States. And for their efforts, posterity, which is fortunate to visit American museums where these acquisitions can be seen, has much reason to be grateful!<br />
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The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-1119089625407056502018-03-24T19:29:00.000-07:002018-03-24T21:19:00.272-07:00REVISITING SOME INTIRIGING AND SUPERIOR EXAMPLES OF FRENCH 18TH CENTURY MARQUETRY AT DAVLA BROTHERS GALLERY IN NEW YORKAmong the last antiques galleries of importance in New York City in the tradition of <i>grands antiquaires</i> that emerged in the 19th Century as the taste for collecting the finest examples of French decorative arts from the <i>Ancien R</i><i>égime</i>
became an admirable pursuit of the emerging North American wealthy
elite from the Gilded Age until the end of the last Century when a new
generation lamentably turned to a sterile and monotonous craze for 20th
Century Modernism and collecting of staggeringly overpriced and dubious
"Contemporary Art", Davla Brothers, located in an appropriately
seigniorial 19th Century historic town house on East 77th Street, has
become a veritable fortress holding out with unrelenting panache and
gentlemanly grace at today's ongoing assault on the easy unstudied
elegance of Old World Society which repeating generations of the
emerging American rich used to understandably consider something
uplifting to which to aspire until sometime just after the year
2000, when things began to significantly change and turn away from what
had once been considered timeless and inspiring.<br />
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Happily,
the gallery's erudite but approachable owner, Leon Dalva, takes his
stand with good humour, wit and has no intention of going the way of so
many other galleries which once offered their enviable North American,
Latin American, and European clientele the very best examples of French <i>ebenisterie</i> and <i>meneuserie</i>
that tended, with few exceptions, to range from the periods of Louis
XIV to The First Empire. Below are photos of an evening during which Mr.
Dalva, with his characteristic amiability, co-hosted an event at the
gallery in 2013 at which I spoke to The American Friends of the Louvre
and which was additionally organized by Thierry Millerand and Kip
Forbes. Mr. and Mrs. Dalva have long been very active and generous in
their efforts to fund raise for this admirable organization that has
played a role in supporting the recently newly restored and opened
galleries at the Louvre in which the best furniture and decorative arts
of the <i>Ancien R</i><i>égime</i> are currently displayed. <br />
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During
my last visit in 2014, I was mesmerized by the seemingly effortless
ability of Dalva Brothers to continue to maintain an inventory of which
not once item would have been out of place in an apartment at The
Chateau de Versailles or for that matter at Pavlosk Palace in Russia.
Several floors are all set up with period evocations against which Mr.
Dalva offers clients the most royal examples of French 17th thru early
19th Century furniture. In this essay, I'd like to share some of my
selections of what I consider to be particularly special and worthy of a
glance and some observation from the category of marquetry.<br />
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Chronologically,
the clock with brazenly polychromatic inlay that I'd like to cite, is
actually Italian from Florence with typical Florentine style inlay that
brings to mind the exuberance of the Medici Court and the Medici
workshops production of Pietra Dura. But this is marquetry! Although my
focus is French Marquetry, I'm commencing with this example as there is
evidence that a very similar clock of Florentine inlay was owned by
Louis XIV. After all, he did have Medici blood in his veins and looked
to the glory of the Medici for inspiration in his own aspirations for
Versailles. As is the instance with the clock once owned by Le Roi
Soleil, this one in Dalva Brothers inventory, also has a later inserted
French movement. The movement in this clock is signed by Baltasare
Martinot, of Paris. It was placed inside the Florentine body in the
early 18th Century. The clock case itself is really a small piece of
Florentine Architecture with its form that is essentially
indistinguishable from a building's facade. The walnut case is
embellished with ivory, natural and stained bone, ebony, and
mother-of-pearl. The "facade" has a pair of free standing columns
flanking the dial plate and which are decorated with inlaid floral
swags.<br />
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The columns are surmounted by an open pediment with ivory balustrade. <br />
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The plinth on the base of support is similarly inlaid with birds and flowers and has a drawer for storage. </div>
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A whimsically inlaid marquetry commode of the more lighthearted Louis XV period owned by Dalva Brothers is this <i>bomb</i><i><i>é</i> </i>commode
bearing the stamps of both M. Hansen and J. B. Saunier. Like many
examples of commodes from the mid 18th Century in Paris, it is <i>sans traverse </i>which
means that the marquetry design of the front is uninterrupted and that
only a hairline separates the upper from the lower drawer. The
exuberance of the marquetry in this example is exceptionally witty and
playful! A curvaceous central cartouche is flanked by a pair of kidney
shaped fields on the front. The central cartouche has a stylized <i>fleur-de-lis</i>
on the top and depicts fanciful birds on branches with leaves and
flowers that come together below and are tied by a pretty ribbon. There
are no applied ormolu handles and this was probably the intent of the
creator to really allow the eye to focus on the exciting marquetry
design. The drawers are opened by the key inserted in the discrete key
holes. Though there are lovely ormolu mounts along the front corners
comprising finely executed gleaming chutes and sabots. The marble is
apparently of the <i>breche d'alep </i>variety.<br />
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One
of the loveliest of the tables boasting bravura marquetry at Dalva
Brothers is this one below stamped by Brice Peridez who as not as widely
known as many of his contemporaries among today's collectors and became
a master in 1738. It is a three-legged circular table in which the
top with its customary reticulated gilded metal gallery is inlaid with
marquetry as well and not with the more usually seen marble. The
charming sinuous inlaid vines of the frieze drawer are also worth
noting. But the table is of particular distinction due to the repeating
lower level. Here the creator (perhaps working in concert with a very
discerning client having very definite requirements?) placed more than
the usual platform and the bottom tier in this table is the same
thickness as the upper tier and provides the owner additional storage
concealed by more joyful floral marquetry. The top of the lower tier has
a pair of hinged doors that open to reveal storage below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MlvyNiQus9_oSLdlUQlwwPpgB1-YrbhyphenhyphenHQq6qO2h3MoYol0xYevWNDZyF6dGl7aSqf_yylU0BPiTMyO1O14sIrunyRdzfLqusoureMhG9b1OtXmCsJU8dgxkXnP_NdZDdgG96Vw64w4/s1600/photo+%252893%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MlvyNiQus9_oSLdlUQlwwPpgB1-YrbhyphenhyphenHQq6qO2h3MoYol0xYevWNDZyF6dGl7aSqf_yylU0BPiTMyO1O14sIrunyRdzfLqusoureMhG9b1OtXmCsJU8dgxkXnP_NdZDdgG96Vw64w4/s400/photo+%252893%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My great favourite in the current inventory of Davla Brothers has to be a significant <i>secretaire `a abattant</i> by the legendary David Roentgen that is almost identical to one this giant among <i>ebenistes</i>
also created for an important Russian client in the 18th Century and
which is currently in the world renowned Niarchos collection in Paris. The
main front panels on this example display what can be asserted to be
arguably among this celebrity ebeniste's finest most delicately executed
marquetry inlay depicting flowers and exotic birds among trees. The
front <i>abattant</i> has veneered panels depicting agricultural tools
and flowers suspended from twisting ribbons that bring to mind the
bucolic reveries of Marie Antoinette at her Hameau at Petit Trianon.
This is Roentgen as good as Roentgen gets in any of the world's best
museums!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhDQL6YrbNGRC48wBbfKtxmKpWvFzwltjDYtvgFRcxwPRXCTlQJaWG-YoxJHdfJlGXtffVrOetep-9LaCUCHUqC8ytszrQGFSeSk1xByupqbB-hJnleEdeNJE4N19pBudK5u55pl8bmk/s1600/photo+%252829%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhDQL6YrbNGRC48wBbfKtxmKpWvFzwltjDYtvgFRcxwPRXCTlQJaWG-YoxJHdfJlGXtffVrOetep-9LaCUCHUqC8ytszrQGFSeSk1xByupqbB-hJnleEdeNJE4N19pBudK5u55pl8bmk/s400/photo+%252829%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhDQL6YrbNGRC48wBbfKtxmKpWvFzwltjDYtvgFRcxwPRXCTlQJaWG-YoxJHdfJlGXtffVrOetep-9LaCUCHUqC8ytszrQGFSeSk1xByupqbB-hJnleEdeNJE4N19pBudK5u55pl8bmk/s1600/photo+%252829%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
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Another <i>secretaire `a abattant</i> in the inventory of Dalva Brothers by less celebrity status ebenistes are also notable. Among them is this chesty marquetry <i>secretaire</i> in the <i>G<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">ô</span>ut Grec</i>
style that prevailed in the 1760's stamped by L. Boudin. This splendid
example of early French Neoclassical taste as society began to turn away
from the riotous curves and counter curves of the Rococo that began to
run its inevitable course during the last decade of Louis XV's reign,
represents the direction that Madame de Pompadour's taste was taking on
the eve of her death at an early age in her 40s' in 1764.<br />
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The
ormolu band with the rinceau motif over the drop front is particularly
assertive, as are all the other ormolu mounts such as the corner mounts
incorporating motifs that recall the Baroque vision of the classical
world as envisioned during the reign of Louis XIV....<br />
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While the corner mounts atop that join the upper frieze clearly
already look to the Classicism one associates with the 1770's with the
imposing laurel leaf swags surrounding the oval medallion. </div>
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In
this time that has witnessed a fundamentally and radically changed
climate of collecting and in the very interpretation of domestic life
among the sophisticated and the affluent who have historically defined <i>L'Art de Vivre</i>,
it's obvious these masterpieces, once coveted by princes and later
captains of industry who followed the former's example of unquestioned
good taste, have lamentably waned in their desirability to a newly
emerging generation of well to do collector whose lack of interest is
entirely due more to a severe and lamentable lack of education and
examples from the ranks of elite society as provided to preceding
emerging generations of wealthy new potential patrons and collectors.
Today's newly emerging affluent whose predecessors turned to time
honoured examples from the Faubourg Saint Germain, London's Mayfair or
New York's 400, are turning away from a nearly 150 year tradition of
living with important and elegant furniture and decorative arts of the <i>Ancien R</i><i>égime</i>.
This tradition not only communicated a certain status and degree of
education, but it was part a sincere societal effort to maintain a
standard of civilized living and, as in the case of a collector like the
redoubtable Mrs. Dodge and Mrs. Wrightsman, one day endow important
museums with the finest examples from which the next generation of
connoisseurs could learn and be enriched. </div>
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In
this new changing and uncertain world, a visit to Dalva is a visit to
the Mount Olympus of the world of collecting great French 18th Century
furniture. Is this an expensive collecting category? Yes... </div>
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But then it really is not when you consider the cost of a masterpiece
of 18th Century French marquetry as currently available a Dalva Brothers
is modest next to what is doubtfully touted as "artisan" contemporary
furniture in the current retail market and what is passing for
"Contemporary Art" for seven dizzying figures at the World's
international art fairs. By comparison, Dalva's offerings which are
mostly in the 5 figures (with some just in the 4 figures and a few more
in the 6 figures) are a sound acquisition by comparison and will
probably pass the test of time better than many current crazes when all
is said and done. </div>
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The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-74464293053866183612017-05-26T22:18:00.000-07:002017-05-27T12:54:31.960-07:00Babette's Feast! A Neglected Collection of Outstanding French Royal Louis XV Furniture and Decorative Arts at the Court of Philip and Louise-Elizabeth, The Reigning Duke and Duchess of Parma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Louise-Elizabeth, Enfant de France was the first daughter of Louis XV.
Her pet name was Babette. The gallant King of France never minced words with regard to Babette. She was his unquestioned
favourite! </div>
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This is Louise-Elizabeth as a young lady by the preferred court portraitist of the day at Versailles, Nattier. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEduzhZJhw0ABPqMRU6n9i5UFgWmMfETu8pVrsXPPUgZiaESLyi-yL5zSytWLBwRnQudWgLanemrVY3X0lqKtvStiQzW86n63Io7fsslZpJItKxS3Q4GdpCihXVRdwyz7kqukOxvwcbSCP/s1600/Portr%25C3%25A6t_af_Louise-Elisabeth_de_France%252C_Louis_XV%2527s_datter_%2527Mme_Infante%2527%252C_hertuginde_af_Parma_%25281749%2529_by_Jean-Marc_Nattier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="441" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEduzhZJhw0ABPqMRU6n9i5UFgWmMfETu8pVrsXPPUgZiaESLyi-yL5zSytWLBwRnQudWgLanemrVY3X0lqKtvStiQzW86n63Io7fsslZpJItKxS3Q4GdpCihXVRdwyz7kqukOxvwcbSCP/s400/Portr%25C3%25A6t_af_Louise-Elisabeth_de_France%252C_Louis_XV%2527s_datter_%2527Mme_Infante%2527%252C_hertuginde_af_Parma_%25281749%2529_by_Jean-Marc_Nattier.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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Louis XV was an unrelenting lover of women, of hunting, of beauty and civilized living... The decorative arts in France and the Court of Versailles during his reign (1715-1774) reached an apogee that many decorative arts historians to this day believe have never been surpassed. This is a famous pastel portrait of the King of France by De La Tour. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nheHXBuj5LEjZJFVX-WcQsAL5M3XB_qs7JIDAO8fK-aviXuylxL6LAT80qoCPdd0bU8zlq8dxuldMYuunC2v4-gciWJabBPkjRBXh20g597oE-XTr5ctx5kAvvOxv2MeY4EXWBwu3u1H/s1600/Louis+XV+par+De+La+Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="508" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nheHXBuj5LEjZJFVX-WcQsAL5M3XB_qs7JIDAO8fK-aviXuylxL6LAT80qoCPdd0bU8zlq8dxuldMYuunC2v4-gciWJabBPkjRBXh20g597oE-XTr5ctx5kAvvOxv2MeY4EXWBwu3u1H/s400/Louis+XV+par+De+La+Tour.jpg" width="337" /></a></div>
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Below is a portrait, also by Nattier, depicting a grown and married Louise-Elizabeth in hunting dress during one of three of her return visits to see her family at the French court at Versailles after her departure to marry abroad in 1739 at the age of 12. She revisited Versailles in 1748, again in 1752 after the death of her twin sister Madame Henriette and again in 1757 until 1759. Her father's love was emphatically reciprocated. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2ORnw1QaSGi_GRU2rtcmdgtP8-q9O244nU0ji3AMfqPiipycljmfNoJG9u2h_meY9OmU8-fz4HhZphNQdHURAJyIExmgdHXMSZRexk1MmzKenSrJd-xnrrDSaUCkzX8cPq5_Mjrq8e_W/s1600/Marie_Louise_Elisabeth_De_France%252C_Duchess_of_Parma_by_Jean_Marc_Nattier_and_Studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1272" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2ORnw1QaSGi_GRU2rtcmdgtP8-q9O244nU0ji3AMfqPiipycljmfNoJG9u2h_meY9OmU8-fz4HhZphNQdHURAJyIExmgdHXMSZRexk1MmzKenSrJd-xnrrDSaUCkzX8cPq5_Mjrq8e_W/s400/Marie_Louise_Elisabeth_De_France%252C_Duchess_of_Parma_by_Jean_Marc_Nattier_and_Studio.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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Louise-Elizabeth grew up seeing and obviously coming to
appreciate the best furniture, tapestry, ormolu, porcelain and other
related decorative arts that she clearly brought with her when obliged to relocate and leave Versailles to marry her cousin once removed, Don Felipe (Philip), a Spanish Prince who was destined to eventually become Duke of Parma. Philip became the
reigning Duke of Parma which was handed to him thanks to the endless
machinations of his tirelessly ambitious mother, Isabella Farnese (Queen
Consort to the Spanish King Philip V to whom she was his second wife) whose family had once been reigning dukes of Parma. Her tireless efforts and intrigue paid off. She was
able to regain the Duchy of Parma on his behalf as a result of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.<br />
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Below is Philip's portrait as Duke of Parma by an unknown court artist. As as ruler, Philip was notably competent and he seems to have been receptive to many of the exciting new ideas that characterized his century which were part of what is today known as The Age of Enlightenment. During his reign (1748-1765) Parma and the court welcomed numerous savants including accomplished personages from the ranks of the less widely known <i>philosophes</i> Such as Etienne Bonnot de Condillac. During his reign, education and philosophical discourse were nurtured widely and successfully. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoJ0yvwNYw5JWp96jfTUsO-z7BfBqY8pHSGM-8dipBZJ-NYpde8o4X8zxGn4fClmUydOFTRVi6yAlTpdUeZinbazddgqNUPfEw7taYMBH_Zx8npHPVOZ371rWY5_6K7x86Gf9ayEUMbHI/s1600/Felipe_de_Parma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoJ0yvwNYw5JWp96jfTUsO-z7BfBqY8pHSGM-8dipBZJ-NYpde8o4X8zxGn4fClmUydOFTRVi6yAlTpdUeZinbazddgqNUPfEw7taYMBH_Zx8npHPVOZ371rWY5_6K7x86Gf9ayEUMbHI/s400/Felipe_de_Parma.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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Below is a state portrait of Louise Elizabeth by Charles Andre van Loo who has tactfully flattered her while not concealing her double chin. She was well known to be a chubby woman all her adult life. .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yeJdAPPxhyb67zBlorkYxCljvxmFUU_JPlxEhykigaHjGlG8UWxfGlRxiAosXWpg90RmdRu247r-a2XBGcLK2bF9V4SUtXrd9znlyI70FfglIDslRvrAuOFiuhgjs0KlLhSWnvVcUhmU/s1600/Louise_Elisabeth_of_France_Parma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yeJdAPPxhyb67zBlorkYxCljvxmFUU_JPlxEhykigaHjGlG8UWxfGlRxiAosXWpg90RmdRu247r-a2XBGcLK2bF9V4SUtXrd9znlyI70FfglIDslRvrAuOFiuhgjs0KlLhSWnvVcUhmU/s400/Louise_Elisabeth_of_France_Parma.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Below is a very revealing family portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Parma <i>chez eux</i> depicted rather informally in Louise-Elizabeth's private apartments in their preferred residence, the Palazzo Colorno. The court artist who painted this very welcoming image depicting royal coziness was Giuseppi Baldrighi. It was painted in 1757 on the eve of Louise Elizabeth's final return visit to Versailles and where she died of Smallpox in 1759. The Ducal couple did not have a happy marriage. But they managed to secure the succession for the throne of the Duchy of Parma. And as this portrait clearly depicts, they had a son (the future Ferdinand who succeeded his father Philip of as Duke of Parma in 1765), and two additional daughters. The smaller daughter on the left is the future Queen Maria Louisa of Spain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRD_CE1NIaZVHPpXqT44sOsKHOk5_uNTG6gpeLTUbwqv34kDs1J04AZCGEixISNPKme1Ha4ix58vVCYzDp8wZFjMGd0OeGIBtFJt8zB3iivXBBwlqnvumaoU5A8-Sq8lWEELA-xhqSwQu/s1600/The+Family+of+Philip+of+Parma+by+Giuseppe+Baldrighi%252C+1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="800" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRD_CE1NIaZVHPpXqT44sOsKHOk5_uNTG6gpeLTUbwqv34kDs1J04AZCGEixISNPKme1Ha4ix58vVCYzDp8wZFjMGd0OeGIBtFJt8zB3iivXBBwlqnvumaoU5A8-Sq8lWEELA-xhqSwQu/s400/The+Family+of+Philip+of+Parma+by+Giuseppe+Baldrighi%252C+1755.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This detail seen below depicts a greyhound which was part of a pack of greyhounds that was a Royal gift from Louis XV to his son in law Philip. Note the panache with which a silk ribbon ties the greyhound to a sumptuous Louis XV giltwood <i>fauteuil `a la reine</i>! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCHBG8Bo3RVTZoMjldPA5OtylQlfafL5s9MDHGKVH-EShwjdwsAV7PAuu5A0wjhyphenhyphenRrkBkf2yDP3CeNmsYgCEbBdqPg9jJw7-_Mq-rKMwYBHAmn4lfwJR6bu7s1Ywfu3DB2UU7EL5b2V2D/s1600/Baldrighi%252C+Portrait+of+Philip+of+Parma+and+Family%252C+Detail%252C+Parma%252C+18th+C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="425" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCHBG8Bo3RVTZoMjldPA5OtylQlfafL5s9MDHGKVH-EShwjdwsAV7PAuu5A0wjhyphenhyphenRrkBkf2yDP3CeNmsYgCEbBdqPg9jJw7-_Mq-rKMwYBHAmn4lfwJR6bu7s1Ywfu3DB2UU7EL5b2V2D/s400/Baldrighi%252C+Portrait+of+Philip+of+Parma+and+Family%252C+Detail%252C+Parma%252C+18th+C.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
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Below is the Ducal Family's preferred official residence, the Palazzo Colorna. Today it houses one of the World's most admired culinary schools! During the reign of Philip and Louise-Elizabeth, it was where some of the finest examples of the art of Parisian <i>ebenisterie</i> and<i> menuiserie</i> and other glorious examples of sumptuous French court decorative art were assembled so that the Duchess of Parma could bring the decor of Versailles to which she was accustomed and which she clearly sought to recreate around her in her new home abroad. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2A1pIh-_Vb2x6MQU-buFrJJVmjerEdrPz_gIU1gOwLngt3j3OV9Z4M0gFWx0bHyHKZmpT6BhCwvFFb3P-HZgNdWLJMeob8B5YzEfaI0pOkU61vdYUbJ1iHKWOaz8DZ9jwPIG8aLsTKhO/s1600/Palazzo_colorno.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1134" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2A1pIh-_Vb2x6MQU-buFrJJVmjerEdrPz_gIU1gOwLngt3j3OV9Z4M0gFWx0bHyHKZmpT6BhCwvFFb3P-HZgNdWLJMeob8B5YzEfaI0pOkU61vdYUbJ1iHKWOaz8DZ9jwPIG8aLsTKhO/s400/Palazzo_colorno.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Archival records enlighten decorative arts historians that the Ducal couple relied on an agent named Bonnet, working on their behalf with various artisans and <i>marchands merciers</i> to procure a staggering quantity of important and superior furniture, clocks, lighting, <i>chenets</i> for the fireplaces, tapestries, porcelain, and other related items to complete Louise-Elizabeth's objective of recreating the atmosphere of Versailles at the court of Parma. Below is an animated pair of ormolu <i>chenets</i> for the fireplace depicting courtly huntsmen which was procured for Louise-Elizabeth by Bonnet, in Paris in 1752, from the <i>ciseleur doreur</i> Le Lievre. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6XfKzgzf9PCSVQKhMHsG8Z9sy3v1MqiCkGdXfD17f6s7xaHP96Jd4F0xpGO5D3WuZPGxhBBjeVScML4zsoeWdfe1VzadhJ0s0BTpUo8qwrVllniGfW2yRx7Dz1spyUK-XyUEBjkXSwZE/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1488" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6XfKzgzf9PCSVQKhMHsG8Z9sy3v1MqiCkGdXfD17f6s7xaHP96Jd4F0xpGO5D3WuZPGxhBBjeVScML4zsoeWdfe1VzadhJ0s0BTpUo8qwrVllniGfW2yRx7Dz1spyUK-XyUEBjkXSwZE/s400/IMG_0796.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Below is another pair that was purchased from the <i>marchand mercier</i> Chez Boucher et Chez Jacquemin in 1754. These were actually in the Ducal Palace apartment of Monsieur de la Combe who was in charge of the Ducal <i>Guarde-Robe</i>. It is in the buoyant <i>Chinoiserie</i> style and after a model believed to be by Thomas Germain. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6eLyB7ofR7h0COSVN3WDsD8pdBSH-sR6tdrQthMoLdxKTRGv4T0EnLKy2fekOkK_u1f-AHcM3o7JLbGdkD6NDgyYu8u7ZO8P6_JzQIB74dA3FZ3reB1dTmxQ5SKjMvZzKThXDxEYnpZb/s1600/IMG_0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1563" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6eLyB7ofR7h0COSVN3WDsD8pdBSH-sR6tdrQthMoLdxKTRGv4T0EnLKy2fekOkK_u1f-AHcM3o7JLbGdkD6NDgyYu8u7ZO8P6_JzQIB74dA3FZ3reB1dTmxQ5SKjMvZzKThXDxEYnpZb/s400/IMG_0798.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Ducal Palace had a vast collection of clocks by the best clock makers of the day such as Lepautre and Julien Le Roy. The current whereabouts of some of these clocks is unknown. But some do exist today. Among the more notable clocks remaining is this one seen below. It is by Dennis Masson and was acquired by the Duke of Parma in 1759. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk-73d4uZNszokaOWA4sUkrbg20EdUnBnXpdWEGwMlLZ_XtIAj4xcE0yy-psM8UtbKGsJJPd7FJq1HVSQxsLL9KESLxHmmVilLFMYg_JF3AZBva8WpKPjN5NdXOuEjEpf91Odc-9nn42b/s1600/IMG_0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="891" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk-73d4uZNszokaOWA4sUkrbg20EdUnBnXpdWEGwMlLZ_XtIAj4xcE0yy-psM8UtbKGsJJPd7FJq1HVSQxsLL9KESLxHmmVilLFMYg_JF3AZBva8WpKPjN5NdXOuEjEpf91Odc-9nn42b/s400/IMG_0800.JPG" width="260" /></a></div>
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The more extravagant clock below is of tortoiseshell with ormolu with an allegorical decorative scheme and is signed by Jacques Panier who was known for making clocks with fine repeater movements. It was probably acquired from the <i>marchand mercier</i> Testard in Paris in 1754 and matches a description in an archived invoice that states it was sold for 260 livres. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwaY8w1dKCIwT_SMXNxVwQyMNG4sIL6o2LXC42nUnfmRgAhv_l7A92tVO_BN6m2fzenCqH5Dq2pntxtYGL_7OsmY62f7LKcF0FWrmNqdEwTVlmGJt5d0YtxcCpuMVvEsMTUFUZGUvIxfy/s1600/IMG_0808.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwaY8w1dKCIwT_SMXNxVwQyMNG4sIL6o2LXC42nUnfmRgAhv_l7A92tVO_BN6m2fzenCqH5Dq2pntxtYGL_7OsmY62f7LKcF0FWrmNqdEwTVlmGJt5d0YtxcCpuMVvEsMTUFUZGUvIxfy/s400/IMG_0808.JPG" width="282" /></a></div>
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The Duke and Duchess of Parma seem to have relied a great deal on Bonnet, He was probably involved in the negotiations that led to the acquisition of considerable quantities of exceptionally fine tapestries from the Royal Manufacture of Tapestries founded by Louis XIV at Gobelins. <br />
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Below is a Gobelins tapestry depicting a very romanticized and luscious depiction of the New World after the artist Desportes from a series entitled <i>Nouvelles Indes. </i></div>
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Below is another Gobelins tapestry depicting the adventures of the Spanish character immortalized by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote. The series acquired by the Duke and Duchess of Parma, of which we see one example, was after cartoons by Antoine Coypel. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J-uJ8f8UxPJ5vjUfBkslR03nyDcnEQMuAEuKm7MzRm7MCoEfeU42_yAKJJupcBzDUkllJCmhUKWDmpXo0LQERE30iPA0hOYT_keQPzOAYlMXDlz1fExfYzG2uJKI1g-bQWTn-9JtYUTc/s1600/IMG_0783.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="979" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J-uJ8f8UxPJ5vjUfBkslR03nyDcnEQMuAEuKm7MzRm7MCoEfeU42_yAKJJupcBzDUkllJCmhUKWDmpXo0LQERE30iPA0hOYT_keQPzOAYlMXDlz1fExfYzG2uJKI1g-bQWTn-9JtYUTc/s400/IMG_0783.JPG" width="326" /></a></div>
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Note the ravishingly carved and gilded suites of seating furniture seen above and below which give an idea of the sumptuous triumphs of the art of the <i>menuiseur</i> in the Ducal collection... Records indicate that the carved and gilded <i>menuiserie</i> that mostly included seating furniture were by the very best artisans of the period such as Avisse, Tilliard (who was a great favourite of Madame de Pompadour with whom Louise-Elizabeth became acquainted in 1748), Foliot and Cresson! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81ln6zRHCQHLIoce_KHDli3-VkKwtT6qfxxUMldQxnIJgUYyfrRxQ_S6d_ThF8-YHLKcb9jsq0WUichdUvFdHH46Tk1eLbh6ZKE4A4hHl4q7od_9kA9IKPZOYhNMTfujgQNOLHR3MEkn0/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1108" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81ln6zRHCQHLIoce_KHDli3-VkKwtT6qfxxUMldQxnIJgUYyfrRxQ_S6d_ThF8-YHLKcb9jsq0WUichdUvFdHH46Tk1eLbh6ZKE4A4hHl4q7od_9kA9IKPZOYhNMTfujgQNOLHR3MEkn0/s400/IMG_0784.JPG" width="390" /></a></div>
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Below are more examples. Do note how the seating furniture was created <i>en chassis</i>. The upholstery could be consequently changed to suit furnishing needs in winter and summer with alternating covering. Winter seating seems to have been mostly with Gobelins tapestry. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL91MCyyjSQla_z9GJPZdXQYKgnL-pE93EeH81H1msmy6K4UlkPwSkHDBYI82nyuCQ4EZAqmDlSa8lugvSWQSDBCOxr_2FU_8d4_ipcmXS-lUezsxWm86hyGCIoOV4C619ZlhjDDQz7tZJ/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1466" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL91MCyyjSQla_z9GJPZdXQYKgnL-pE93EeH81H1msmy6K4UlkPwSkHDBYI82nyuCQ4EZAqmDlSa8lugvSWQSDBCOxr_2FU_8d4_ipcmXS-lUezsxWm86hyGCIoOV4C619ZlhjDDQz7tZJ/s400/IMG_0787.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dE0QPfZtNqpjpM6MiYoa6iJHrewz3baZ6UfM55T7Ip8jnd-zpEosDpWOq5v2dlH56AsuZJxvo_qfEaxTPVCS4sy4uFz34vCySe40wMi-5m2wkTuLTWyfpNf11GFDejfxXz3Gb3zIJrx1/s1600/IMG_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="990" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dE0QPfZtNqpjpM6MiYoa6iJHrewz3baZ6UfM55T7Ip8jnd-zpEosDpWOq5v2dlH56AsuZJxvo_qfEaxTPVCS4sy4uFz34vCySe40wMi-5m2wkTuLTWyfpNf11GFDejfxXz3Gb3zIJrx1/s400/IMG_0789.JPG" width="292" /></a></div>
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In this portrait seen below of Louise-Elizabeth and Philip's son and successor Ferdinand by Johann Zoffany, note the tapestry upholstery has been changed for summer with green silk damask.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUUPIT5hbFQubTdfkDeFNdlSjdrf6pWoaySIdhEtVfsOXkMqk7H31CvLmSh3WaosjTBUpoBWm3q2oxDs5RtzHqugKfgSpCPXjPF-SDJ1IeF8tp5Rt0DIVPHHIVOKrYCpe_dRzC07g_wWu/s1600/Duke+Ferdinando+I+of+Parma+-+Johann+Zoffany.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="549" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUUPIT5hbFQubTdfkDeFNdlSjdrf6pWoaySIdhEtVfsOXkMqk7H31CvLmSh3WaosjTBUpoBWm3q2oxDs5RtzHqugKfgSpCPXjPF-SDJ1IeF8tp5Rt0DIVPHHIVOKrYCpe_dRzC07g_wWu/s400/Duke+Ferdinando+I+of+Parma+-+Johann+Zoffany.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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The acquisitions also included this <i>cartonnier</i> seen below with five gilded leather fronted compartments surmounting a frieze of three veneered drawers over a front case with a diamond trellis design. It is missing the ormolu clock that would have certainly been placed atop. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v6NAHOc67HMuZ9J-we6qlfVnqs3XgkREWsWAgeY-NpQKuUTiuZC3OB9TAtYSmK6uSwBwKrT73QRtCsraIRFwOm0PI9wTzPn6BzsSvFFrBwURcboz5K81OD9qMV20J87Rv3-S1QuSQL7m/s1600/IMG_0803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v6NAHOc67HMuZ9J-we6qlfVnqs3XgkREWsWAgeY-NpQKuUTiuZC3OB9TAtYSmK6uSwBwKrT73QRtCsraIRFwOm0PI9wTzPn6BzsSvFFrBwURcboz5K81OD9qMV20J87Rv3-S1QuSQL7m/s400/IMG_0803.JPG" width="245" /></a></div>
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Below, another portrait of Ferdinand as a youth depicts a bureau plat and <i>cartonnier </i>from the ducal collections acquired in France by his parents. But you'll note how the <i>cartonnier</i> seen in this portrait does have the clock intended for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9E-7MIMab9oy446827GWl43JfISChaIAETjZbrk7VLPCJ0RnV3TZjZjhIEc9FoE0U3A97cQcBcK7my2NbNjzPGMtpz7rZ4JbzOIog8pH4HNLtp6N3Qa5UrzjmeQ1VvGW24fObTQYTBJX/s1600/Ferdinand+I+of+Parma+by+Pietro+Melchiorre+Ferrari.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="597" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9E-7MIMab9oy446827GWl43JfISChaIAETjZbrk7VLPCJ0RnV3TZjZjhIEc9FoE0U3A97cQcBcK7my2NbNjzPGMtpz7rZ4JbzOIog8pH4HNLtp6N3Qa5UrzjmeQ1VvGW24fObTQYTBJX/s400/Ferdinand+I+of+Parma+by+Pietro+Melchiorre+Ferrari.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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The two <i>encoigneurs</i> below are also part of the cartloads of exceptional Parisian <i>ebenisterie</i> to make their way to the court of Parma. On the left, by an unknown <i>ebeniste</i>, the <i>encoigneur</i> was ordered for the private apartments of Louise-Elizabeth at the Palazzo Colorno. On the right, the <i>encoigneur</i> is attributed to Jacques Dubois. It is noted by its fine floral marquetry and no less finely defined ormolu that is strikingly similar to a desk by Dubois ordered by the Duc de Choiseuil that is now in the collection of the Louvre Museum. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHid7D3xSi_huO8OP9ZE39gtpOXvtffS5U-Folnl_1ntodt9u_d1l2wZSZWpT17zmVtuL_5HByc21jzN0dHMDUe8UZaAP4X1TXff3ZRfNbe17V3Cj4Kr6lYRGVCL3AyTiLvbqTY55e934X/s1600/IMG_0804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1572" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHid7D3xSi_huO8OP9ZE39gtpOXvtffS5U-Folnl_1ntodt9u_d1l2wZSZWpT17zmVtuL_5HByc21jzN0dHMDUe8UZaAP4X1TXff3ZRfNbe17V3Cj4Kr6lYRGVCL3AyTiLvbqTY55e934X/s400/IMG_0804.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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However, among the most superb examples of <i>ebenisterie</i> in the Ducal collection was this commode ordered from Bernard Van Riesen Burgh that has a veneer of consummately executed <i>Vernis Martin</i> imitating Asian lacquer embellished by gleaming ormolu mounts. This commode was acquired and placed in the apartments of La Marquise de Leyde who enjoyed a very important position in the household of the Duchess of Parma. Though, after the return of the marquise to Versailles in 1754 it was retained in the Ducal collection. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1NkPzAVkhN09IDLQQwadMBKykFMayvBf7lZIHZlr_MEaS5uXNmT4usr9fS8f2Kvh8SV3fiQNKfPCvfov5tqkF4q_NzhTy2p7_5STQ-OLJiH7gdFrAELGehKnC95ojnQh7-OmB3VXWUiv/s1600/IMG_0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1315" data-original-width="1121" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1NkPzAVkhN09IDLQQwadMBKykFMayvBf7lZIHZlr_MEaS5uXNmT4usr9fS8f2Kvh8SV3fiQNKfPCvfov5tqkF4q_NzhTy2p7_5STQ-OLJiH7gdFrAELGehKnC95ojnQh7-OmB3VXWUiv/s400/IMG_0806.JPG" width="340" /></a></div>
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Other commodes with veneers of fine and rare wood included these two below... The one directly below is by Jacques Dubois. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzN1joj3HcEGiIm7TE4-EsDlS3R3XODEfzeCzMu83imNOkzIutTglNBCyUZRoHowNO8TKWF8kBr56IML_BwRcUDk7Z6W7PKwPaGzv0cv7ozbcKGtpxu0QBe3ZyiJvrJ8lMrpnRN1pZiCVz/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzN1joj3HcEGiIm7TE4-EsDlS3R3XODEfzeCzMu83imNOkzIutTglNBCyUZRoHowNO8TKWF8kBr56IML_BwRcUDk7Z6W7PKwPaGzv0cv7ozbcKGtpxu0QBe3ZyiJvrJ8lMrpnRN1pZiCVz/s400/IMG_0795.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The commode seen below is by Jean Pierre Latz. But note how both
commodes are embellished by identical ormolu mounts. This is not unusual
as the guild system that ensured this Olympian quality in the art of
Parisian <i>ebenisterie </i>before the French Revolution forbade an <i>ebeniste</i> to apply mounts made by his studio. The ormolu had to be supplied by a <i>ciseleur doreur</i> and it was not surprising that two <i>ebenistes</i> would work with the same<i> ciseleur doreur</i>. If not the <i>ebeniste</i>, the <i>marchand mercier</i>
might understandably be responsible for the choice of ormolu if he was
directing the production of the artisans, as was often the case.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"> </span><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw1XwCcA5e_CCAlm2ME1gmFDDQ5HN52bn9II_u-8HFwiAJfS232To3enpbd1AhX2NbWUAR6ECwNxNATMO-RjtajieCelrCCl6lJ4_3c88h_oEqLJwnXRMV9NCLJ01Yyv43UT0xM_T14Ji/s400/IMG_0793.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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Another important example of the Duchess' acquisition of Parisian furniture was this exuberantly designed <i>bureau plat </i>that once occupied pride of place in the grands apartments of Louise-Elizabeth in the Palazzo Colorna. It is attributed to Charles Cressent. The ormolu mounts are especially important and have the "C" <i>couronné</i> stamps that were done only during the period of 1745-1749. The quality of the ormolu in this <i>bureau plat</i> is outstanding in its execution with dazzling surfaces and extavagantly assertive female busts on the cariatid mounts seen on the four legs. It is seen below. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtRDEOzxa900ppVDE9KKug4nn_TwkHhVapkH_DF13XnnaxJmpMPYNhvq5JU2bVkNFlIyU853l2vbXDMPZLNq-_-Rjy8vdet-RCXqi-sHl_tnTP9YfTLrup8KqSSk_8cVmZJgc_Q-S-6tf/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1536" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtRDEOzxa900ppVDE9KKug4nn_TwkHhVapkH_DF13XnnaxJmpMPYNhvq5JU2bVkNFlIyU853l2vbXDMPZLNq-_-Rjy8vdet-RCXqi-sHl_tnTP9YfTLrup8KqSSk_8cVmZJgc_Q-S-6tf/s400/IMG_0790.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The eventual dispersal of the Ducal collections in the 19th Century and the Unification of Italy destined such furniture of regal quality to eventually end up at the Palazzo Quirinal in Rome. Formerly the residence of the Pope, after Italian Unification, it became the official residence of the Kings of Italy and later became the official residence of the President of Italy after the loss of the Italian Monarchy in the wake of WWII. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAfqhCV0m8-mGyFDhqkb7hy5guL2kxE1laOOmepFCM6WE_9vTTrLbuHOv4StCl7Pjlyqj4GFU0D-KRw17pWJ6wzsHUWFOskVZZwsfGlEscGc0_c2TNElJUSwg3l96FhCaM85cDN-rXOL5/s1600/RomaPalazzoQuirinale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAfqhCV0m8-mGyFDhqkb7hy5guL2kxE1laOOmepFCM6WE_9vTTrLbuHOv4StCl7Pjlyqj4GFU0D-KRw17pWJ6wzsHUWFOskVZZwsfGlEscGc0_c2TNElJUSwg3l96FhCaM85cDN-rXOL5/s400/RomaPalazzoQuirinale.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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However, not all of the exceptionally fine furniture ordered from Paris by the Duke and Duchess of Parma ended up at the Palazzo Quirinal. This portrait at the Metropolitan Museum in New York seen below depicts the youngest daughter of Philip and Louise-Elizabeth of Parma named Marie-Louisa. She was married to her cousin the Spanish Prince of Austurias who later became Carlos IV. As his consort Maria-Louisa became one of Spain's most controversial queens, patron of Goya and mistress of Manuel Godoy, her husband's no less controversial minister. In the portrait below, the young Maria Louisa is seen with another <i>fauteuil `a la reine </i>by Nicholas-Quinibert Foliot that is believed to be after a design by Contant d'Ivry...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0b-t36CKaR7WUBnSy9ybk8X7g58BqDOpUZOXstRhskgQMXLApoHGzfh1OvXLLTcVPTHXFwJHI5NQHUaQxDqM_IHvh8AK9UJP7PZu1OMydx1NQlC6SEssfA1FnexEe8Dt5n5l-JHl_hhw/s1600/DSCN8840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0b-t36CKaR7WUBnSy9ybk8X7g58BqDOpUZOXstRhskgQMXLApoHGzfh1OvXLLTcVPTHXFwJHI5NQHUaQxDqM_IHvh8AK9UJP7PZu1OMydx1NQlC6SEssfA1FnexEe8Dt5n5l-JHl_hhw/s400/DSCN8840.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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... And the same museum is fortunate enough to also have the same<i> fauteuil</i> in the Wrightsman Galleries which is seen below in the salon the Metropolitan Museum has from the Palais Paar in Vienna. As you can note, this<i> fauteuil</i> enviably retains its original upholstery. Having grown up surrounded by furniture, tapestry, and other objects of such outstanding beauty and quality, Maria Louisa would also go on to become one of the most discerning patrons of decorative arts as Queen of Spain as can be seen by all the interiors she occupied and had decorated for her at the Palacio Real in Madrid as well as other Spanish Royal residences. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVu-aH7MLxRwgo7Px8RugovtD-P5iAkgzrEnt51yxYXQT6r9JdaG-AHRmwKRe0NAl-DyMSJR9VZNaZHB3UHHhLQkWb4rxWcKMA2LBJQcutenF_mVhdZVZt9QEVp8X4FqcEdgzdWZ4ywo_/s1600/DSCN6778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVu-aH7MLxRwgo7Px8RugovtD-P5iAkgzrEnt51yxYXQT6r9JdaG-AHRmwKRe0NAl-DyMSJR9VZNaZHB3UHHhLQkWb4rxWcKMA2LBJQcutenF_mVhdZVZt9QEVp8X4FqcEdgzdWZ4ywo_/s320/DSCN6778.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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We are indeed fortunate that Louis XV's eldest daughter was such a discerning woman of enlightened taste in the best of the decorative arts of a time that the art of the cabinet maker, the bronze smith, and the tapestry weaver reached unparalleled heights of unapologetic perfection! Without her prodigious Royal orders from Paris to recreate the elegance of the Court of Versailles in Parma, both the Italian Palazzo Quirinal and the Metropolitan Museum would have been the poorer! </div>
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<br />The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-3243250707970629602016-11-20T21:28:00.000-08:002016-11-21T07:47:13.948-08:00A FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED LOUIS XV PERIOD COLLECTION OF DECORATIVE ART DONATED BY A ROTHCHILD TO THE ISRAEL MUSEUM IN JERUSALEM AND INSTALLED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF HENRI SAMUEL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In his unforgettably lively diaries, Le Duc de Saint-Simon assures us that the businessman and financier Samuel Bernard was the one man in front of whom even Louis XIV would have to ever so subtly grovel by flattering the banker's vanity and turn on the royal charm to obtain the monies needed to keep going during in in the early 18th Century when the wars of the last period of his reign were taking a toll on Royal finances. Anyone who was informed in late 17th and early 18th Century France knew that Samuel Bernard (1651-1739) could command sums like no one and he was very important and influential as a result. Money talked then as it talks today. This is his portrait below by Hyacinthe Rigaud - who of course painted the well known official portrait of the mature Louis XIV in his glory. Samuel Bernard, who later was given the title of Comte de Coubert, could certainly afford the best! <br />
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Samuel Bernard represented the emerging class of men of commerce that were the true beneficiaries of the reign of <i>Le Roi Soleil</i> and as this cast of businessmen, financiers and <i>fermiers generaux </i>of the <i>Ancien Régime</i> began to progressively gather power and influence in the 18th Century, they often commissioned fine <i>Hôtels</i> in Paris that rivaled the residences of the older and socially superior <span lang="fr"><i>noblesse d'épée.</i> </span><br />
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His son, Samuel-Jacques Bernard (1686-1753) , later Comte de Coubert after inheriting from his father, was fortunate enough to be born in to a great fortune. This allowed him to ally himself to the better pedigreed <span lang="fr"><i>noblesse d'épée </i>by marrying the daughter of </span>of Le Marquis de La Coste by which means he procured a property and eventually joined two houses on the rue du Bac and the rue Saint-Dominique and the architect entrusted with taking the two houses and giving them a proper remodeling was François Debias-Aubry who engaged a master wood carver Jean Martin Pelletier to execute the <i>boiseries</i>. Below is a surviving plan of this house of which nothing survives as it fell victim to the ambitious remaking of Paris directed by Baron Haussman during the reign of Napoleon III in the Second Empire Period. <br />
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The house was sold after the death of Samuel-Jacques Bernard in 1753 by 1761. Its succeeding resident and owner was another financier, Pierre Pierre Tavenier de Boullongnne.<br />
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The historic significance and admirable quality of the <i>boiserie</i> paneling and remaining contents was already appreciated by many before the demolition of the house and these elements were sold in 1887.<br />
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This was so, even before the public sale of the contents of the house long after the death of Tavanier de Boullogne in the early 1790's. As the demolition of the house approached, Baron Edmond de Rothchild (1845-1934) bought the panels of the <i>grand salon de compagnie </i>before the remaining <i>boiseries </i>and appointments were sold to the public.<br />
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The <i>boiseries </i>of this <i>grand salon de compagnie</i> were later installed in Baron Edmond's Paris residence at 47 Faubourg St Honoré. They remained there until 1969. This is a photo of Baron Edmond below.<br />
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The panels of sumptuously carved and gilded <i>boiseries</i> from this historic <i>salon de compagnie</i> were donated in the late 1960's by Baron Edmond's grandson to the new Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The room was opened to the public in May of 1969 to great fanfare and the installation was entrusted to one of the great personages of the world of aristocratic decorating, Henri Samuel. As is also widely known, It was to Henri Samuel that the munificent donors to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, Charles and Jayne Wrightsman, entrusted with the similar supervision of the installation of a breathtaking suite of period French 18th Century rooms much admired today as The Wrightsman Galleries.<br />
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In the December 1969 issue of C<i>onnaissance des Arts</i> magazine, an article was written by Marcelle Berre de Turique celebrating the new installation. At the time, without the benefit of today's more updated scholarship which later shed more light on the room's history and original configuration, the room was hailed as a masterpiece of historical authenticity and a perfect representation of a Louis XV period s<i>alon de compagnie</i> which the article also incorrectly believed to be by Germain Bouffrand. It cited the presence of no less superb furniture such as the large <i>bureau plat</i> in the centre of the room attributed to Pierre Migeon, the ravishing <i>Porcelain de Saxe</i> inkstand resting upon it, the luxurious suite of seating furniture covered in fine needlepoint, the pair of portraits, the large Beauvais tapestries and the large scale marble statue of Diana the Huntress which had a provenance of having come from the royal gardens of Marly. All this was cited to show the correctness and authenticity of this installation reputed to recreate a salon in which Voltaire and Madame de Pompadour would have felt at home. See the five illustrations below from that article. <br />
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The reality is entirely different. No one who loves the <i>joie de vivre</i> of the French 18th Century would argue the room is not ravishing and of great interest. But, like just about any American museum "period room" (with the exception of the admirable <i>Salon Doré</i> recently restored at the Palace of the Legion of Honour Museum in San Francisco), it's not quite an authentic recreation. On a good day, it's an assembled group of lovely representative French 18th Century decorative art in a room of <i>boiseries</i> carved in the mid 18th Century and vastly changed by the time it got to Israel to the point that its original owner would be very bewildered and disoriented! Years after the article cited above appeared and claimed my notice, the late Bruno Pons, in his landmark book <i>French Period Rooms</i> shared his research that established the architect was not Bouffrand and that the room was significantly altered to suit Baron Edmond de Rothchild, and later the museum under Henri Samuel's supervision. This is how the room appeared in Bruno Pons' book. With slight tweaking it's not too different today when this essay was written in late 2016. <br />
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In the mid 18th Century, a <i>salon de compagnie</i> would have been for a reception or gatherings to play card games or tric trac. The seating <i>`a la reine</i> with flat backs would have been formally arranged around the wall and seldom removed from there. While the less formal curved backed seating <i>en cabriolet</i> would have been used in the center of the room and used around the gaming tables. Console tables with marble tops were part of the original furnishings as well. The currently displayed console tables are adequate substitutes however. Tapestries were not customary either. More mirrored panels would have been part of the original ensemble. Pons' research also established how the doors which now flank the short walls would have been in the corners. The current corner panels would have flanked the mantle piece!<br />
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The original cornice was once a <i>tour de force</i> of carving and gilding and long ago lost. A pretty but repetitive cornice was installed under Henri Samuel's direction.<br />
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There would have been no <i>bureau plat</i>. It was not a study. And while no one will deny, that to an early 21st century visitor, the large marble figure of Diana adds fetching note of panache as a decorative addition, it would have been an inconceivable addition to drag in a statue from the garden into a <i>grand salon de compagnie </i> of the <i>Ancien Régime</i>! And while the room has some lovely Sevres porcelain as well, the factory didn't exist when Bernard commissioned the room and no Sevres porcelain is cited having been in the room in an extensive inventory taken after his death in 1753. <br />
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In the Pons publication the <i>dessus-de-porte</i> paintings are also discussed. This is the finest one below depicting an allegory of Asia. It was painted by Carle Van Loo and is clearly the best of the set of four such over door paintings depicting the 4 corners of the world which also had panels representing Africa and America by Jacques Dumont le Romain as well as another panel representing Europe by Jean Restout.<br />
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These are some more recent images that show the latest arrangements of the salon with the bureau plat in a different position and the <i>canapé</i> that was not seen in the earlier images. Note the incorrect placement of seating <i>`a la reine </i>in the centre of the room around the <i>bureau plat</i>... <br />
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...While on the wall on the right seen in the photo below, from which the room is entered to be visited with a barrier, in between the windows and doors, there are a pair of Louis XV <i>canapés</i> with curved backs against the walls... Of course they would have not been anywhere except the centre of the room in the 18th Century if they would have been placed in the room at all!<br />
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In the end, the room is a fine and welcome addition for study of the decorative arts in the middle of the French 18th Century. It assembles a high quality variety of representative categories of architectural wall panels, furniture, a fine Savonnerie carpet of the period, exemplary Beauvais tapestries, Sevres porcelain ormolu lighting fixtures, clocks and fireplace related items such as <i>chenets</i>. It even incorporates Chinese porcelain which would have been to the taste of 18th Century elites in Paris during the reign of Louis XV.<br />
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For a young Israeli student of the decorative arts seeking to see good examples of the French decorative arts of this period it's a very good start until such a student can get to see more examples in Paris and Versailles. However as a decorative ensemble, like the Wrightsman Galleries, it's just a gathering of superb and representative items in one room that only manages to evoke and fails to authentically recreate a <i>grand salon de compagni</i>e of mid 18th Century Paris in which the works of the great writers of the French Enlightenment would have been a plausible subject of discussion along with the latest gossip from the Court of Versailles! <br />
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<br />The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-36267275253585158962016-11-14T13:14:00.000-08:002016-11-14T22:06:35.347-08:00FRÈDÉRIC DE CABROL'S VISION OF THE JOIE DE VIVRE AU DIX-HUITIÈME EN FRANCE.. TRIBUTE TO AN UNDESERVEDLY NEARLY FORGOTTEN GENTLEMAN OF TASTE AND DISCERNMENTFrèdéric de Cabrol was one of the more engaging personages in that delightful social constellation of social figures who animated what has become known as "Cafe Society" which was international but inevitably most at home in Paris from the 1920's until the 1960's. Married to the delightful Daisy, "Fred", as he was known in society, and his charming wife were a fetching pair to be sure. She actually lived to a very mature age and died in 2011. Both husband and wife had unimpeachable and enviable family backgrounds. Frèdéric de Cabrol was a Baron. Entry into the best circles was never much of a challenge to this very attractive and likeable couple who were part of some of the most memorable social events of their generation. For instance, Fred escorted Diana Cooper to the Beistegui Ball in Venice held at Beistegui's Palazzo Labia in September of 1951. Ambassador Duff Cooper couldn't make it. Fred escorted Diana whose costume (styled by Oliver Messel and Cecil Beaton) was that of Cleopatra as interpreted by Tiepolo, the Venetian 18th Century master whose mural in the grand salon of the Palazzo Labia depicted the banquet of the legendary Egyptian queen. No surprise. Frèdéric de Cabrol came dressed as Marc Antony!<br />
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In spite of the enviable position, neither the Baron or the Baronne were at all wealthy and Frèdéric de Cabrol had to make his living as a society decorator. This was his drawing room in Paris in 1948 seen below.<br />
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However with time, he upgraded it as rationing of expensive materials such as fabric began to recede as the post war world prospered. And we can see how he covered the walls in unabashedly sumptuous blue velvet which looked ravishing against the Beauvais tapestry of the early 18th Century that served as the focal point of the drawing room of which we can see two images from an article in<i> Connaissnce des Arts</i> in July 1962. The application of velvet could have been due to the influence of such other decorators of the time of which Georges Geffroy and Emilio Terry come to mind... A deep appreciation of Pre-revolutionary French 18th Century styles resonates in these rooms which still also seamlessly introduce 20th Century comforts. Of course the underpinning of <i>Ancien Regime</i> elegance is seldom out of view. The tapestry, the bureau plat and the splendid objects in ormolu resting upon it are the principal objects that lend the room its 18th Century <i>esprit d'epoque</i> with great apparently effortless theatrical flair.. And the splendid <i>tabouret pliant</i> is utterly <i>digne de Versailles</i>! But the pair of English style cozy club chairs flanking the fireplace also introduce the same comforts as Beistegui introduced in his library at Groussay. An undeniable tour de force! </div>
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According to Evaline Schumberger, the author of the same <i>Connaissnce des Arts</i> article (who regularly reported on the various works being commissioned by Charles de Beistegui at Le Chateau de Groussay and at the Palazzo Labia) Frèdéric de Cabrol, who largely drew his clients from his social friends and acquaintances, believed intensely that the designer's obligation was to create a room that genuinely reflected the client's tastes and way of living. Of course it's probably safe to assume his clients were not too different in background and inclinations and style of living and it wasn't as challenging as it might be today in a far more diversified social environment.All the remaining photos below are from that same article in the July 1962 issue of <i>Connaissnce des Arts </i>by Evaline Schlumberger. </div>
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Le Baron de Cabrol was also an ardent advocate of three principals: Comfort, Convenience and Warmth. But like most of l<i>e gratin</i> of Paris at the time, he loved the French 18th Century. This dining room he designed in a very refined attenuated Louis XVI style is a symphony of blue in which simple cotton fabric covers the walls and plays off against two tone blue velvet curtains and that hopelessly chic cut velvet upholstery on the chairs which is so evocative of the period. The spare use of a discreet 18th Century portrait of a gentleman flanked by ormolu sconces and a few other spare but delicate framed pictures contribute to create a welcoming and serene environment in which to dine which is animated ever so gently by the blue and white Delft chandelier over the Louis XVI mahogany dining table of sober elegance. </div>
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Below is a reminder of what Evaline Schlumberger also reminds us was another penchant of Le Baron de Cabrol: reusing and making creative use of the "nice things" his clients already owned or inherited. He was not one to discourage massive discarding of family items. Of course, one can only imagine the caliber of "things" his clients brought to the project! The drawing room below with its original Louis XIV period marble fireplace and "bones" was a good example of how Le Baron de Cabrol would delight working with the things he clients already owned. The lovely old masters and Regence chairs were other fine heirlooms that come along with the client of which he was no doubt glad to put to use in the project. C'etait magnifique! </div>
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Below is a room in which 18th Century French elements are in evidence... The lovely Louis XVI mahogany writing table in the Reisener tradition in the centre of the room, the Louis XVI green marble mantle piece and white and gold trumeau above it are good 18th Century anchors. But the room in this instance is more of a mid 19th Century mood with the use of golden yellow moire wall coverings and the vibrantly red upholstered Napoleon III style upholstered sofa and easy chairs. It conjures up the kind of room one of Proust's characters such as Orianne de Guermantes would have perhaps enjoyed in private while betraying the influence of Beistegui and Madame Castaing. When all is said and done, Frèdéric de Cabrol was a master of his art and brought to it the self assurance that only someone steeped in an appreciation of the <i>Ancien Regime </i>and an understanding of its <i>douceur de vivre</i> could bring to the task of the creation of a timeless interior of the sort we'll very likely not see again in our lifetime. <br />
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<br />The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-69090333329179973532015-08-27T18:22:00.001-07:002015-08-28T00:46:08.481-07:00INTERIOR DESIGNER MICHAEL GREER'S VISION OF THE JOYFUL FRENCH DIX-HUITIÈME... HIS LOVE OF NEOCLASSICISM, TÔLE PEINT AND STEEL FURNITUREFew of the younger people in the world devoted to interior design, elegant living, antiques and collecting even remember the Georgia born society decorator who reached the pinnacle of success in the 1960's and one of New York society's most admired, pursued interior designers, the debonair Michael Greer. Greer's cosmopolitan clients also included the well born and successful residing in major places like Washington DC and in various cities in California. As a precocious teen I remember being taken by the unabashed, the no less effortless chic and panache of Greer's last New York City apartment which was the subject of an article in Architectural Digest in 1974. It was an emphatic contributory factor in my journey as a young art historian and aesthete to eventually become a specialist in French Eighteenth Century decorative arts and to study its social history with keen diligence. At the peak of his successful career, Michael Greer was consulted by no one less than Mrs. Kennedy during her efforts to elevate the decor and collections in the White House. But, a more interesting fact is that Mr. Greer was also an advisor to Mrs. Kennedy's admittedly less discerning predecessor Mrs. Eisenhower and to Jacqueline Kennedy's successor Lady Bird Johnson. Michael Greer is seen in the photo below in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House next to Mrs. Kennedy during the heady Camelot Era. He is on the left of the First Lady.<br />
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In this photo portrait of Michael Greer seen below, from the verso of the dust jacket on his once widely admired book <i>Inside Design</i> (which had at least 6 printings!), we see the young successful designer who, at that wonderfully exciting time in his career had been recalled by one friend after his death as "stunning - tall, slender and witty". </div>
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According to an article on Greer published in <i>People Magazine</i> after his tragic death in 1976, Greer counted among his clients, friends and dinner guests such personages as Joan Fontaine, Mary Martin, Geraldine Page and the irrepressible Ethel Merman. He enjoyed the invitations of such enviable hosts as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the Queen of Denmark. The article further added a description of a sybaritic life citing that Greer "drank from Baccarat crystal and travelled in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce. With his cook-butler, he entertained the Vanderbilts, Revsons, Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson." The urbane and charismatic Hermione Gingold was a special favourite "I'd known him a long time" she said in the same article, and added "He would offer me his car and chauffeur... "<br />
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I hope my readers will agree it is regrettable that such a fine, accomplished gentleman of discernment brimming over with, as more than one contemporary assures us, <i>joie de vivre</i> along with an infectious enthusiasm for grand interiors and facile appreciation of <i>l'art de vivre</i>, should more often than not be only scantly remembered today for the brutal and murky circumstances of his gruesome murder in his apartment in April of 1976 at age 60 when he was found strangled to death and tied to his favourite Neoclassical steel bed in the red room of his apartment. A newspaper clipping right after the murder is seen below. It didn't help either that, for reasons I find rather peculiar, when Doyle's auction house in New York City sold his collections of lovely Louis XVI and Directoire furniture and appointments, a piece of case furniture on display during the auction preview was discovered to still have a rather unexpected collection of dildos in it that, it seems, no one thought to remove! Need it be said? The story made the rounds all over New York and still comes up when poor Michael Greer's name is mentioned to the aged over 60 members of the antiques and interior design scene in New York!<br />
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Michael Greer should be more remembered and admired by today's lovers and students of <i>l'art de vivre </i>for his rolling off the proverbial log facility when it came to creating ravishing and welcoming interiors for himself and his clients that clearly demonstrate a well educated man of superior taste, an almost instinctive command of information about the history of the great periods of European decorative art and a particularly admirable knack for adapting historical styles to the mood and rhythm of the lives of well to do and sophisticated New Yorkers and other appreciative clients in other American cities of the mid 20th Century. And while Greer did have a vast reserve of carefully acquired familiarity with all the great historical styles, it's obvious when we visit his own apartments that this man particularly gravitated to the joyful French Eighteenth Century - and especially to that particularly chic, clean period of Louis XVI and the Directoire with the occasional toe put into the waters of the First Empire!<br />
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That Michael Greer has been nearly forgotten today is genuinely to be lamented. There is much we can learn from him about the art of elegant living from reading <i>Inside Design</i> (which can happily be dug up second hand with a bit of diligence online) and looking at various photos of Michael Greer interiors. However, no matter how much we immerse ourselves in a particular style of the past, it's really nearly impossible to recreate, to the last detail, a perfect Louis XVI or Directoire interior. Nor would even the most ardent collector and enthusiast of the period really want to do so. Modern comforts on which later generations depend would have to go for such a decorative ensemble to be a 100% historically correct recreation. And with domestic help not being available in legions, it's not exactly realistic. That explains, for instance, why Michael Greer did not disdain the use of vinyl flooring when he felt it would be both convenient and effective.<br />
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For instance, Directoire inspired as this dressing room may be, it is clearly something that only a decorator working in the 1960's would have created. Perhaps not one of Greer's best moments... But it's still not without historic interest. You can see it below as it appeared as an illustration in <i>Inside Design.</i><br />
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A visit to Michael Greer's own New York City apartments confirms that, like all men who live life intensely and with <i>joie de vivre</i>, he lived life to the hilt and was an inspiration to the people fortunate enough to come into his orbit. His sure footed sense of style puts him in the league of other design legends such as Elsie de Wolfe, Tony Duquette, Billy Baldwin, Stéphane Boudin, Emilio Terry, Georges Geoffroy, Charles de Beistegui, Anthony Hale and David Hicks. This apartment, until a tragic fire which occurred about 1970, was so admired in its day it was featured in the prestigious French magazine <i>Connaissance des Arts </i>twice in the 1960's as he tweaked and improved it with obvious love. This is a view of the living room below which looked into a dining room that could be discerned through the three arches. </div>
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This apartment, enjoyed by Greer from the later 50's into the early 70's, already has many of his distinctive touches and his penchant for Neoclassical lines and the use of bouillotte lamps along with <i>tôle peint</i>. The paravent with a <i>grisaille</i> decor on a gold ground is certainly reminiscent of Fornasetti with a strong 18th Century precedent at Haga Pavilion in Sweden. Here are two more monochrome details as published in <i>Inside Design</i>. </div>
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The library in this apartment that we see in the image below was particularly welcoming and stylish. I am tempted to compare it to the work of Emilio Terry with it's love of Neoclassicism and clean lines. Here we also have more additions of Directoire and Empire <i>tôle pient </i>and steel furniture. </div>
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Worth visiting brielfly is this library seen below for another of Michael Greer's clients. Note the <i>tôle peint</i> sconces flanking the <i>trumeau</i> and the hanging lighting fixture discerned in this monochrome image over the Louis XVI canapé. Both images of libarires are also illustrations from <i>Inside Design</i>. </div>
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Another distinctive area of collecting interest and connoisseurship to engage Michael Greer's attention was the use of French steel furniture from the late 18th and early 19th Century. This dramatic steel Charles X period bed from ca 1820-30 was particularly impressive in the photo below which was published in the mid 1960's in <i>Connaissance des Arts</i>. It's almost certain the bed was altered by Greer to suit his use. But no less impressive is Greer's obvious love of historical details. Here he used fabric to recreate the ambience of a Napoleonic campaign tent fit for General Bonaparte himself during the Italian and Egyptian Campaigns! Greer paid assiduous attention to such details as fringes and braids as well as hinges, and other hardware used in fine 18th Century interiors. For this he drew upon his well grounded love and familiarity with French 18th Century design principles. </div>
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As stated earlier, a sudden fire that seems to have occurred in 1970 obliged Michael Greer to relocate with a few salvaged examples of furniture and other prized <i>objets d'art</i> that he understandably hastened to install in his next and final apartment which was nothing less than a tour de force!<br />
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Photographed in Architectural Digest in the January/February 1974 issue in full colour, it's obvious a mature, more self assured and fully evolved Michael Greer has emerged in this oustanding and elegant apartment which he enjoyed until his death in 1976. Ever the affable host, the magazine hastened to add that when the journalist writing about this apartment in 1974 arrived, Greer had a gathering in honour of the magazine that included Earl Blackwell, Joan Bennett, Eliot Janeway and even the Duchess of Argyll. The AD writer also thought to note that on that same day, Greer was delighted he had just accomplished the purchase of a rare antique desk costing "only $120,000.00". The remaining photos seen below are of Greer's final residence as seen in AD and which begins with a view to the corner of the main drawing room in which an admittedly questionable Louis XV bureau plat (that is either remade from various antique elements or oddly restored) is laden with such tantalizing items as a monumental ormolu inkstand that was understood to have been made for Catherine II of Russia. Another typical Greer detail rooted in the 18th Century is the collection of obelisks. Note the lovely draped Grecian beauty of antique 18th Century terracotta which was among the items salvaged from the fire in the former apartment as was the desk and the inkstand.<br />
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Looking across this desk into the main drawing room, Greer's passion for Louis XVI and Directoire with a tempered sprinkling of Empire is omnipresent. The suite of Louis XVI seating furniture under the large fragment of an 18th Century French tapestry is stamped by B. Grivet as per the article in AD. And of course, a steel gueridon and a fine bouillotte lamp can be discerned. This is so obviously completely inspired by the festive French 18th Century. However, conceptually this is a very 1970's decorative ensemble. One can't help speculate how Greer may have influenced a few celebrated designers just slightly younger than he was at the time, such as Robert Metzger. Metzger loved his obelisks!<br />
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Again, when we cast a glance at the photo below from that same AD 1974 article, we know it's the early 1970's when we see such stylish accommodations to subtly hide the stereo and other entertainment items like televisions and LP's of classical music behind built in cabinets and a pair of trellised doors (a nod to Elsie de Wolfe perhaps?) flanking the monumental French 18th Century terracotta allegory of Autumn in the mirrored niche. Note the lovely pair of painted and parcel gilt decorative urns atop each pilaster on each side of the mirrored back of the niche. They are very likely Italian, late 18th Century. Also subtly discernible is the pair of terracotta draped Grecian inspired beauties seen in the mirror and which are clearly in the opposite side of this small lounge appointed in a very embracing welcoming Louis XVI and Directoire luxury that includes fine examples of late French 18th Century steel furniture such as the recycled wash stand next to the side chair seen in the left and the small adjustable table `a dejeuner seen in the foreground along the right next to a very sober but chic Directoire bergère. </div>
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Michael Greer's very focused and admirable pursuit of knowledge about the areas of late 18th Century French steel furniture and tôle peint were widely known and his connoisseurship on both subjects were such that among the few reference articles on these subjects still consulted today were authored by him for <i>The Magazine Antiques </i>in the late 1960's. The Charles X period steel bed was salvaged and reused and now set in a powder blue room with a clearly late 18th Century Pecier and Fontaine inspired decor with lavishly draped fabric. Greer loved to reuse lovely 18th Century architectural fragments with which he created curtains and decorations for false windows. The <i>tôle peint</i> hanging lighting fixture is typical Greer as are the outstanding and rare steel chairs and the hauntingly curvaceous rocker that antedates Thornet's bentwood by decades. But in the midst of these eccentric and esoteric decorative fancies, a solid and deeply rooted love and appreciation of the late French 18th and early 19th Centuries resonates<br />
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The room, seen in the two illustrations below, in which Michael Greer liked to write and work, was swathed in the most Imperial red<i> digne de Malmaison</i> and sums up the grand Greer style admirably. The attenuated elegance of the fine mahogany late 18th Century French bonheur du jour under the Louis XVI giltwood wall mirror, the Regence caned canapé, the Baltic late 18th Century ormolu chandelier, bouillotte lamps, the steel gueridon, the painted canvas depicting Ganymede and Zeus over the steel Directoire campaign bed and the obelisks not only remind us of a connoisseur who deeply loves and understands the late 18th Century in France and Continental Europe. It's a decorative ensemble created by a gentleman and a connoisseur who had the self confidence of an Emilio Terry or a Georges Geoffroy. If Michael Greer had ever considered other careers, he might have been an admirable theatrical designer! </div>
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<br />The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-1579794589732357982014-09-02T03:32:00.002-07:002014-09-04T19:05:27.566-07:00A CHARMING LOUIS XV PERIOD SUITE OF SEATING FURNITURE RETURNS TO VIZCAYA MUSEUM IN MIAMI... ATTRIBUTED TO NOGARET DE LYONIn early December of 2011, I was perusing the online catalog for an upcoming "Interiors" auction of assorted furniture and decorative arts at Christie's in New York City. Two lots being offered in succession intrigued me. They were lots 261 and the next lot. The first comprised a pair of lovely painted and ever so gently worn and charming fauteuils à la reine and the other lot comprised a a canapé <i>en suite. </i>Christie's offered the plausible suggestion that the suite might be by the noted menuiseur active in Lyon during the reign of Louis XV, Nogaret. Examples shown on the Christie's online catalog as presented in December 2011 are seen below. Photos are courtesy of Christie's. <br />
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Although I could not fail to notice the similarity of these lovely examples of Mid 18th Century French menuiserie, to some seating furniture in the Rococo "Reception Room" at Vizcaya, a stunning and romantically ravishing house museum in Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay built during WWI for its owner, industrialist James Deering, I was not prepared for the surprise that these pieces were in fact identical and had once been part of a larger suite of Louis XV seating furniture in that room at Vizcaya before it made the transformation from private house into public museum in the 1950's. Below are views of the room taken in the 1980's as it appeared with what was left of the furniture after the Deering nieces removed the items which reappeared decades later in the auction market in late 2011. The photos are courtesy of Vizcaya. <br />
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A condition report that was kindly provided by email was the moment when it all came together and it became clear that this offering of 2 fauteuils à la reine that comprised Lot 261 and a canapé which was the next lot up for auction were part of a larger suite of Louis XV period caned seating furniture that was part of the ravishing decorative ensemble of the museum's Rococo "Reception Room". In this condition report, a very strong provenance demonstrated that two nieces of Vizcaya's owner and builder, James Deering, who were Marion Deering Mc Cormick (Mrs Chauncey) who lived from 1886 and died in 1965, and Barbara Deering Danileson (Mrs Richard) who lived from 1888 to 1987, took possession of the chairs after the death of their uncle. After all, Vizcaya was still a private family owned home and breaking up a large suite of furniture to take back to another residence either niece had up North was not amiss or in any way unusual. it was the prerogative of James Deering's beneficiaries to do as they pleased with the contents of this grand house. The provenance also records that the items were subsequently donated to The Speed Art Museum by these ladies in 1950. Obviously, by 2011, The Speed Art Museum was seeking to sell them in what was likely a sort of de-accession sale and consigned them to Christie's. It was apparent the consigning institution and the auction house had no idea of the historical importance of this set of seating furniture to this widely loved and visited house museum in S Florida. If any further proof was required, that this set of 2 arm chairs and a canapé were part of THE set in the "Reception Room" , a perusal of original vintage photographs of the interiors in Vizcaya document the prior existence of these very same furnishings when Mr. Deering lived at Vizcaya from 1917 until his death in 1925! Below you can see a photo of the room as it appeared in 1917 in which the entire suite seating furniture is seen intact. This photo is taken from the December 1917 issue of <i>The Architectural Review</i>, in which the entire issue is dedicated to Vizcaya and penned by its great outrageously talented mastermind, principal decorator and artistic coordinator, the debonair Paul Chalfin. <br />
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As anyone who has lived a little knows, life is not usually simple or uncomplicated. Getting from point A to point B is not always a straight line. The harrowing events that followed entailed Vizcaya missing the chance to buy the furniture at auction when the Christie's sale transpired after being alerted on such short notice. It seemed as if the museum had lost an enviable opportunity. Then suddenly, while perusing 1stdibs.com in the early part of 2012, to my astonishment, the same 3 pieces reappeared on the gallery market in the inventory of Le Trianon Antiques in Sheffield, MA! This dealer had been the highest (for all one knows perhaps the only) bidder and was now offering them for sale on the retail market. I alerted the museum again. They set in motion the pursuit of the furniture and the curatorial office contacted Le Trianon Antiques immediately. It is to this gallery owner's credit that he was very considerate and reasonable with the museum when approached by the curator of collections employed there at the time in early 2012 (but who is currently no longer at Vizcaya) and agreed to resell it to the museum so the suite could be once again reassembled. Special mention and credit goes to then head of the museum's fund raising arm, "The Vizcayans", Ms. Lynn M. Summers. She was the one to agree with me that the proverbial second chance seldom presents itself, really put the fire under everyone and unrelentingly pushed for this deal happen as soon as she realized the chance to bring this lovely original furniture was there for the taking! Bravo Lynn! <br />
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Below are some recent photos that show the current appearance of the "Reception Room" that has regained its "James Deering Era" (1917-1925) appearance again, with its hypnotically enchanting Vernis Martin inspired black and gold wall panels believed to be from an 18th Century palace in Palermo, luxurious wall silks depicting tropical trees after Rococo style originals designed in the 19th Century (which were kindly rewoven free of charge by Scalamandré after it was clear the originals were threadbare about 60 years ago), a rare and delicate Portuguese mid 18th Century needlepoint carpet, a soberly elegant french Louis XV stone mantle piece, various small Louis XV period tables and a Louis XV style <i>bureau plat</i>, original 18th Century Naples and Chelsea porcelains, a Louis XV tôle cartel clock and all of this dizzying array of Rococo beauty under the benignly serene 18th Century Venetian plaster ceiling from the Rossi Palace in Venice! And finally, back after too many years during which they had been long separated, is the now fully reassembled suite of Louis XV period seating furniture. These photos were taken by myself in January 2014. A truly happy ending! Go to Vizcaya when you are next in Miami and see this historic house of unimaginable poetry, fantasy and charm and fall in love! <br />
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Additional good news about the return of this furniture is that, under the careful supervision of the
curatorial staff so ably headed by Gina Wouters, Curator and Remko
Jansonius, Deputy Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, under
the direction of Museum Director Joel M. Hoffmann, Ph D., the suite is
scheduled</div>
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for a serious restoration and new upholstery for which
Tessinari and Chatel silk will be used! </div>
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Below are recent photos of the restoration crew carefully working on the chairs in the summer of 2014. </div>
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<br />The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-17427701455208745812012-08-13T13:22:00.002-07:002019-06-02T16:12:35.160-07:00A LITTLE KNOWN IMPORTANT FRENCH ROYAL GIFT INTENDED FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON FROM LOUIS XVI AT NEW YORK CITY'S METROPOLITAN MUSEUMVisitors coming to New York City's Met Museum to view important French 18th Century furniture and decoration often miss a very important collection of rather rare and historically significant things because they are not included in the more familiar Wrightsman Rooms. I shall have occasion to visit these justly legendary galleries in the months to come...<br />
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However just beyond those better known galleries are 2 large lesser known rooms where it seems the museum curatorial and administrative staff have placed some ravishing French items that include some of the suite of furniture ordered by the Danish Minister Count Berndstorff when he lived in Paris in the mid 18th Century. That too is the subject for a future blog article and discussion. And among the other items of not insignificant interest to American lovers of French 18th Century decorative art, which will be discussed in this essay, is a partial exhibition of some of an overwhelmingly grand series of Beauvais wall hanging tapestries that Louis XVI ordered in 1789 along with a complimentary suite of Beauvais tapestry seat covers. These absolutely breathtakingly beautiful tapestries and their related seat covers were woven after cartoons by the artist Jean Jacques François Le Barbier, the elder. Some of the artist's cartoons are still conserved in the Moblier National in Paris.<br />
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This is the ill fated King of France as he appeared on the eve of the French Revolution in a portrait I took recently during a visit to the Revolutionary Galleries at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjg20ZKyCvz0IGAoYXozbqjBLJYvR2kF8VNoqvXYkIg-WL65Cdp3771lx5KXMIAGishSLUBDcXKUQVJhxTZGIbIqG3Vaub7fguS8MUB-v1JiRIOyZHES4YFFga6GrkoQ6VRWAE_9dHWEJN/s1600/DSCN3652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjg20ZKyCvz0IGAoYXozbqjBLJYvR2kF8VNoqvXYkIg-WL65Cdp3771lx5KXMIAGishSLUBDcXKUQVJhxTZGIbIqG3Vaub7fguS8MUB-v1JiRIOyZHES4YFFga6GrkoQ6VRWAE_9dHWEJN/s400/DSCN3652.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This commission should be of particular interest to Americans as the documentation indicates that it was intended to be given to the first and then newly inaugurated American President, General George Washington! Below is the familiar Gilbert Stuart portrait in the White House.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaCa-5nAEF057IdKlpZ2sQxpY7g0nzqJSkQLt4vPT5i0m9-eoXyRhdzl1UtnZQu9nCT5IcR_A3X9StYTD96usTQ3nYNLNEBrMFNZKzg3x4YmKgGgCF7vZ3xO7yvx6ChIQ0uja3xBhLH_H/s1600/george-washington-gilbert-stuart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaCa-5nAEF057IdKlpZ2sQxpY7g0nzqJSkQLt4vPT5i0m9-eoXyRhdzl1UtnZQu9nCT5IcR_A3X9StYTD96usTQ3nYNLNEBrMFNZKzg3x4YmKgGgCF7vZ3xO7yvx6ChIQ0uja3xBhLH_H/s400/george-washington-gilbert-stuart.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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Where the President would have placed such large tapestries in his modest official residences - first in New York City and then subsequently in Philadelphia - would have been a big question and quite a challenge! Regrettably, it was a challenge President Washington did not have to confront. The events of the French Revolution and the general turmoil of the 1790's that followed never allowed Louis XVI's well intentioned generous official gift to a valued ally and head of state to be presented or enjoyed by its intended recipient!<br />
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However in the 19th and 20th Century, the tapestries did eventually change hands and ended up in New York City's Metropolitan Museum where, at the time this blog is published in the summer of 2012, one tapestry and 2 giltwood Louis XVI fauteuils with their complimentary Beauvais upholstery can be viewed and examined by visitors and scholars. Below is a general view of the installation I photographed last year in June during a routine visit to the museum.<br />
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Worth noting is the addition of some lovely Louis XVI period furniture on the platform by David Roentgen...<br />
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The one of the four tapestries that is available for viewing at the moment is appropriately that one depicting America.<br />
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The flag of the fledgling republic is prominently seen being held by an attractive female allegorical and obligingly classically depicted figure in the centre.<br />
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While on the viewer's left, another fetching female allegorical figure is next to the column carrying an oval relief portrait of the American Republic's great friend and ally, Louis XVI.<br />
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In between the two is another female allegory of the Kingdom of France, carrying her shield covered with Fleur des Lys, over what art historians believe is a rather dejected reclining allegorical female figure suggesting a vanquished Britain.<br />
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Exotic birds and animals, trees and such also add a note of letting the viewer know this represents the New World!<br />
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Alas! The Met does not have the other three tapestry wall hangings out for the public to view at the moment. But I was able to scan the images from that invaluable 2-volume reference of European and Post Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan in which the entire known history of the tapestry set is documented.<br />
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This is a very exotic and evocative tapestry depicting Africa below. It is simply splendid! Under the shade of a tree and before a backdrop including an Egyptian pyramid, we see a majestically seated Negress with leopard skin garb next to her muscular negro attendant resplendently attired in finery including turban and plumes. Another nod to Ancient Egypt's splendors is the obelisk on the right. An allusion to the challenging terrain of the African deserts is the female allegorical figure on the right cupping her hands to get a drink of precious water as well as the appearance on the scene of a snake and other desert features. A zebra, an elephant and a lion are also depicted in all their customary epic scale that nearly dwarf the figures. <br />
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And below we see the distant splendors of the Far East in this tapestry representing Asia....<br />
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Closer to the hearts and homes of most 18th Century patrons would have been this depiction of Europe...<br />
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By no means of lesser interest is the tapestry seating, also following Le Barbier's designs, and executed by Beauvais. The MET has two of the fauteuils on public exhibition. The first of two chair covers depicting allegories of America is seen below. The menuiserie is not of the period however. The chair frames on which these tapestry covers are currently placed are in the style of Louis XVI. But the suite dates from the late 19th Century.<br />
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And the other of two chairs with tapestry covers celebrating America is seen below and can also be enjoyed by the public.<br />
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As already noted, not all of the suite is available... Consequently, in the museum's storage facilities, not currently exhibited, are other armchairs and an additional canapé celebrating Europe and America. It is illustrated below.<br />
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While yet another one has as its subject a celebration of Asia and Africa. It is seen below.<br />
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While it is sad and ironic President Washington was never able to enjoy this gift of undeniably Olympian splendor, it did eventually end up in his country's premier museum where it not only serves to further educate American scholars, dealers, collectors and connoisseurs of 18th Century French decorative art. But it is also a fitting place for this early tangible cultural reminder of a long historic Franco-American friendship to be on view for many to enjoy and to be conserved for generations to come! The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-48377303657968884132012-07-23T16:01:00.000-07:002012-08-01T19:39:59.546-07:00A Peek at the Usually Hard to See House by The Gustavian Designer Masreliez in Gamla Stan, Stockholm<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Louis Masreliez was born and formally christened Adrien Louis Masreliez (1748 –
19 March 1810). He was a Swedish painter and interior designer. Masreliez was born
in Paris and came to Sweden in 1753. He began his education at Ritakademien
(Drawing Academy) at the age of 10. Since the academy did not teach painting,
he studied at Lorens Gottman's workshop. In 1769 he was given a study grant
which he used to travel to Paris and Bologna to study. He left Bologna in 1773
to live in Paris for eight years. He then returned to Sweden in 1782 to become
ledamot of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. The following year he was made a
professor of art history. He became rector of the Academy in 1802 and director
in 1805. His work is represented in the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts,
the Gothenburg Museum of Art, and the Royal Palace. Among his works are: The
interior of Gustav III's Pavilion at Haga Park in Solna; The interior of
Tullgarn Palace; The altar paintings of Maria Magdalena church in Stockholm,
Romfartuna church near Västerås in Västmanland and the S. Stefano in Alexandria. The
perfectly restored suite of rooms in Salviigränd in the Old Town in Stockholm,
created for the tradesman and bachelor Wilhelm Schwardz in 1795 is the subject of this blog essay. It is a little known Neoclassical masterpiece. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is a portrait of Louis Masreliez below. </span></div>
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He was one of the artists in the employ of the discerning, elegant and
mercurial Gustav III who very actively nurtured, via his patronage and self assured good informed taste, the development of a viably Swedish variant of the then
prevailing Neoclassical Style which we regularly label the Louis XVI
style. It is certainly to the credit of Gustav III that he allowed Masreliez and other artists of caliber and outstanding talent to do so much work for the Swedish court and that he similarly encouraged the Swedish nobility to patronize artists of high category and foster a very sophisticated legacy of fine houses, interiors with some of the finest furniture, gilt bronzes, painted wood paneling, glass and textiles being produced in late 18th Century Europe. This is King Gustav III by Alexandre Roslin in his coronation robes.<br />
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The Swedish Gustavian Style is often noted for its attenuated
(some say a bit glacial) treatment of Pompeian inspired decoration. It's not as animated as the decor one sees in France in the 1780's and 1790's. But it's still quite beautifully quietly refined and very chic! As noted above, among the other accomplishments of Masreliez is the utterly poetic and sublime Pavilion of Gustav III at Haga Park. We shall have occasion to visit Gustav III's pavilion in the coming weeks...<br />
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But today I thought it would be interesting to take a glimpse of this apartment in Gamla Stan ( the old historic quarter) of Stockholm designed by Masreliez for a private client Wilhelm Schvardz, a Stockholm merchant. The work was finished in 1795. Today the apartment is privately owned by a Swedish insurance company who makes it nearly hopelessly inaccessible. When in Stockholm, I was kindly given a nice colour booklet produced by the insurance company and lavishly illustrated.The photos below are scanned from this booklet. <br />
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Below are two views of the drawing room... Note the prominence of <i>grisaille</i> decoration on a gold ground on the wall panels. This is similar to the decorative treatments of the Mirrored Hall at Haga Pavilion. <br />
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Below are two views of the dining room... Note the lovely painted ceiling and the typically stylish Swedish chandelier. <br />
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The illustration below depict another smaller sitting room with its monumental porcelain stove that, along with the stunning chandelier, is a staple in classic Gustavian interiors.<br />
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The last illustration depicts the designer's treatment of his client's private intimate bedroom. <br />
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<br />The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-90878168799131777462012-07-22T23:11:00.000-07:002012-07-25T23:43:14.571-07:00THE RAVISHING DECORATION OF THE RENTED APARTMENTS OF THE DUC DE GUINES, A GREAT FRIEND OF MARIE ANTOINETTE, SEEKING INFORMATION AS TO ITS ULTIMATE FATE!Years ago, in the early 1990's, in preparation for a lecture I was going to present on the visit of Grand Duke Paul of Russia to Paris and Versailles in 1782, I was conducting research in the University of Miami Library and looking up an article about diplomatic gifts of Louis XVI. As anyone looking up articles in old periodicals knows, they are usually hardbound by year. This instance it was the volume containing <i>Connaissance des Arts</i> for 1962 which was the magazine that concerned me at the time. During the 1950's and 60's this magazine really published some outstanding scholarly articles about various aspects of the French 18th Century. Understandably, I was interested in leafing through each month while having a chance to enjoy the volume. In the August edition of that year, the noted writer Eveline Schlumberger (who constantly wrote in this magazine about the additions to The Chateau de Groussay for her great friend and patron Charles de Beistegui) penned a riveting article which I never forgot about the looming menace to a not particularly significant or distinctive old residential building by the impending construction of a highway in the outer areas of Paris in Courbevoie where this building was situated. She asserted how the uninspiring exterior of the building belied the ravishing beauty of two sumptuous rooms entirely decorated in the finest surviving Louis XVI period stucco which had amazingly survived (what was then) just less than two centuries of revolutions, wars and other menaces such as redevelopment. This feature was indeed the cover story and a view of the rooms was on the cover seen below.<br />
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When the article was published, the rooms were part of an apartment occupied by the family of a certain Dr Henri de Frémont whose family had owned the apartment since the mid 19th Century. As it turns out, this enticing decorative ensemble of stucco was apparently commissioned from the building's architect and 18th Century owner, a certain Boiston, by Adrien-Louis de Bonnières, Duc de Guines. The Duc de Guines was a great friend of the new King's fashionable consort, Marie Antoinette. Among his other professional positions, such as Ambassador to Berlin (where he annoyed Frederick the Great who insisted on his eventual recall) and later to the Court of Saint James (where he really got into hot water and had to undergo a trial after charges of being involved in smuggling!), and being a Chevalier of the <i>Ordre de Saint Esprit</i>, he was also named to the Council of War and in 1787 made Governor of Artois. This is his portrait by the father of Madame Vigée Lebrun, Louis Vigée, which is dated earlier in the 1760's before the Duc de Guines became so corpulent that his valet would have to ask him every morning if he was planning to stand all day or sit at some point in the course of the day as Guines would wear one pair of breeches for standing and one with a looser fit for sitting!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeTneU9xrMbpxEfOPJgA2iw1ige96s8hRlfQ5eAa59VZZ2P5YSscMR0OHOIdoRPtDuf960ZEetA28RhmoIzRQhBRXr15pBzORMxSGbBOEY8cYMIJhBfHaBPV1BDGYA4DTajWT_9lNCChK/s1600/Duc+de+Guines+par+Louis+Vigee%252C+1765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeTneU9xrMbpxEfOPJgA2iw1ige96s8hRlfQ5eAa59VZZ2P5YSscMR0OHOIdoRPtDuf960ZEetA28RhmoIzRQhBRXr15pBzORMxSGbBOEY8cYMIJhBfHaBPV1BDGYA4DTajWT_9lNCChK/s400/Duc+de+Guines+par+Louis+Vigee%252C+1765.jpg" width="332" /></a></div>
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It would seem he also took his duties as an officer of the Guards Suisses seriously enough to make the effort to rent these lodgings at convenient proximity to the Swiss Guards barracks near Malmaison (which of course, at that time had not the historic association it would soon have under the Consulat and the Empire) and which is seen below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrxqLAuT-V1eZ6aiAjnFi1bPlY2lgOMnmsPeBGrGxhnTYB0TGkUX69kC5L93fpjIjXDiYoG0XF5iNHZ1XapsJTmtyzatFFVJBiPyuli5gBOqs1LTl_6TwF7S7IR3rL_eCSHBh6sJQPIlm/s1600/ancienne-caserne-charras-courbevoie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrxqLAuT-V1eZ6aiAjnFi1bPlY2lgOMnmsPeBGrGxhnTYB0TGkUX69kC5L93fpjIjXDiYoG0XF5iNHZ1XapsJTmtyzatFFVJBiPyuli5gBOqs1LTl_6TwF7S7IR3rL_eCSHBh6sJQPIlm/s400/ancienne-caserne-charras-courbevoie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As noted, the architect of the apartment building near the Suisses barracks was a certain Boiston from whom Guines rented this apartment where he clearly felt the need to decorate to make it nice enough to perhaps receive friends from The French Court and perhaps even the queen herself. As carved, gilded and painted <i>boiseries</i> would have been costly for a rented apartment (though there is ample proof that many renters did commission lovely <i>boiseries</i> in 18th Century Paris in rented homes), Guines settled for more cost effective stucco. The effect is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! Dr Frémont discussed a restoration he had ordered in which the original vibrant 18th Century colours were revealed after a cleaning in which the entire painted stucco decoration was restored to life with shimmering blues that recall Wedgwood Jasperware and Tuscan columns of painted finishes that resemble Sienna marble! Below are another view as seen on the cover and some other monochrome photos that appeared in the 1962 article. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5RWETSeyLU69w-Cj-fxdVPLhoh6QUqjEgtp4NcF7KJ-vKI9S6I_5Bx-RjtICK1LEzzcs7cgV7dD_-598IhBQaCH8GSuJ3iZb7BYj9jusixKgXgMr8xdXniQcSliTqcHFwjg7H5OGA6ue/s1600/Guines%252C+Cover+C+de+A%252C+Aug+1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5RWETSeyLU69w-Cj-fxdVPLhoh6QUqjEgtp4NcF7KJ-vKI9S6I_5Bx-RjtICK1LEzzcs7cgV7dD_-598IhBQaCH8GSuJ3iZb7BYj9jusixKgXgMr8xdXniQcSliTqcHFwjg7H5OGA6ue/s400/Guines%252C+Cover+C+de+A%252C+Aug+1962.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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Below the following 2 images from the article show opposite views of the main reception room or drawing room. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7xpSB_avdUXx9fbVTeEyXCD8gwR8gvWJtlADJQnp0U9mjqPxvmRZQ1UV0I_tGY_zPzwgIAKJpO3peLB8_ICNrSDFyJpQbXwqusEWbf2kTCTl31-X9cEF23m2SqsWuyWsWL4tyXQjs-dq/s1600/Guines+B+&+W+Large+Salon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7xpSB_avdUXx9fbVTeEyXCD8gwR8gvWJtlADJQnp0U9mjqPxvmRZQ1UV0I_tGY_zPzwgIAKJpO3peLB8_ICNrSDFyJpQbXwqusEWbf2kTCTl31-X9cEF23m2SqsWuyWsWL4tyXQjs-dq/s400/Guines+B+&+W+Large+Salon.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuQc4ACcrn8d1USwvronbtQNd3pT1SNJlMJFnxLzxXpApHNtPdBlkR20mB0nwMz2_9szOWb6pZRccFQk5AH5SOJ7Zg__b9QTLb7MucZTQUKBHgFjhUOnYzof03Ov_A9vPGtOHpUsjx4ta/s1600/Guines,+Mantle+in+Large+Salon,+C+des+A,+Aug+1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuQc4ACcrn8d1USwvronbtQNd3pT1SNJlMJFnxLzxXpApHNtPdBlkR20mB0nwMz2_9szOWb6pZRccFQk5AH5SOJ7Zg__b9QTLb7MucZTQUKBHgFjhUOnYzof03Ov_A9vPGtOHpUsjx4ta/s400/Guines,+Mantle+in+Large+Salon,+C+des+A,+Aug+1962.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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The article also published other monochrome photos showing the extravagant and contagiously festive sculptural decoration along the cornices with allegories celebrating the resident's various accomplishments and artistic interests. Guines may have been a questionable success as a diplomat or warrior. But he was a fine flute player. This was confirmed by Mozart who even dedicated a <i>Concerto for Flute and Harp</i> (K299) to the Duc de Guines! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkQIZ_2dAlaNiamJdqPu_-aaR0JNajHYXMjUdCDguENSJHZVBhGV6u9qSk1M62wseIjySrXpz_PI3Srz5USj3QXX671YOrAKyH7VTjLGuMBoZo94rLh5rKSawAHBbpWVLLXaafIQ64iV_/s1600/Guines,+Overdoor+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkQIZ_2dAlaNiamJdqPu_-aaR0JNajHYXMjUdCDguENSJHZVBhGV6u9qSk1M62wseIjySrXpz_PI3Srz5USj3QXX671YOrAKyH7VTjLGuMBoZo94rLh5rKSawAHBbpWVLLXaafIQ64iV_/s400/Guines,+Overdoor+2.jpg" width="355" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nO_SugmXXyl1uIvVjEhc649FfTlFYupyY3gQuWyS4yR_QDwH6J6pnImR5ZTwxfeLaw3I9rWvHni0zxSyRruYinnGXqVZNubpKp9b53sWBHSbZBf3IJbQAzgcoDIcvqV00kMiaFsQzPWP/s1600/GUINES,+Detail+of+Overdoor+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nO_SugmXXyl1uIvVjEhc649FfTlFYupyY3gQuWyS4yR_QDwH6J6pnImR5ZTwxfeLaw3I9rWvHni0zxSyRruYinnGXqVZNubpKp9b53sWBHSbZBf3IJbQAzgcoDIcvqV00kMiaFsQzPWP/s400/GUINES,+Detail+of+Overdoor+1.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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The other smaller room with the vibrant blue and with relief decoration also served as the entrance foyer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PaWmr0XFPDBhQAhZLULEGtZT_d7PVFpPLcz1o-80gx6l_bqcjm4TqEy_FOI3KMtXD-qM3jpJbUuFeJR50z1Qfiyrj9PAkV2AMQ8GntS0iESQ1JKn72_QTGO9Z4T3ORTYqs-0Xij3DI6w/s1600/Guines,+Other+View+of+Large+Salon+in+C+des+A,+Aug+1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PaWmr0XFPDBhQAhZLULEGtZT_d7PVFpPLcz1o-80gx6l_bqcjm4TqEy_FOI3KMtXD-qM3jpJbUuFeJR50z1Qfiyrj9PAkV2AMQ8GntS0iESQ1JKn72_QTGO9Z4T3ORTYqs-0Xij3DI6w/s400/Guines,+Other+View+of+Large+Salon+in+C+des+A,+Aug+1962.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happily, <i>Connaissance des Arts</i> also published this colour photo of a detail of the smaller room seen below. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmL2TcGDaev-TlqSEJKpOetCcuQEGTwIy58hExK5AUMD-AlnDgnuUpsxuXsdxoXksiStS3iXjhpTC1Vb9RviRRaf6EkESa0AOvCpdLVmr4NbTOvCxB7sIf3yBUubLRj4FecUR61BqXJk-/s1600/Guines,+Small+Entrance+Room,+C+des+A,+August+1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmL2TcGDaev-TlqSEJKpOetCcuQEGTwIy58hExK5AUMD-AlnDgnuUpsxuXsdxoXksiStS3iXjhpTC1Vb9RviRRaf6EkESa0AOvCpdLVmr4NbTOvCxB7sIf3yBUubLRj4FecUR61BqXJk-/s400/Guines,+Small+Entrance+Room,+C+des+A,+August+1962.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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Curiously, I recently found this photo dating from the same year in which the room served as a location and backdrop for a fashion shoot. Le Duc de Guines would certainly have been very pleased to see this! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHkY2vE-Jaz7ZfCBfVdC9NKMBkW1sPUCDjaMqiuYktp6gjIIhTuG609su_i63IKa5kMjOPyfPHOsB0xDyjnvfgvGe1EoBDSKaTwu-NIZXxhlCWfU2E1QnXem7288pFJMX-Xr1tE4vO-lJ/s1600/Hotel+de+Guines,+1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHkY2vE-Jaz7ZfCBfVdC9NKMBkW1sPUCDjaMqiuYktp6gjIIhTuG609su_i63IKa5kMjOPyfPHOsB0xDyjnvfgvGe1EoBDSKaTwu-NIZXxhlCWfU2E1QnXem7288pFJMX-Xr1tE4vO-lJ/s400/Hotel+de+Guines,+1962.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Now the mystery begins... Where are these splendid panels today? What was the eventual fate of this very intriguing Louis XVI period interior with a connexion to such an important personage in the court of the ill fated Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette? A Parisian friend assures me this area of the outer parts of Paris is now densely populated by newer developments and that the fate of the building was probably not a happy one... But what of the interiors? Did a generous patron, collector or a rich American step up to the plate and rescue these two rooms? Does anyone know if they are preserved in a great private home or a museum anywhere? I have naturally tried to do a Google search and nothing comes up of any substance. Any information is most welcome! </div>
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<br /></div>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-38681912828382681642012-03-08T07:45:00.010-08:002012-03-08T09:08:18.446-08:0018th CENTURY ART, FURNITURE AND DECORATIONS AT A RECENT CHRISTIE'S INTERIORS SALE, FEBRUARY 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJFeUU0sasp34uqCIZkfA9l95EstIf2M4pJJWMi2vrUoGZpk48_uY0O1gwzL0fsompKIgB5FmFwEnNEJpw2mSyX5CfFpxrlNtUA_rclU73rx7aqNVt6HLz2wot_SbHeFGqFq48272rUWq/s1600/DSCN0930.JPG"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQSZjAwWFPEXxjWM5PedkulZgj4_VpP4sCbCJslwO6yZyyXzAz9Ctaz_7wxabvjQXapAYUyIssyddMa_yDZBkXfPXiHKe0QOlM_qvkJweHj0WkOMVRqJUpT1YBq45fLuVurKGmn3NfUWZ/s1600/DSCN0959.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQSZjAwWFPEXxjWM5PedkulZgj4_VpP4sCbCJslwO6yZyyXzAz9Ctaz_7wxabvjQXapAYUyIssyddMa_yDZBkXfPXiHKe0QOlM_qvkJweHj0WkOMVRqJUpT1YBq45fLuVurKGmn3NfUWZ/s320/DSCN0959.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717562295370528002" border="0" /></a><br />Nothing develops a connoisseur's eye better than frequent physical examination and personal scrutiny of the items in which one is seeking to obtain a level of expertise. While attending the grand scale, high profile auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's and other noted auction houses is essential, I am particularly partial to the less exalted sales held discretely, almost monthly, at Christie's in New York known as the "Interiors" sales. Here, dealers, collectors, appraisers get a chance to study and acquire good art and antiques of the second tier market. And let's face it, that's the day to day stock in trade of the antiquarian market. When I refer to second rank or second tier, I mean perfectly respectable authentic paintings, furniture and decorations that are not of royal provenance or made for the super elite patrons of 18th Century Europe. I do mean nice items made for well to do patrons and consumers such as a doctor, a lawyer, a business owner or successful merchant. Thomas Jefferson lived in Paris from 1784 to 1789 and bought things of this category that were lovely and elegant and he furnished his embassy at the Hotel Langeac with such purchases and later returned with them to North America...<br /><br />I was in New York City in early February to take an appraiser's seminar on furniture at the New York Historical Society and spent the day before taking in the current Christie's Interiors sale preview exhibition at their Rockefeller Centre location which, as usual, offered everything from 18th Century to nearly contemporary items. Of course as befits this blog, I shall point out some very nice offerings which were realistically estimated and sold realistically. In fact, 18th Century decorative arts has never been so affordable due to the fact that it's not in fashion with the wider (I believe very misled!) collecting public who are smitten by the current media driven craze for mid 20th Century modern. Never has it been so within reach of a collector on a budget to buy a perfectly respectable pair of Louis XV or Louis XVI fauteuils at auction! Below are two examples offered at that auction.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpvHXBQvQagtBDujuJ-MCjVNwcx888nHTy_d90hihPuJ7PU3vLGgF-X4vhlkRMTEF6_HbG2H75V6BdDC-0eUBTWhqSIzgcDkSXjOtr5lOM5mH0vrZUUU-7xnlR3aCasbCT3FwKrtUQjCq/s1600/DSCN0918.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpvHXBQvQagtBDujuJ-MCjVNwcx888nHTy_d90hihPuJ7PU3vLGgF-X4vhlkRMTEF6_HbG2H75V6BdDC-0eUBTWhqSIzgcDkSXjOtr5lOM5mH0vrZUUU-7xnlR3aCasbCT3FwKrtUQjCq/s320/DSCN0918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717557122824980850" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2owexXEdjPZcLzGf3jk8ozNKce_L-b8evkrc5tkcgM1S_KGTlvcEKPS8_TDShd1vp-cuimEijOl24a59BxLHAeoF7ehwoLSkkvP3XrTaJWtaev1e6SBjJ9p-a5sksxQX8Ap3XzwwUZJBk/s1600/DSCN0904.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2owexXEdjPZcLzGf3jk8ozNKce_L-b8evkrc5tkcgM1S_KGTlvcEKPS8_TDShd1vp-cuimEijOl24a59BxLHAeoF7ehwoLSkkvP3XrTaJWtaev1e6SBjJ9p-a5sksxQX8Ap3XzwwUZJBk/s320/DSCN0904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717557133424264578" border="0" /></a><br />Here was a lovely oval portrait of Marie Antoinette after the one sent ahead to France to let her future groom see her image as she was about to arrive at the French Court...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvUTtDpuTxNTuZrB_b70P1ai-rkAlxo5J81Q8vrQk6zGc2NFaYFrYUCyGy7q7Adv4JZihoaCgvZR0bEELVyLprsfEOzGb2Vd_AZbcldWA22JFRYCa1bQCwztN8TDIgdnWFwddOFZLFfht/s1600/DSCN0934.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvUTtDpuTxNTuZrB_b70P1ai-rkAlxo5J81Q8vrQk6zGc2NFaYFrYUCyGy7q7Adv4JZihoaCgvZR0bEELVyLprsfEOzGb2Vd_AZbcldWA22JFRYCa1bQCwztN8TDIgdnWFwddOFZLFfht/s320/DSCN0934.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717558504487993250" border="0" /></a><br />And here is another portrait done in the late 18th or early 19th Century of the Austrian Emperor Francis seen below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKBeYv0-yKegrOZUvEitN1sEMTcEiQjebuVcWiGmrJZyc4RlcwicCrTafvRKzzEo2jPO45EV3BRLnngNxQ3kNjyDeJVF8OUd2oY7SMkfT0AklKLqSDJShk2b-UbjmpyPQcwKo01BNTc0_/s1600/DSCN0939.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKBeYv0-yKegrOZUvEitN1sEMTcEiQjebuVcWiGmrJZyc4RlcwicCrTafvRKzzEo2jPO45EV3BRLnngNxQ3kNjyDeJVF8OUd2oY7SMkfT0AklKLqSDJShk2b-UbjmpyPQcwKo01BNTc0_/s320/DSCN0939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717558514045555842" border="0" /></a><br />This sale had a very good array of French 18th Century furniture which included a fine early Louis XV parquetry commode seen below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGqGZLCo-v15MpwYQ-bF_j6mNtkdBL-jSLa4OiO9XSPRmX6S-KEtZffyRj3DaQgCM-gv0z57k2mpZ0RRXXNNQq1n4b1ZBGkAzFS5aq6o2CUS2ZUyfxlO_kSpgQ43C3d92aW0yb6H456Ua/s1600/DSCN0920.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGqGZLCo-v15MpwYQ-bF_j6mNtkdBL-jSLa4OiO9XSPRmX6S-KEtZffyRj3DaQgCM-gv0z57k2mpZ0RRXXNNQq1n4b1ZBGkAzFS5aq6o2CUS2ZUyfxlO_kSpgQ43C3d92aW0yb6H456Ua/s320/DSCN0920.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717558517038434514" border="0" /></a><br />Also among the notable pieces of fine ebenisterie was this Louis XVI mahogany console dessert and another commode from the 1780's as well which are both seen below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBeO4j608MrCEvQebtF8OmXDrhXI_HK4t33iowxgU8lVGGCEgdoP4JG0zEwE_-TZk_1Jn0JJ44I7z8T2c86SNwepn_QQqS9NaZfpZzb_THFiazB0HSH4lWpzMK5cMCCKNx_aA0mdcz5B9/s1600/DSCN0935.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBeO4j608MrCEvQebtF8OmXDrhXI_HK4t33iowxgU8lVGGCEgdoP4JG0zEwE_-TZk_1Jn0JJ44I7z8T2c86SNwepn_QQqS9NaZfpZzb_THFiazB0HSH4lWpzMK5cMCCKNx_aA0mdcz5B9/s320/DSCN0935.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717558529847108690" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7JqNbUBw00XI2CBpMPgoUMx6NPLL3ofgTrZ-2gO5-6fLwN9u6vGXsY5hc1574vZrkg3xubW0STlwvOWZStBL75hcCYc20scvNYlUTD9MdiNHfcpxHBFqY4c1lC1-P3AKG7iRl0fxrOw5/s1600/DSCN0964.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7JqNbUBw00XI2CBpMPgoUMx6NPLL3ofgTrZ-2gO5-6fLwN9u6vGXsY5hc1574vZrkg3xubW0STlwvOWZStBL75hcCYc20scvNYlUTD9MdiNHfcpxHBFqY4c1lC1-P3AKG7iRl0fxrOw5/s320/DSCN0964.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717558536398091618" border="0" /></a><br />This sale was chock full of lovely small objects and framed drawings and prints. My fellow blogger, interior designer James Andrews is correct in describing a Christie's Interiors auction preview as a perfect intimate "pop up" museum!<br /><br />Among the other offerings were 2 charming 18th Century snuff boxes with miniature painted scenes after Vernet and from the French Revolution, a ravishing Louis XV encoignure, and plenty more seen below... Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumzpGVis_EVS5ClH8AVen2kwXj58ordcgppYCPtMrJLZgvNc5hWL1D2mlDY-ZNGXb-xo1XCW2T4VzTtAPtoHFO_xXCjPV769Ddkd05JpDy6FQnrVsHLKuKHO6vRQtwsS99EwctaxH8grU/s1600/DSCN0932.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumzpGVis_EVS5ClH8AVen2kwXj58ordcgppYCPtMrJLZgvNc5hWL1D2mlDY-ZNGXb-xo1XCW2T4VzTtAPtoHFO_xXCjPV769Ddkd05JpDy6FQnrVsHLKuKHO6vRQtwsS99EwctaxH8grU/s320/DSCN0932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563828576381170" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJFeUU0sasp34uqCIZkfA9l95EstIf2M4pJJWMi2vrUoGZpk48_uY0O1gwzL0fsompKIgB5FmFwEnNEJpw2mSyX5CfFpxrlNtUA_rclU73rx7aqNVt6HLz2wot_SbHeFGqFq48272rUWq/s1600/DSCN0930.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJFeUU0sasp34uqCIZkfA9l95EstIf2M4pJJWMi2vrUoGZpk48_uY0O1gwzL0fsompKIgB5FmFwEnNEJpw2mSyX5CfFpxrlNtUA_rclU73rx7aqNVt6HLz2wot_SbHeFGqFq48272rUWq/s320/DSCN0930.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563824440736850" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw8vrGGRxFfvBfrHjKKYlxVPITXDza0f_1IaOmEtz0PhuK7uRsAP_IyN4fzriM4eG6iQ10IWmi5URrkd_R9gVlqork-EJjDncERyaJWZrwUditu6NxeByTWcxa7P6TDeBznl9Fb81Shm1/s1600/DSCN0951.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw8vrGGRxFfvBfrHjKKYlxVPITXDza0f_1IaOmEtz0PhuK7uRsAP_IyN4fzriM4eG6iQ10IWmi5URrkd_R9gVlqork-EJjDncERyaJWZrwUditu6NxeByTWcxa7P6TDeBznl9Fb81Shm1/s320/DSCN0951.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563832589614690" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUIAwm1m-REVNgclOim0mZHHDhLHvpr8mTKwf8mxqH80eEyEC_hSoEK2_1mSnRLU7sojJZKRDOOLnfoaMS6d1ek_gjL0L94NbV4g30Q4Ht8TnHlUB5RIAOBiTcfZDJGE-voxUyiSbiCmI/s1600/DSCN0957.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUIAwm1m-REVNgclOim0mZHHDhLHvpr8mTKwf8mxqH80eEyEC_hSoEK2_1mSnRLU7sojJZKRDOOLnfoaMS6d1ek_gjL0L94NbV4g30Q4Ht8TnHlUB5RIAOBiTcfZDJGE-voxUyiSbiCmI/s320/DSCN0957.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717560544085106130" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN-NFXrbNwgZQqSh2SKbLsWm7J8GYxtiNF5F87GTI8pex89X7p7GEJIobMoG1TQa9tizoLDTyEmgABqDaVV9nahZe2kBbUA8gjLhLiOD3mp9SfWS7eRqLhJ6UovGZyIjoUdPoaTyGI5lL/s1600/DSCN0969.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN-NFXrbNwgZQqSh2SKbLsWm7J8GYxtiNF5F87GTI8pex89X7p7GEJIobMoG1TQa9tizoLDTyEmgABqDaVV9nahZe2kBbUA8gjLhLiOD3mp9SfWS7eRqLhJ6UovGZyIjoUdPoaTyGI5lL/s320/DSCN0969.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717560539174652866" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8b-w0gYaVeFcyTmjZ23gChiXHEUlFotv-CXwnbFsvw_q9aMptDf_M0j4a8o9RLU4X7QUkJa2hdUtUAqYodvXcj_UvyHza3tEaWN_agSQfyESAKdEafExI3ViWw7xwh_I24vJHx3tMRin/s1600/DSCN0927.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8b-w0gYaVeFcyTmjZ23gChiXHEUlFotv-CXwnbFsvw_q9aMptDf_M0j4a8o9RLU4X7QUkJa2hdUtUAqYodvXcj_UvyHza3tEaWN_agSQfyESAKdEafExI3ViWw7xwh_I24vJHx3tMRin/s320/DSCN0927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717560535540673058" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOHFRfjnQ5NQ7Hfq2tOsTRRPflBp_ce6BsDTFSOJ_KdppsfJYB4avNc8beIaVgYoTsare4CdmTlfyP8tt6kYf1ksLFcinPEinj1sUohD7gHvfMKehrZaQky6XTT3To-4rr2boF9ssXewQ/s1600/DSCN0916.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOHFRfjnQ5NQ7Hfq2tOsTRRPflBp_ce6BsDTFSOJ_KdppsfJYB4avNc8beIaVgYoTsare4CdmTlfyP8tt6kYf1ksLFcinPEinj1sUohD7gHvfMKehrZaQky6XTT3To-4rr2boF9ssXewQ/s320/DSCN0916.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717562297654265602" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTK9N9AcEdnzwD7Tt9HHPM0v42Alc4tpSv_CmYdGCd6sZriSF9n64LGefuixDAnqDDBR6h1L-7zghgiQBaYTC6astaIml7GYvZ-aHgdXJlVqD3ix-5n3mMhWew06Zxw5oQKkjJzWW_mFxq/s1600/DSCN0922.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTK9N9AcEdnzwD7Tt9HHPM0v42Alc4tpSv_CmYdGCd6sZriSF9n64LGefuixDAnqDDBR6h1L-7zghgiQBaYTC6astaIml7GYvZ-aHgdXJlVqD3ix-5n3mMhWew06Zxw5oQKkjJzWW_mFxq/s320/DSCN0922.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717562289590164306" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwq2zsY-ujV9qWHsb65Pj_Hta1XhobktQAMCwjoHkxudRvwjwTjkvQWj8qNbmUa-R9R3fjX_c70ze27VvIdeM8an97zYLMVYrvEVGZDTUh6Ex8Fpm8cb6Ahh7-9JXaengERnGAHxBoONgA/s1600/DSCN0968.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwq2zsY-ujV9qWHsb65Pj_Hta1XhobktQAMCwjoHkxudRvwjwTjkvQWj8qNbmUa-R9R3fjX_c70ze27VvIdeM8an97zYLMVYrvEVGZDTUh6Ex8Fpm8cb6Ahh7-9JXaengERnGAHxBoONgA/s320/DSCN0968.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717562302628786114" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6uwLRooXvSB5hTV34zkItflxnj3bI5rZCZvwPTgNP69QGuQkuhrXb-fz-2Gx5jU7XLFWgg5axLOBGgWlPcCeg5XlXcV9HJNjEABNg1fthM0uUMjsqjMEkG3D_KyhJAGX-Syb_jbbhNx8/s1600/DSCN0909.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6uwLRooXvSB5hTV34zkItflxnj3bI5rZCZvwPTgNP69QGuQkuhrXb-fz-2Gx5jU7XLFWgg5axLOBGgWlPcCeg5XlXcV9HJNjEABNg1fthM0uUMjsqjMEkG3D_KyhJAGX-Syb_jbbhNx8/s320/DSCN0909.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563250589111778" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nhtdyGG5bPIWzBLTMMdLVMuZzczoE8G6erqGaziqNwAPx9xt3LMa_36XCUYwVRrqR9rjwxXDFGyNjsdrAxN-Epq_GRq1PUOpR4tgqzMTvarjnIyxet9TdlXJwgavQZQ5k0iLl6bJ0Nsu/s1600/DSCN0910.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nhtdyGG5bPIWzBLTMMdLVMuZzczoE8G6erqGaziqNwAPx9xt3LMa_36XCUYwVRrqR9rjwxXDFGyNjsdrAxN-Epq_GRq1PUOpR4tgqzMTvarjnIyxet9TdlXJwgavQZQ5k0iLl6bJ0Nsu/s320/DSCN0910.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563245664115170" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6CZATcdO2N4k4NIi0Jiy0VmP1UdE0c9IIaxwAGZ7S5zhpQFasWTU8GbC2GE7enNSRwMDNv6KBTVrU1l4ZS-tD8EbZHDG-u0Xquk0QyCYGqiC8BQBdl2QS6dlPo8-Ujem9bgdtqXNv1xa/s1600/DSCN0913.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6CZATcdO2N4k4NIi0Jiy0VmP1UdE0c9IIaxwAGZ7S5zhpQFasWTU8GbC2GE7enNSRwMDNv6KBTVrU1l4ZS-tD8EbZHDG-u0Xquk0QyCYGqiC8BQBdl2QS6dlPo8-Ujem9bgdtqXNv1xa/s320/DSCN0913.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563235640751346" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2eJhmA5sSvgMHK5xGlZPUcmv4zf-3wA13uTmM08VFoAdgjk_z5iQfpzBBmHUWI-EvqUUgrQz3cHmCsKDUMJj0XZOSZCM8i9DF8dD1HIrdpsFGPyfB0G5cQ9TGGw9C5kiIt7S8S3Im3ZV/s1600/DSCN0954.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2eJhmA5sSvgMHK5xGlZPUcmv4zf-3wA13uTmM08VFoAdgjk_z5iQfpzBBmHUWI-EvqUUgrQz3cHmCsKDUMJj0XZOSZCM8i9DF8dD1HIrdpsFGPyfB0G5cQ9TGGw9C5kiIt7S8S3Im3ZV/s320/DSCN0954.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717563253478424274" border="0" /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-54649568880012734932011-10-27T14:09:00.002-07:002012-03-08T08:46:36.404-08:0018th Century Folies from the 1960's at Chateau de Groussay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PjiG2q_KM4KIsHPzQuqEWV-YwrGk8yYmqj-m6T7rlLyuNECr11c0QToE9tUi8lAO-nCupG4Fbjx-QND1ykxDDfm6APWyj7gAc2Sqav6ooCraGRMnprg4x7x2b7K6r44CDR2OQ6wxSBNf/s1600/DSCN3437.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PjiG2q_KM4KIsHPzQuqEWV-YwrGk8yYmqj-m6T7rlLyuNECr11c0QToE9tUi8lAO-nCupG4Fbjx-QND1ykxDDfm6APWyj7gAc2Sqav6ooCraGRMnprg4x7x2b7K6r44CDR2OQ6wxSBNf/s320/DSCN3437.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668303361094981218" border="0" /></a><br />Enthusiasts of the 18th Century and its seductions are all familiar with one of its many notable charms - the garden folly. One architectural historian described them as "joke buildings". Indeed these small whimsical constructions were not so small and could accommodate a good number of people for a reception or a chamber music performance. And it's not unlikely that many a folly was not considered to be a most accommodating place to arrange an assignation with a lover. 18th Century France and all of Europe's elite delighted in commissioning architects to design and erect such endearing edifices. Among the most notable remains the famous Desert de Retz with its pyramid and house in the form of a large broken column from Antiquity.<br /><br />However in the 1960's, one of the 20th Century's most admired and eccentric taste makers, the Hispano Mexican bon vivant Charles de Beistegui, spent the last 10 years of his life, in the wake of a stroke, embellishing his much admired Chateau de Groussay near Versailles with a population of absolutely magical follies to evoke the <span style="font-style: italic;">douceur de vivre</span> of the 18th Century as it has seldom been evoked - even in Hollywood! In this last great project of his life, he was assisted by his architect of choice, Emilio Terry and the Russian artist Alexandre Serebriakoff.<br /><br />This is the front entrance to Groussay...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgFii9r2KoFXDx6G_ww4H8lRIDuRUvE70g8470C6y_M0RvZw-G0L4HZf22ZfoeMioEXf5TwNaskb2vhVjfWSdhmqqzk_q0QWhTLBtH-wF6SRUdA8dRTXZHqOqoJOJdzblcZxW-VC9UZxX/s1600/DSCN3439.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgFii9r2KoFXDx6G_ww4H8lRIDuRUvE70g8470C6y_M0RvZw-G0L4HZf22ZfoeMioEXf5TwNaskb2vhVjfWSdhmqqzk_q0QWhTLBtH-wF6SRUdA8dRTXZHqOqoJOJdzblcZxW-VC9UZxX/s320/DSCN3439.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668301379480679378" border="0" /></a><br />And one of our animated and enthusiastic group of visitors that participated in this memorable outing is Thierry Coudert who is seen in conversation with Olivier who is the personal assistant to the owner at the time of our visit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XMTDYHJVaHmS8dBsINEvYEhyphenhyphenTibna6o2xrGEZLPwuAZ3rPJcLum0rHnZmuiavwU0FHWBhWPzGmVzSj5Su9S9PWHnsoJgJ2qyez-ZrG3Cg3ypsuL37hvBeUb9Qt_I3zRWpGHZfl9puI2M/s1600/DSCN3441A.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XMTDYHJVaHmS8dBsINEvYEhyphenhyphenTibna6o2xrGEZLPwuAZ3rPJcLum0rHnZmuiavwU0FHWBhWPzGmVzSj5Su9S9PWHnsoJgJ2qyez-ZrG3Cg3ypsuL37hvBeUb9Qt_I3zRWpGHZfl9puI2M/s320/DSCN3441A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668300204569068754" border="0" /></a><br />Promenading at Groussay with a group of friends last May as guests of its former owner Jean Louis Remillieux (who just sold Groussay this summer to a mystery buyer about whom little is currently known), we had the delight of enjoying an unforgettably magical spring day taking in the enchantment of lush green gardens, cool placid lakes and rivers amidst which these eccentric architectural fantasies were so effortlessly dotted.<br /><br />The first stop was the hypnotically spellbinding <span style="font-style: italic;">Tente Tartare </span>inspired by a Swedish model as commissioned by Gustav III at Drottningholm.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7d4yDVYaGrm_tBa2Dlg3SVBYwuxskd9mx8u5_U0aJ9jtDjf62PYLIi9mQ41iGYzhoEkf0a1lG6tt1NbqLCWFXtNEe-9b80G5NpGYL_xsDa8Ep5ZsmLHv0ILBzTz_quZT-sdCppRYk2TK/s1600/DSCN3373.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7d4yDVYaGrm_tBa2Dlg3SVBYwuxskd9mx8u5_U0aJ9jtDjf62PYLIi9mQ41iGYzhoEkf0a1lG6tt1NbqLCWFXtNEe-9b80G5NpGYL_xsDa8Ep5ZsmLHv0ILBzTz_quZT-sdCppRYk2TK/s320/DSCN3373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668309533847014130" border="0" /></a><br />The "tent" is actually made from painted metal sheets over the concrete construction.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlC0th9H9W1D0zsYfSDKE_sOByA1xlGpTp6DS47wHd1mRLg75P3L1bhAF_s6y7j96ajKswFY0cdcZGqi5TjP431fGgyOrHhrgc2MmcjpQWMRa78rhk3Dj4Wby6zHLUWlIgvGfLQwf7C53/s1600/DSCN3387.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlC0th9H9W1D0zsYfSDKE_sOByA1xlGpTp6DS47wHd1mRLg75P3L1bhAF_s6y7j96ajKswFY0cdcZGqi5TjP431fGgyOrHhrgc2MmcjpQWMRa78rhk3Dj4Wby6zHLUWlIgvGfLQwf7C53/s320/DSCN3387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668296840910665858" border="0" /></a><br />Here we see the French politician Thierry Coudert with the charming musical historian Veronique Schwob. Messr Coudert is also the author of that delightfully riveting book <span style="font-style: italic;">Cafe Society</span>.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMdME49OsyRnA-WYWE5NAgeFY0JbDOTLuUCUYeloaOEiSxy_E2ummFiM79i92FlVc4anIUihuR_QMfxYL60wuAKNC3MXMBVofE4wqQsedemF9c3uMFqpZjOEWFUyoDXlLZgJrbuQ6hltg/s1600/DSCN3375.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMdME49OsyRnA-WYWE5NAgeFY0JbDOTLuUCUYeloaOEiSxy_E2ummFiM79i92FlVc4anIUihuR_QMfxYL60wuAKNC3MXMBVofE4wqQsedemF9c3uMFqpZjOEWFUyoDXlLZgJrbuQ6hltg/s320/DSCN3375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668296825657448226" border="0" /></a><br />I am in this photo with my much admired and fond friend the noted French scholar, private museum guide, and author on the decorative arts, Anne Marie Quette without whom the visit to Groussay would have been impossible to imagine!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBqPX4BNY8_DRNt2RanWmEXO9umBNAgi2vjydTxwfvudiNSK2mUCGf4EoZzk50Cp95fa5EtV7NWf_t-ulldnEagEnhvYZD3uQCB5rG_nIrfDIi7irtsEm48exx6QF6mekNQQVsRZENYUL/s1600/DSCN3371.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBqPX4BNY8_DRNt2RanWmEXO9umBNAgi2vjydTxwfvudiNSK2mUCGf4EoZzk50Cp95fa5EtV7NWf_t-ulldnEagEnhvYZD3uQCB5rG_nIrfDIi7irtsEm48exx6QF6mekNQQVsRZENYUL/s320/DSCN3371.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668311001116760354" border="0" /></a><br />In this instance Beistegui added the original detail of specially ordered blue and white tiles from Delft which line the entire inside of the pavilion!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OfLxJdaTa8buVqAiqGjjCzFgarS9xpqj4BKdEgHSRSvF1y3ghBZ4S9WBvZayZXtjY6osrztIhZO-bfwGlTGC0cblGIjS8Bn4qn_sG6YZBqGD2HFylFdhdnnN5ud-dr6mANVCiEtB1WIr/s1600/DSCN3377.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OfLxJdaTa8buVqAiqGjjCzFgarS9xpqj4BKdEgHSRSvF1y3ghBZ4S9WBvZayZXtjY6osrztIhZO-bfwGlTGC0cblGIjS8Bn4qn_sG6YZBqGD2HFylFdhdnnN5ud-dr6mANVCiEtB1WIr/s320/DSCN3377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668296828708475330" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4YtY6O8z0YWMZ3OF7itZu06NeNAuvVlwzf5cKmydN62EsHfhDGngZADsT46ipnJZixurTwZSiF_BfL5zqdbRqWnpTdbOe2d7XJXVqm8wqY2WSFMVVsi3TrelAm6aP7VowfYGBXfflJR1/s1600/DSCN3385.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4YtY6O8z0YWMZ3OF7itZu06NeNAuvVlwzf5cKmydN62EsHfhDGngZADsT46ipnJZixurTwZSiF_BfL5zqdbRqWnpTdbOe2d7XJXVqm8wqY2WSFMVVsi3TrelAm6aP7VowfYGBXfflJR1/s320/DSCN3385.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668302907355628562" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixe900KCPy47dpeMBo6XLgk4UpO9JUDGwuFWlj1H4TEHbYly_MI4scDron4hBecpo6tx6kR3lQ6BQaY1FMcq2xa0Pw8KLDd-XCzq4E3Ywjf9JEE1VoJscUO9XtV1mO3D31ntZB50LcAAFh/s1600/DSCN3380.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixe900KCPy47dpeMBo6XLgk4UpO9JUDGwuFWlj1H4TEHbYly_MI4scDron4hBecpo6tx6kR3lQ6BQaY1FMcq2xa0Pw8KLDd-XCzq4E3Ywjf9JEE1VoJscUO9XtV1mO3D31ntZB50LcAAFh/s320/DSCN3380.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668302904010604866" border="0" /></a><br />Other follies included this Paliadian Pavilion peacefully nestled in a green maze of bushes and shrubs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGww-DgQg6oWgTvdYIhL3ZzoEN0uGEXKtjL3uv8vuVoObVU8rDbpNNObz9we8Tm_8d6jdXEwyTlxFTpsrZFczCcRFX3Uq-gKyHhbNFTmEE3X3W4Wo1K1r3By5FCk5VSaKzu6zMsvA0IRL/s1600/DSCN3390.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGww-DgQg6oWgTvdYIhL3ZzoEN0uGEXKtjL3uv8vuVoObVU8rDbpNNObz9we8Tm_8d6jdXEwyTlxFTpsrZFczCcRFX3Uq-gKyHhbNFTmEE3X3W4Wo1K1r3By5FCk5VSaKzu6zMsvA0IRL/s320/DSCN3390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668298612453068082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9PB9GZdxWjemhmsTIxoa0i81LM522EsqRLD_Eru2WKcKZAASkg41dovPeCC929Adoh-PnI9T7NNilPlevdbL1nwSzQFG18nT56GOdFSOZXdjVdR-pdw5NHE2CblhPmiVD4HlDuC5as98/s1600/DSCN3391.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9PB9GZdxWjemhmsTIxoa0i81LM522EsqRLD_Eru2WKcKZAASkg41dovPeCC929Adoh-PnI9T7NNilPlevdbL1nwSzQFG18nT56GOdFSOZXdjVdR-pdw5NHE2CblhPmiVD4HlDuC5as98/s320/DSCN3391.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668298618018423602" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGD0wKvHhbvOd22LKbwoboTuraV7IF6lnt_7Rdzn-cpgFf13l22L1-TS4hG9ccAzvO6KIdEb9mbg55vSJINduyDEFdeCEOPQDmbyn-SGSIJ7fMv09hL89iIO6IF_UeoXR9-JLCqZnj1JF/s1600/DSCN3395.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGD0wKvHhbvOd22LKbwoboTuraV7IF6lnt_7Rdzn-cpgFf13l22L1-TS4hG9ccAzvO6KIdEb9mbg55vSJINduyDEFdeCEOPQDmbyn-SGSIJ7fMv09hL89iIO6IF_UeoXR9-JLCqZnj1JF/s320/DSCN3395.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668307376513459506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM5Zsr8RVg1B6eBS4BGFsqlXmEMu6GFUitoC8TL28SAsU4FzzzdYnjk5pKZfVMJgjd586KhUvWU0EWM8WZmq-GkJqN6_rxjUknT_LpnqGoHNgoULzfjcrFLgh6uvMG7yGomn-VGZCDJMw/s1600/DSCN3397.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM5Zsr8RVg1B6eBS4BGFsqlXmEMu6GFUitoC8TL28SAsU4FzzzdYnjk5pKZfVMJgjd586KhUvWU0EWM8WZmq-GkJqN6_rxjUknT_LpnqGoHNgoULzfjcrFLgh6uvMG7yGomn-VGZCDJMw/s320/DSCN3397.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668307373118073842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L4sBWb7oIcFeXjdd0rCMeamCqDcqqE3uTi19RYcUReHpBAOm3Ir5di-Vn-KU-4hA9Sw9Pa4KkRU3O8F1IJpmMv-2eQYQw-0po2kC8Nm49gIPcKqKZLEPgGOdm3W-KY3M5tH5WRQ5dQrP/s1600/DSCN3393.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L4sBWb7oIcFeXjdd0rCMeamCqDcqqE3uTi19RYcUReHpBAOm3Ir5di-Vn-KU-4hA9Sw9Pa4KkRU3O8F1IJpmMv-2eQYQw-0po2kC8Nm49gIPcKqKZLEPgGOdm3W-KY3M5tH5WRQ5dQrP/s320/DSCN3393.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668307371769420354" border="0" /></a><br />This is followed by a charming outdoor theatre.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rhj9MKoVwEsxQn_330xG8DSuZmBpUn7OO1J1Gox4VuaP-80-9X3mKQX2buBBEPF1-l2pW_WDLh4NHpPR9gqQs4LNEI3aGYCgtLKG53YCShUuSwjyzNhOfK2RprJA2o3JRLzd0xoFyGh3/s1600/DSCN3399.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rhj9MKoVwEsxQn_330xG8DSuZmBpUn7OO1J1Gox4VuaP-80-9X3mKQX2buBBEPF1-l2pW_WDLh4NHpPR9gqQs4LNEI3aGYCgtLKG53YCShUuSwjyzNhOfK2RprJA2o3JRLzd0xoFyGh3/s320/DSCN3399.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668298626500349458" border="0" /></a><br />The pyramid is inspired by the ice house pyramid at the Desert de Retz.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKldtEl0XKLhx9wphPYUe_XUMp1EKctyw3MH2wEYAYoP_J2iyfZ3v8Be3WmWZfRPswFrpml-9QZdOOvIlxt8Vh9SAyyTMlMQ440Hh_3nz2RBsXip8ayiUxN7TFNheWY5cwQmCUzx3N1wOR/s1600/DSCN3403.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKldtEl0XKLhx9wphPYUe_XUMp1EKctyw3MH2wEYAYoP_J2iyfZ3v8Be3WmWZfRPswFrpml-9QZdOOvIlxt8Vh9SAyyTMlMQ440Hh_3nz2RBsXip8ayiUxN7TFNheWY5cwQmCUzx3N1wOR/s320/DSCN3403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668298633610948962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2DuaipAQvmKwCqsYq1g-RBZG6aVnC8QX14qVzuhKKKraF58AfbSnJSYwtGo2NoeWEvpBfj2fTEFkwy2laEXwGXlr4IKp3JfC08re1B-2mKhK5FVbDMGZXcbD-wjS2qsMT8Cbiy0xr_Bn/s1600/DSCN3412.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2DuaipAQvmKwCqsYq1g-RBZG6aVnC8QX14qVzuhKKKraF58AfbSnJSYwtGo2NoeWEvpBfj2fTEFkwy2laEXwGXlr4IKp3JfC08re1B-2mKhK5FVbDMGZXcbD-wjS2qsMT8Cbiy0xr_Bn/s320/DSCN3412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668299544708143170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6ao0hRtnlQLR0kB0ELxhlHF4kvq1upHjiCe9MSuoFkCxskZ_RN0bEWSXrlerUx0Xby0oH_8SpTEEB4d2ovo2bx75JnnFC7lhrHDc5D7zIhotwnMcuWKCIWatyNMvKmNmmhoSMqo21h1b/s1600/DSCN3407.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6ao0hRtnlQLR0kB0ELxhlHF4kvq1upHjiCe9MSuoFkCxskZ_RN0bEWSXrlerUx0Xby0oH_8SpTEEB4d2ovo2bx75JnnFC7lhrHDc5D7zIhotwnMcuWKCIWatyNMvKmNmmhoSMqo21h1b/s320/DSCN3407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668299544773934066" border="0" /></a><br />And the Palladian Bridge is a cross between the bridge at Wilton in England and the bridges of the Venetian canals.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3lFBWW0EE2nSiMKOE3dYF3fUWCNA0gvXMQOqQdC3JsTPQOA7HyuAqYbxuyVO1-eCvTiE6Q3N9D9zHhHpzvgtubW0zYQlJHfIsyWU0AfeI32G863AWXEw_sD1Fo3cHSUNVu9unD003Dfv/s1600/DSCN3406.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3lFBWW0EE2nSiMKOE3dYF3fUWCNA0gvXMQOqQdC3JsTPQOA7HyuAqYbxuyVO1-eCvTiE6Q3N9D9zHhHpzvgtubW0zYQlJHfIsyWU0AfeI32G863AWXEw_sD1Fo3cHSUNVu9unD003Dfv/s320/DSCN3406.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668299553921352162" border="0" /></a><br />Then comes the unforgettable Chinoiserie Pavilion which is a riot of polychrome and reveries of a China that existed only in the fantasies of 18th Century patrons who yearned for the visual novelties evoking the distant exoticism of the East...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2WljvMB9pOsV2PjjuAVid4txRhV7JX_bAxr2THL9ucWDNZuaq4rd2H02OZeTBKkODgrNwWIxZra_b4GdpYy6nbSrcRP-X0H4P2OVhlPqHIa5SGWvmc4wF528__yPuvMAW6uh22M5ytV0/s1600/DSCN3424.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2WljvMB9pOsV2PjjuAVid4txRhV7JX_bAxr2THL9ucWDNZuaq4rd2H02OZeTBKkODgrNwWIxZra_b4GdpYy6nbSrcRP-X0H4P2OVhlPqHIa5SGWvmc4wF528__yPuvMAW6uh22M5ytV0/s320/DSCN3424.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668299558390980306" border="0" /></a><br />The inside is no less evocative of the 18th Century's sense of whimsy and <span style="font-style: italic;">joie de vivre</span>!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGJtoZBKkwwLluzdSwGhJ9Qg6RPGtZpaBWzJI1lPDD4x6nqRXMj7yZpWVjf_sZPfTEI938VsAd8fwrHF1BOFeh2VBi8XMhDfc_jF0q6iuAz1LhsE6Df0EXX-4oXFKJB4-qgwFkWraLrSz/s1600/DSCN3428.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGJtoZBKkwwLluzdSwGhJ9Qg6RPGtZpaBWzJI1lPDD4x6nqRXMj7yZpWVjf_sZPfTEI938VsAd8fwrHF1BOFeh2VBi8XMhDfc_jF0q6iuAz1LhsE6Df0EXX-4oXFKJB4-qgwFkWraLrSz/s320/DSCN3428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668299556385823682" border="0" /></a><br />Below, resting inside the Chinese Pavilion is the much valued friend and colleague, the eminent historian of the City of Versailles Messr Jacques Villard with whom I was so happy to be able to share this landmark visit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37XuVJyvK7E3a1FdDmOUP3Pohzw-9ic5ZagC9VlRPBhp8Glx3B19Ala62Pn5Ee6CJobEe8eMtZ9SF3p0E4S8v0GlvTMOHdxee4PEWP0MbnW0Cph5BhwPv9NiNZUvdV8NCQCKDeLKWh28C/s1600/DSCN3432.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37XuVJyvK7E3a1FdDmOUP3Pohzw-9ic5ZagC9VlRPBhp8Glx3B19Ala62Pn5Ee6CJobEe8eMtZ9SF3p0E4S8v0GlvTMOHdxee4PEWP0MbnW0Cph5BhwPv9NiNZUvdV8NCQCKDeLKWh28C/s320/DSCN3432.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668300210446964258" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm3kfX48zOjK8SODyi35Op-8Af613ktGjppaTurWhdcpKxAaClO9wp-cxOhHaqCSYTQLoJB6B8LfyVipW0i469tzfnmfg_rKfyvhGZMd4-eaqNKiXQLXMfwbJNvg4tRA4tdfOiAcy1Nsd/s1600/DSCN3425.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm3kfX48zOjK8SODyi35Op-8Af613ktGjppaTurWhdcpKxAaClO9wp-cxOhHaqCSYTQLoJB6B8LfyVipW0i469tzfnmfg_rKfyvhGZMd4-eaqNKiXQLXMfwbJNvg4tRA4tdfOiAcy1Nsd/s320/DSCN3425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668308463691679874" border="0" /></a><br />Messr Remillieux kindly had our group also enjoy the lovely interiors of Groussay but did not send us off without the lovely gesture of inviting us to a glass of champagne in the widely admired and famous library where you see me and this generous host and guide toasting a successful and unforgettable day at Groussay!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWQuCxQvRFnDGO_hbWGH2dAKFIY-KWqHOeYKt-z9PKJmFMdd0WhyphenhyphenW6ZXNrtcfHxouA_YWsSzVSd8_PMQjCiJ0tRNhL94_YLOGjitnxcyby2T6UBUNqUTfw-OmICCRmTbanB9YdGct5p80/s1600/DSCN3444.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWQuCxQvRFnDGO_hbWGH2dAKFIY-KWqHOeYKt-z9PKJmFMdd0WhyphenhyphenW6ZXNrtcfHxouA_YWsSzVSd8_PMQjCiJ0tRNhL94_YLOGjitnxcyby2T6UBUNqUTfw-OmICCRmTbanB9YdGct5p80/s320/DSCN3444.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668300219098698354" border="0" /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-8591801824031816242011-10-27T12:29:00.000-07:002011-10-28T11:25:52.645-07:00Important 18th Century French Chairs at New York City's Premier Dealer Dalva Brothers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFR8O7TYCXE5Xt8-J7LUzA1trC-1E4j8lPVzB2ZiVNilxgYBtyIbH7q1YsTB5aK4MqAE7WJ_k0IFRLZG66tIewDILHYNOLt5hQ7uQoT-rK8zIjVFoPHYPD5XqdNe6D1Gji1Nm-Bgko_v8/s1600/DSCN3319.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLRsrE13aKisgMVWapZZ0wjyWuh03S2odcVdkFA9_OC5ZWCm7qYhhJNT7zcIPENF71-8gCC8L6FqT8DpQNaLQc3GSZwGvz3EIsYFZvX4mT3w__mJEdmRacMAEcQo77Df9DcPGAbm4vDDB/s1600/DSCN3323.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLRsrE13aKisgMVWapZZ0wjyWuh03S2odcVdkFA9_OC5ZWCm7qYhhJNT7zcIPENF71-8gCC8L6FqT8DpQNaLQc3GSZwGvz3EIsYFZvX4mT3w__mJEdmRacMAEcQo77Df9DcPGAbm4vDDB/s320/DSCN3323.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668267500208177858" border="0" /></a><br />Any serious collector or connoisseur of 18th Century French furniture has made the mandatory pilgrimage to the legendary family owned <span style="font-style: italic;">antiquaire</span>, Dalva Brothers in New York City. Situated after a recent relocation in a historic town house at 53 East 77th Street, this gallery of Olympian category has various floors of <span style="font-style: italic;">boiserie</span> paneled rooms offering a dazzling selection of cabinet work as well as the art of <span style="font-style: italic;">menuiserie </span>on which we shall focus in this visit. <span style="font-style: italic;">Menuiserie</span> was the art of the wood carver who specialized in chairs and other seating, console table and frames of various sorts. The stric<span style="text-decoration: underline;">t</span> guild regulations clearly separated the <span style="font-style: italic;">menuiseur</span> from the <span style="font-style: italic;">ebeniste</span> who specialized in case furniture that was veneered. During my recent visit with Mr. Leon Dalva, the current owner, I was given the customary cordial greeting by this gentleman whose erudition is matched by his affability and delight in sharing his enthusiasm with collectors and historians of the period whose seriousness is evident. I had the pleasure of first meeting this exceptional gentleman in 2007 when I directed a workshop for appraisers in NYC about French 18th Century furniture and on which I collaborated with the world recognized expert in the field, Mr Thierry Millerand. Thierry kindly arranged an excursion to Dalva Brothers to be a perfect ending to this two-day workshop which allowed the participants a chance to view this exceptional museum quality collection in the company of these 2 widely acknowledged authorities. It was quite a thrill! And for me it was a most gratifying introduction to Leon Dalva and his lovely wife Nancy who was also present. During a more recent visit, I discussed several of the gallery inventory's chairs with Leon Dalva who balked with utter conviction at my observation about what I perceive as a waning taste for great French furniture of the Ancien Regime in the collecting and auction world of the early 21st Century. To such a suggestion he replied without a moment's hesitation, "French 18th Century furniture is alive and well here at Dalva!" When you visit, it's easy to agree with him and to question how anyone would not want to collect such glorious furniture if given the opportunity.<br /><br />Leon Dalva's enthusiasm is unabashedly contagious! And no wonder... The inventory in the settings of finely carved wall panels and creaky wood floors is utterly mesmerizing in its beauty!<br /><br />Take for instance this chair which is part of a suite attributed to the greatest <span style="font-style: italic;">menuiseur</span> of the reign of Louis XVI, Georges Jacob. The set was executed on the eve of the Revolution in an assertively avant guard style anticipating the Empire under Napoleon with its reliance on Egyptian motifs.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJUWvl4y7uuoTOiBXH9ty4c-5gCg_kunQogvTjFUzpbWsIAF959kG-3onyTEBpTyGNIX9K-frLRJINrKa5pP27uy2_HS3a7J5hNid100IG8OFNPn31jborA0HV-NGfG0xb51l9W-irrjX/s1600/DSCN3311.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJUWvl4y7uuoTOiBXH9ty4c-5gCg_kunQogvTjFUzpbWsIAF959kG-3onyTEBpTyGNIX9K-frLRJINrKa5pP27uy2_HS3a7J5hNid100IG8OFNPn31jborA0HV-NGfG0xb51l9W-irrjX/s320/DSCN3311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668266558404784930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In a more familiar manner is this perfectly carved and oil gilded Louis XVI pair of <span style="font-style: italic;">fauteuils</span> of which we see an example. Oil gilding was a less commonly used technique (as opposed to the more common technique of water gilding) and surviving examples of chairs with the original oil gilding are very rare.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGYeMVDBqKyMgk7BYU_rh9LGMh2FhXWVkMHA2rgB7pC-gZrJZi5pCalbcA5KIatdJidC9HvzAnIoi8h0yvpvM6R5H1sQ7Ny1q52gZL5fNMX4gcEV9seqyXEsf8QQATOyp0ZHbx409ozoI/s1600/DSCN3316.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGYeMVDBqKyMgk7BYU_rh9LGMh2FhXWVkMHA2rgB7pC-gZrJZi5pCalbcA5KIatdJidC9HvzAnIoi8h0yvpvM6R5H1sQ7Ny1q52gZL5fNMX4gcEV9seqyXEsf8QQATOyp0ZHbx409ozoI/s320/DSCN3316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668266563747497954" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Below is a fine example of the late Louis XVI's period penchant for "Anglomanie" in certain court and aristocratic circles with favoured the use of mahogany in both cabinet work and seating. This particular armchair was clearly designed for an officer to whom it was important to be able to seat himself comfortably while wearing his understandably cumbersome sword! Note the exaggerated inward curvature of the support on the arm and you can see how the client often worked with the artisan to ensure a successful design that was also accommodating the patron's needs while resulting in what had to be the most harmonious period of successful collaboration between patron and artisan in Western history!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpghxuE2IE6FHjLCphryOOTY1uMS-i0arF9vGNBPuVNHjDjwSzkTL5TDareOVEihxzGn6ClpRJNCShC84YDru_sE5nC8P2BKLt1beygz0jEb-y0go7sK3VjM8NUZF_t8mlSYtq24ySNDg/s1600/DSCN3314.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpghxuE2IE6FHjLCphryOOTY1uMS-i0arF9vGNBPuVNHjDjwSzkTL5TDareOVEihxzGn6ClpRJNCShC84YDru_sE5nC8P2BKLt1beygz0jEb-y0go7sK3VjM8NUZF_t8mlSYtq24ySNDg/s320/DSCN3314.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668266568695723010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzV2LtE7edaKUSmHF017tAjwIErNqybznR2m4eg6ZbsCqzyBv92beN51ZYUNcBzliUgs9EbNPmeC8d1s-YCSMYyZ8KTaYhICaUsd5ROziYg97mcez3NPzRGJoA4kZG1SZB-B-TyBw5OPS/s1600/DSCN3313.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzV2LtE7edaKUSmHF017tAjwIErNqybznR2m4eg6ZbsCqzyBv92beN51ZYUNcBzliUgs9EbNPmeC8d1s-YCSMYyZ8KTaYhICaUsd5ROziYg97mcez3NPzRGJoA4kZG1SZB-B-TyBw5OPS/s320/DSCN3313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668270262702565986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Of course Dalva Brothers has much more than just the chaste neoclassicism of the Louis XVI period in its vast and uniformly superb inventory. The Louis XIV period is well represented with such examples as this assertive <span style="font-style: italic;">fauteuil</span> of the 17th Century with what appears to also be original gilded wood.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRGRra62waoOGhhP4YBMv0IZAl3386gcW7FVQgjzfzp8VlpTrWmMpUAD_S17qD2XG99UY6_AIQAiRPIdprbhO9ZiyqxPnkFytuOw1fASCf2D_T9MDC9KECsNHITUz_tRUzBkIanbIE4fc/s1600/DSCN3325.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRGRra62waoOGhhP4YBMv0IZAl3386gcW7FVQgjzfzp8VlpTrWmMpUAD_S17qD2XG99UY6_AIQAiRPIdprbhO9ZiyqxPnkFytuOw1fASCf2D_T9MDC9KECsNHITUz_tRUzBkIanbIE4fc/s320/DSCN3325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668266575026857922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Plenty of exceptionally fine Louis XV chairs are part of the Dalva Brothers collection. Most outstanding to my mind was this pair of <span style="font-style: italic;">fauteuils </span>of which we have an example below in which a truly rare and not often seen finesse of carving is immediately apparent with the rhythmic and twisting vines and foliage carved by the hands of an obvious virtuoso! In this instance the <span style="font-style: italic;">menuiseur </span>was one of the period's greatest artisans L. Cresson who was well patronized in court circles.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEImCtoLBWOgRrQGaEZhNwraA78C2ixE88cs8QJA0SftS9qhh-1jmKUlGhlVlGRSO7aHa27-qKocaLxclSO3QZH63FhEpk0p3zeWld1A6htv0_0su_msAZldOqazCYdnX1Cc4WFXWEnCVA/s1600/DSCN3318.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEImCtoLBWOgRrQGaEZhNwraA78C2ixE88cs8QJA0SftS9qhh-1jmKUlGhlVlGRSO7aHa27-qKocaLxclSO3QZH63FhEpk0p3zeWld1A6htv0_0su_msAZldOqazCYdnX1Cc4WFXWEnCVA/s320/DSCN3318.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668266580145588418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFR8O7TYCXE5Xt8-J7LUzA1trC-1E4j8lPVzB2ZiVNilxgYBtyIbH7q1YsTB5aK4MqAE7WJ_k0IFRLZG66tIewDILHYNOLt5hQ7uQoT-rK8zIjVFoPHYPD5XqdNe6D1Gji1Nm-Bgko_v8/s1600/DSCN3319.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFR8O7TYCXE5Xt8-J7LUzA1trC-1E4j8lPVzB2ZiVNilxgYBtyIbH7q1YsTB5aK4MqAE7WJ_k0IFRLZG66tIewDILHYNOLt5hQ7uQoT-rK8zIjVFoPHYPD5XqdNe6D1Gji1Nm-Bgko_v8/s320/DSCN3319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668267505611888850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEHx0l898fyXrkXgJxpQ3D4BLUoqRFNwY22f_L0RLt8FB5EMdmd_Sc4yZfWGhtg9aA6PVMfxOkHW9mb00EVqBaJSI5NNRR8SBLsyLXpAZuVyXKVtsboNxbIwfgQ-sIXB_snSlFiSlO-Xd/s1600/DSCN3320.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEHx0l898fyXrkXgJxpQ3D4BLUoqRFNwY22f_L0RLt8FB5EMdmd_Sc4yZfWGhtg9aA6PVMfxOkHW9mb00EVqBaJSI5NNRR8SBLsyLXpAZuVyXKVtsboNxbIwfgQ-sIXB_snSlFiSlO-Xd/s320/DSCN3320.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668267496824655714" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Other examples seen below are ample testimony, in visual and tactile terms, to Talleyrand's often cited remark that only those fortunate enough to have enjoyed the world of elite Parisian and court society before 1789, could understand how sweet life could be for that enviable and enticing ruling caste!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMGQglyDNM5xiyQUnEKCVqDBmKsgaKBjPotqjB420NlsdJcJYX2E_-flsjTzm7a1FSGHiGhkBP5RV9FDRipedllGnUT1K5Qd4B_MmteYGyPUPIws2vHOMa8SnWu8YP1WYQpuJOPN7oWON/s1600/DSCN3312.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMGQglyDNM5xiyQUnEKCVqDBmKsgaKBjPotqjB420NlsdJcJYX2E_-flsjTzm7a1FSGHiGhkBP5RV9FDRipedllGnUT1K5Qd4B_MmteYGyPUPIws2vHOMa8SnWu8YP1WYQpuJOPN7oWON/s320/DSCN3312.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668267514260280354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qVCwF1GGy9g56QdtE4Z1PeVb6DKnyquENNBZMjEyiPB6JtBLCw2_6RM2ajyxoLo6L5CNIJMrHaGTF_ofgghEe-VJY8u5kxcJvQc0u24J3Hadvt988wLd5goB7_TlKuZ0vT88x50lmIja/s1600/DSCN3332.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qVCwF1GGy9g56QdtE4Z1PeVb6DKnyquENNBZMjEyiPB6JtBLCw2_6RM2ajyxoLo6L5CNIJMrHaGTF_ofgghEe-VJY8u5kxcJvQc0u24J3Hadvt988wLd5goB7_TlKuZ0vT88x50lmIja/s320/DSCN3332.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668267518292277730" border="0" /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-41857204989441761752011-04-06T16:17:00.000-07:002013-02-06T16:18:48.908-08:00An 18th Century Folie, First in a Series: Le Pavillon de Musique de Madame Du Barry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From all accounts Madame Du Barry had everything it took to become a siren and sex symbol of the same level as Liz Taylor. Even people predisposed to disapprove of her on the basis of her early career as a deluxe call girl and later as the last official mistress to the aging Louis XV during his twilight years, had to admit, after meeting her and enjoying a conversation, that she was charming, likable, egalitarian in her good manners and kindness. Blond bombshell that she was... She was no fool. It certainly didn't hurt that she was stunning. Had she lived today, with her natural physical beauty, her easy manner, and her geisha-like desire to make the person with whom she was speaking at a given moment feel like the centre of her universe, she'd still be a celebrity. No question!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFx_4TWQrnOXBAejBczpq3V4RnyuGWZuiqtAOK6bLDiTqEcm0LcikgtZduHwy6HlPXtQkgF46WoHIvM9LnSwZ84yjza-L0YA-uKI8SciJcMIGAycylUlkKt8woeC4FpIoq2VoEPPpL0Nf/s1600/499px-Madame_du_Barry.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592662947581155826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFx_4TWQrnOXBAejBczpq3V4RnyuGWZuiqtAOK6bLDiTqEcm0LcikgtZduHwy6HlPXtQkgF46WoHIvM9LnSwZ84yjza-L0YA-uKI8SciJcMIGAycylUlkKt8woeC4FpIoq2VoEPPpL0Nf/s320/499px-Madame_du_Barry.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a><br />
Of course, the apogee of her "career" started in 1769 when she was introduced to Louis XV, seen below in the portrait by Drouais, by one of her "clients" the aging rakish and utterly mesmerizing (if no less utterly cynical) Duc de Richelieu. Richelieu was one of the king's closest friends. What even Richelieu did not expect, as did no one else, was that Louis XV liked her so much in bed he broke all traditions and court customs and installed her at court in her own apartments and shortly after that arranged to bend the rules and made her is official mistress.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMwhstoUKxJurJMZBraSsSWM5OIu8pz6Tnt9L7iaI8qZtz-yctT1N7qz8WKg9LbqUg7xQiP18fGTNH0YT1ToCxKQirOjCCVnTOMqHxlW2FclF_uB5m0_2IplLpHUC9V0xC-gBmqwVlEhX/s1600/Louis+XV+par+Drouais.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592663268030538754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMwhstoUKxJurJMZBraSsSWM5OIu8pz6Tnt9L7iaI8qZtz-yctT1N7qz8WKg9LbqUg7xQiP18fGTNH0YT1ToCxKQirOjCCVnTOMqHxlW2FclF_uB5m0_2IplLpHUC9V0xC-gBmqwVlEhX/s320/Louis+XV+par+Drouais.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 204px;" /></a><br />
This was unimaginable! Not that the king would have an official mistress... That was expected. What totally nonplussed even the most worldly courtier what that the position was not filled by a married woman born into a higher rank in society - and customarily from the court itself. At the same time, to quell criticism a bit, and to cover his bases, Louis XV arranged for her to marry the country bumpkin elder brother of her utterly handsome well born and rather ambitious pimp who happened to be a minor noble too poor to live at court and who was living in the provinces in a crumbling chateau. The groom was the Comte Du Barry. A Count! How convenient! Instant pedigree by marriage! He immediately came to court at Royal command solely for the wedding. He was promptly sent back home to the provinces and never saw the bride again. Mission accomplished. One of the Paris's most celebrated and expensive prostitutes was now the king's favourite and was to go by the name of La Comtesse Du Barry!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehSkb7Df4pMQipjtAEssL0SxmHXCBXaFKr2gkWGSpsULI32YAQdfjORufxtScoWOePzjEB7PlQg1Nvyy5gKC-MrCF8RB5gR7Syf6y7lhotTKqPLThU7Ev4RQKzvEfMDnPPyTO5R5qPMEV/s1600/DSCN0282.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592676212093144658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehSkb7Df4pMQipjtAEssL0SxmHXCBXaFKr2gkWGSpsULI32YAQdfjORufxtScoWOePzjEB7PlQg1Nvyy5gKC-MrCF8RB5gR7Syf6y7lhotTKqPLThU7Ev4RQKzvEfMDnPPyTO5R5qPMEV/s320/DSCN0282.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
With the position came the perks. And a little real estate was one of the most important rewards for any official mistress of the king of France. A mistress of the king could enjoy the use of such a gift during her entire lifetime - even if the king should predecease her. Not a bad fringe benefit!<br />
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In truth, the only large country house she was given was a modest - if charming chateau I recently spotted at the village of Louveciennes just a 15 minute drive from Versailles. It is seen below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLEyZUus3EF6juQYwehYTJCBpZym5xpbMqmj_hs0weCyIMaMthqMW-faJJJzsaAIIui4VNefrw_IZhPJozSVTYpykirGu2cDKiHWU5Nty3yGuXORGzJxcrHuTjqGJpM-RTeHw5iNYcSKY/s1600/DSCN0287.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592664104801033298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLEyZUus3EF6juQYwehYTJCBpZym5xpbMqmj_hs0weCyIMaMthqMW-faJJJzsaAIIui4VNefrw_IZhPJozSVTYpykirGu2cDKiHWU5Nty3yGuXORGzJxcrHuTjqGJpM-RTeHw5iNYcSKY/s320/DSCN0287.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
The main chateau is not the reason to visit. Though old monochrome photos suggest it's lovely inside with finely carved boiseries... However, it's now apparently privately owned and not easily accessible. The reason to visit is to see the one addition of a separate pavilion for entertaining that Madame Du Barry commissioned in the early 1770's from one of the most avant garde and sophisticated architects of the day, Claude Nicholas Ledoux. Ledoux's Palladian influenced classical style is still appealing to modernists and has a very clean contemporary demeanor that is still reverently rooted in Classical traditions. He was hugely admired by Thomas Jefferson. This is his portrait displayed at the Pavillon de Musique today...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8184XWvMzeFmkB5TqwXdoUH_8Eg9Vd7mSV9UlYZKtVNrZ0DK9E3IE1yip10-M0ZyHDcTfjFyIWj0-Yb-OCEkV6YnF8Nhw8t9ml2JCCFr5Mt4veLFInsdRKaqXb-3vqICxZntCcTf-8_Fx/s1600/DSCN0250.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592676209810562946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8184XWvMzeFmkB5TqwXdoUH_8Eg9Vd7mSV9UlYZKtVNrZ0DK9E3IE1yip10-M0ZyHDcTfjFyIWj0-Yb-OCEkV6YnF8Nhw8t9ml2JCCFr5Mt4veLFInsdRKaqXb-3vqICxZntCcTf-8_Fx/s320/DSCN0250.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
At the Pavillion de Louveciennes he created one of the most fetching folies imaginable for entertaining.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcKQJxEQjT-woB7tR79wM3_ZzkEl_QiJBoJeEcd_cWeDPSkYNqc3JvpSttuOKht7R6EfLCBbRB8EMl_CD1z25dytqaOQAF4sv8vxRdMZTznCF0w0QbWxkFK6LJZZmx0uEfwTZAibQ4PXe/s1600/DSCN0161.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592667981834852850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcKQJxEQjT-woB7tR79wM3_ZzkEl_QiJBoJeEcd_cWeDPSkYNqc3JvpSttuOKht7R6EfLCBbRB8EMl_CD1z25dytqaOQAF4sv8vxRdMZTznCF0w0QbWxkFK6LJZZmx0uEfwTZAibQ4PXe/s320/DSCN0161.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
I was charmed approaching the entrance vestibule, as must have been 18th Century guests of Madame Du Barry, as I made my long overdue visit for the first time...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpLzapodY94KCLQzMlaegKgLfGWuVZ0-N2GgOfuhnv-rsbWXJ9PPu8YMLYxfx8t2qT8nqFzPih5Qs_7vJBcK1TkLJ2hh_g6oiq6PmwQwayw4C-65IAomR2Dm1CNyzy4p85Q0F58QDcAq0/s1600/DSCN0196.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592667988757022514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpLzapodY94KCLQzMlaegKgLfGWuVZ0-N2GgOfuhnv-rsbWXJ9PPu8YMLYxfx8t2qT8nqFzPih5Qs_7vJBcK1TkLJ2hh_g6oiq6PmwQwayw4C-65IAomR2Dm1CNyzy4p85Q0F58QDcAq0/s320/DSCN0196.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
Below is the lesser seen rear facade of the Pavillon de Musique de Madame Du Barry...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOkIuj-9dk43r0-v5xRTOJUR_Nks_sR46YPOs3MLVPqkh1XTb2QtMT0Mpyof628_j1DYChNfnx5VPSXZR0yW4yZdgOfozx1j4zggj1zoz5eOUN8U5kLJU84CkhcFSwNLKeRPidfJeq2-4/s1600/DSCN0190.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592667984307187810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOkIuj-9dk43r0-v5xRTOJUR_Nks_sR46YPOs3MLVPqkh1XTb2QtMT0Mpyof628_j1DYChNfnx5VPSXZR0yW4yZdgOfozx1j4zggj1zoz5eOUN8U5kLJU84CkhcFSwNLKeRPidfJeq2-4/s320/DSCN0190.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Alas! The house as seen today has been relocated a few meters, has had an additional attic story added in the 1920's by a prior owner and understandably attracts the derision of purists who say it's not worth even visiting. I disagree. Granted, it's suffered alterations. But enough is there to get a feeling for how the house seemed in the 1770's when Madame Du Barry entertained Louis XV there one evening in the large central vestibule hall also known as the <i>Salle de Musique.</i> One thing is certain. This was the retreat of a very well kept woman... And happily for us, she had unfailing good taste!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGJgikWzlL7-89wsOggOnbZontfHa70sspe3xQDXuLQ3sSSk-W8aqQpEiV1nxDcj_RprcpBC_gRyxNPSPzuKMXltrAZ0xB-Z_nVRCeX-MCbi6o9vRaKQeY3UshSLHFoYjJ5QiixX0z7UQ/s1600/DSCN0216.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592667991437318914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGJgikWzlL7-89wsOggOnbZontfHa70sspe3xQDXuLQ3sSSk-W8aqQpEiV1nxDcj_RprcpBC_gRyxNPSPzuKMXltrAZ0xB-Z_nVRCeX-MCbi6o9vRaKQeY3UshSLHFoYjJ5QiixX0z7UQ/s320/DSCN0216.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA3z3_PCL0k7jaID6qLphcgRopKqxj9bj9a6sQD5Jjv5v0YfX9z1LPlQ3sa0RmqxJL_lShChcEoMy88I4BG04fzx0-nUDh_kTj79V64oaA64vksuVNB05UZOA1bHqip_uH7lSncJrvC1e/s1600/DSCN0224.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592667995788466818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA3z3_PCL0k7jaID6qLphcgRopKqxj9bj9a6sQD5Jjv5v0YfX9z1LPlQ3sa0RmqxJL_lShChcEoMy88I4BG04fzx0-nUDh_kTj79V64oaA64vksuVNB05UZOA1bHqip_uH7lSncJrvC1e/s320/DSCN0224.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
The dinner Madame Du Barry held for Louis XV was happily recorded in this lovely watercolour by Moreau le Jeune and seen below. The same room is very recognizable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0nZfMaN-RKzdZ7fOiHcSZFmBufgmdeXYvSp2Qc3571Elfl9EPh416uYnsLPt7u3Ebmg2L_bfT7OcX9mzs8c_ZSew60eXO-DHHiByMqmH5bp590SrOyiP77kaWQQ9-QxLd9JygptqLG57/s1600/501px-J.M._Moreau_-_Souper_donn%25C3%25A9_%25C3%25A0_Louveciennes.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592671926188292754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0nZfMaN-RKzdZ7fOiHcSZFmBufgmdeXYvSp2Qc3571Elfl9EPh416uYnsLPt7u3Ebmg2L_bfT7OcX9mzs8c_ZSew60eXO-DHHiByMqmH5bp590SrOyiP77kaWQQ9-QxLd9JygptqLG57/s400/501px-J.M._Moreau_-_Souper_donn%25C3%25A9_%25C3%25A0_Louveciennes.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" width="335" /></a><br />
Another unforgettable detail still in place is the collection of utterly jewel-like and finely chased ormolu door and window hardware. Such details, along with the furniture which was once there and which was long ago dispersed into museums and private collections, were noted in the memoirs of one special visitor, the portrait painter Madame Vigée Lebrun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw46php-qro2JKe80tTGVWvWNLAYt3Wc_ulKWGvXnb6PqeIEBgpqE9amrD6c_ntlCj4OO3cfXP23k4rkg27qXblbvaIBX2-3gJsgaVhdaSD-uhUx8iJBUP9BUfeYAZ-bC9_cy1HsjssEV9/s1600/DSCN0236.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592671914521174338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw46php-qro2JKe80tTGVWvWNLAYt3Wc_ulKWGvXnb6PqeIEBgpqE9amrD6c_ntlCj4OO3cfXP23k4rkg27qXblbvaIBX2-3gJsgaVhdaSD-uhUx8iJBUP9BUfeYAZ-bC9_cy1HsjssEV9/s400/DSCN0236.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s7B3ops5c9GMcD2Ob3fCgbzl1iYI2iUnjONGdv76uWr1kwe-Q8oOOMuTwNWj1rOeJQiqKNlYuKHDfL8b4EWhRPJ-0y2NfgvOWRXkQuWCoZaGlMo3Hjq9g50x_vjSNM__DqV0cgTN0DFB/s1600/DSCN0237.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592676217481015266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s7B3ops5c9GMcD2Ob3fCgbzl1iYI2iUnjONGdv76uWr1kwe-Q8oOOMuTwNWj1rOeJQiqKNlYuKHDfL8b4EWhRPJ-0y2NfgvOWRXkQuWCoZaGlMo3Hjq9g50x_vjSNM__DqV0cgTN0DFB/s400/DSCN0237.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" width="300" /></a><br />
Among the items once adorning the Pavillon de Musique was a pair of seductive torchères by Pajou which are now displayed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is one of them...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIQaJknJCSlWmEkLVTdyBA5JPKrUJ2puAAN7VrSXWZAelCPiuFGL_9hwirl-RjtuEeCigo1Io-UKlvnRpdzxN0WH9Ibf1tqcPirA26UZpEgLzvS4mYlioT_PTSNTSAvq1APGDEBeXkhyphenhyphenZ/s1600/DSC04384.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592680728434128354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIQaJknJCSlWmEkLVTdyBA5JPKrUJ2puAAN7VrSXWZAelCPiuFGL_9hwirl-RjtuEeCigo1Io-UKlvnRpdzxN0WH9Ibf1tqcPirA26UZpEgLzvS4mYlioT_PTSNTSAvq1APGDEBeXkhyphenhyphenZ/s400/DSC04384.JPG" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" width="300" /></a><br />
And of course, it was for this ravishing folie that Fragonard had originally created his series of canvases on "The Pursuit of Love" which Madame Du Barry rejected in favour of inferior but appropriately more vigorously Neoclassical paintings by Vien. Admittedly, the Vien paintings series is not as sublime as the Fragonard series. But the paintings she decided to install here were very `a la mode for the time and more in keeping with the classical mood of the decorative ensembles.<br />
Two examples of the paintings she opted to mount on the walls of the pavilion are seen below. They are currently in the Louvre in Paris.<br />
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The paintings were originally mounted on the walls of what was oddly termed the "Salle de Cul". Below is a view of how that room appears today. It is just off the Salle du Roi which is the central drawing room. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwzn9rBOMvQZB1C8FtW1zEETHrPLiYWYpwMWLNJB3SlUaPMmcPGPulZrNR-106EaEwHbIF0jZ8QDGm9N21TT7Q8h07ey2EmJdmHFUy5RVrIyhgdq3zd29F7sMmQEQQtRJwdpvmOshiml0/s1600/DSCN0252.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwzn9rBOMvQZB1C8FtW1zEETHrPLiYWYpwMWLNJB3SlUaPMmcPGPulZrNR-106EaEwHbIF0jZ8QDGm9N21TT7Q8h07ey2EmJdmHFUy5RVrIyhgdq3zd29F7sMmQEQQtRJwdpvmOshiml0/s400/DSCN0252.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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Ironically, copies of the Fragonard paintings (of which the originals are now in New York's Frick Collection) have been placed in the dining room at the pavilion where they are currently on view. It's also interesting to note that, though the canvases were originally commissioned for this building, they would have not been placed in this room which is on the opposite side of the <i>Salle du Roi</i>. As just noted these were intended to be installed in the room we've just visited above. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswocs5eITRtXDik7_f5etORMPz1xv7444fPLxxzULVMfdmNvUYmdaPys7TUOYQydHm6FLgrTynbSDjoo7OEBYwu9PRGZY9ezNRaIIhmhtN_SwBuPd2pku9_xHOUXORpIppWN1lVJ71f0a/s1600/DSCN0262.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592676204460605714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswocs5eITRtXDik7_f5etORMPz1xv7444fPLxxzULVMfdmNvUYmdaPys7TUOYQydHm6FLgrTynbSDjoo7OEBYwu9PRGZY9ezNRaIIhmhtN_SwBuPd2pku9_xHOUXORpIppWN1lVJ71f0a/s200/DSCN0262.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" width="200" /></a><br />
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Other adjacent rooms, though unfurnished, are still lovely to behold! This is the central <i>Salle du Roi </i>to which I alluded earlier. <br />
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It is in the centre just off the large <i>Salle de Musique </i>where Madame Du Barry entertained Louis XV and other guests as seen in the Moreau le Jeune drawing we saw above. The <i>Salle de Musique</i> is discernible from here through the doors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pbg1diKUk6tCysxaoV29joCtrp6KOqsRF2vJ9_BNttDojJRIN-8O-FBI9-ssk5dSLF_Thja1tqv_80yr3Wispi4CJstSAcxccET6MFe7auWokQ6R-FEro8uxn6mbguuzpVw-fzr5BrTW/s1600/DSCN0258.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592676209295890402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pbg1diKUk6tCysxaoV29joCtrp6KOqsRF2vJ9_BNttDojJRIN-8O-FBI9-ssk5dSLF_Thja1tqv_80yr3Wispi4CJstSAcxccET6MFe7auWokQ6R-FEro8uxn6mbguuzpVw-fzr5BrTW/s320/DSCN0258.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Interestingly, it was in this drawing room that a recent photo shoot was
done for the 2009 Dieux du Stade calender of studly French rugby
players! What would Madame Du Barry have made of that?<br />
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This is Madame Du Barry painted by Vigée Lebrun in 1783 after her "retirement" from court... The portrait is currently in the collection of the Corcoran Museum in Washington, D.C. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtS3K5yA7QB3m7FjK0pGZcd6iUSNu5J8yJLzYJbk5n63tX1hu5ZAVeOycxLhIXLMl4VSDf6YVHxReopcccDEbGjkEcOU5QZMhiFRIqYqDwzHuxo4BcDcLoos1ixLxMWlJ2b9yujL4Yrzah/s1600/DSCN0259.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592671923415089202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtS3K5yA7QB3m7FjK0pGZcd6iUSNu5J8yJLzYJbk5n63tX1hu5ZAVeOycxLhIXLMl4VSDf6YVHxReopcccDEbGjkEcOU5QZMhiFRIqYqDwzHuxo4BcDcLoos1ixLxMWlJ2b9yujL4Yrzah/s400/DSCN0259.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" width="400" /></a><br />
Perhaps, being the friendly gregarious lady she was, Madame Du Barry would be amused to learn that today the Pavillon de Musique de La Comtesse Du Barry is owned and operated by the Fondation Julienne Dumeste. It is available for rental for weddings, conventions and other special events and can also be visited by appointment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehSkb7Df4pMQipjtAEssL0SxmHXCBXaFKr2gkWGSpsULI32YAQdfjORufxtScoWOePzjEB7PlQg1Nvyy5gKC-MrCF8RB5gR7Syf6y7lhotTKqPLThU7Ev4RQKzvEfMDnPPyTO5R5qPMEV/s1600/DSCN0282.JPG"><br /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-36913437101912023892010-10-11T17:15:00.000-07:002010-10-11T17:45:03.395-07:00Furniture Discussion, 2nd in a Series: Les Chaises Voyeuses in 18th Century FranceThe <span style="font-style: italic;">voyeuse</span> is an often misidentified form of seating furniture produced in France in the 18th Century. It is often mistaken for a <span style="font-style: italic;">prie dieu</span> chair which is, as implied by its name, for devotional practices and used by gentlemen and ladies for kneeling upon while saying morning or evening prayers. The <span style="font-style: italic;">prie dieu</span> is emphatically lower and it's obvious no one of normal scale or stature and sit on it as it's clearly exclusively for kneeling. I good example of a <span style="font-style: italic;">prie dieu</span> is seen below in this photo I took of one fine example in the Musée Lambinet in Versailles last month.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqz0QcYwnStMDOWk3yZCGIPkPDXePdXxFhtHkFzeNnT1L1YroSe5v3DRwSbQuSVdz6FAs4Jbbdt_V1HjuXdTuCX7WctRp-XtG0czK0N2mnpAhJ4eQgfTRn1jTOkUf4SuLiS-EHxDSVfXr4/s1600/DSCN1417.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqz0QcYwnStMDOWk3yZCGIPkPDXePdXxFhtHkFzeNnT1L1YroSe5v3DRwSbQuSVdz6FAs4Jbbdt_V1HjuXdTuCX7WctRp-XtG0czK0N2mnpAhJ4eQgfTRn1jTOkUf4SuLiS-EHxDSVfXr4/s320/DSCN1417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526953069934567714" border="0" /></a><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">voyeuse</span> is for a clearly more mundane purpose! It was a chair on which a gentleman or lady would, in fact kneel casually while taking in a card game in which he or she was not directly actively taking part as a player. The chair was usually positioned with its back facing towards the players and the gaming table in the periphery of the gaming activity. One thing should be made clear here as it's often believed incorrectly to be the case. A <span style="font-style: italic;">voyeuse</span> was not occupied by the card players at the table with the spectator leaning over the player on the padded chair rail which is the principal feature that distinguishes the <span style="font-style: italic;">voyeuse</span> from an ordinary side chair or dining chair. Below in the photo I took at Versailles this past month, you can see a good example of a standard voyeuse chair by Claude Sené in Louis XVI's private dining room in the royal chateau in his <span style="font-style: italic;">Petits Apartments</span>. As in most examples it has an upholstered back surmounted by the required padded chair rail on which the occupant rests his or her forearms.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwa8WK6pdUZLYRrbxd52HBJWgEWNXkfp4etT1sfynr2XqOQPiZHEqZX1t9s8juqPoouHF02hO_Djrqi25WoQvxsYHv82oN32wPyI-Vxkp7ScTQuIBx2nU8zqDrNkA_p2JbMT0uAOsNwmo6/s1600/DSCN2118.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwa8WK6pdUZLYRrbxd52HBJWgEWNXkfp4etT1sfynr2XqOQPiZHEqZX1t9s8juqPoouHF02hO_Djrqi25WoQvxsYHv82oN32wPyI-Vxkp7ScTQuIBx2nU8zqDrNkA_p2JbMT0uAOsNwmo6/s320/DSCN2118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526951565673385794" border="0" /></a><br />Many <span style="font-style: italic;">voyeuses</span> are scarcely distinguishable from a side chair in either the Louis XV or Louis XVI periods. However it's obvious this seating form reached it's apogee of beauty under the later reign when it was often characterized by superb and delicate carved decoration on an open back with a lyre motif! Not surprisingly, Georges Jacob and some of his contemporaries like Henri Jacob or Martin Jullien made a specialty of such <span style="font-style: italic;">voyeuses</span> with a lyre motif on the back.<br /><br />A fine example is seen here. It was offered at Christie's Paris in December of 2007 as lot 92 in the sensational auction of the excess inventory of the legendary Parisian <span style="font-style: italic;">antiquaire</span> Bernard and Benjamin Steinitz. This example is stamped by Jullien. We can only hope the winner of this charming<span style="font-style: italic;"> voyeuse</span> at this stellar auction has taken great care to show it the respect it deserves and has upholstered it in something lovely, appropriate and stunning by the likes of Scalamandré!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDNWdtSduxIuxeTs940C9z1l0ZUa3me4B_E18ibDcSCYyu-LGaEWv1uZCWK9NVYVlTs-uUA0WZQzs0NDpkip9esG1pY9Ep1snDI7Lm2n0qT2zoV9wI8rzD4YwZP45EwqxC6K_BdoGTOuu/s1600/CHAISE+VOYEUSE+D%27EPOQUE+LOUIS+XVI++signee+Martin+Jullien,+Lot+92,+Steinitz+II,+Paris,+14.XI.07.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDNWdtSduxIuxeTs940C9z1l0ZUa3me4B_E18ibDcSCYyu-LGaEWv1uZCWK9NVYVlTs-uUA0WZQzs0NDpkip9esG1pY9Ep1snDI7Lm2n0qT2zoV9wI8rzD4YwZP45EwqxC6K_BdoGTOuu/s320/CHAISE+VOYEUSE+D%27EPOQUE+LOUIS+XVI++signee+Martin+Jullien,+Lot+92,+Steinitz+II,+Paris,+14.XI.07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526951560069129650" border="0" /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-30052813516067254502010-10-11T12:53:00.001-07:002011-04-06T23:43:51.699-07:00A Visit to The Lambinet Museum in Versailles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnR247sX0xkMBkZkjf72J0BKLBBqFsLca_ZUjz3aIsyshD4h7xel68rWVlzC-MVYpTPFqrZLjz368tLBljn4HW2QqXtySqgy5m-4HxVPEVCgAOXdMoOPzzPvefNX51JuM2ZPsWamhHFgt/s1600/DSCN1335.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXrreEfQN14lnY8QMIDEhlNA8s0DrfRHLN0BCBfIy8iIPfXWoBHUcidX2mEQZ4t8pxABf5orAvPlftbLAkmda85jAAawRxilNwuGr8EoSsAeQZueP2DjzvlxapPrw_lLQYQM9PfpJ42nj/s1600/DSC06335.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXrreEfQN14lnY8QMIDEhlNA8s0DrfRHLN0BCBfIy8iIPfXWoBHUcidX2mEQZ4t8pxABf5orAvPlftbLAkmda85jAAawRxilNwuGr8EoSsAeQZueP2DjzvlxapPrw_lLQYQM9PfpJ42nj/s320/DSC06335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526882437330279106" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A Few great cities and smaller ones have a museum dedicated to exhibiting art and historical artifacts that essentially are put to the task of telling the history of the city and its cultural contributions. Perhaps the most notable is the Carnavalet in Paris. However less known, and only a short drive or train ride away is the <span style="font-style: italic;">Musée Lambinet</span> which is dedicated to the City of Versailles and which has just been unveiled after having had a major renovation that was definitely worth the wait!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlNzzKWh7fltlRmC1dbDD9KSsy_N8AUGHLs-yx2PzmGw3u60NtwSgiT_6QiKiIMxKSOPgu4YZQxREWRuF44oyafb2WL5JSmMRTeSztikUen4qSYxsq8Ax3OASKKS15vGea_cGb-dujs8e/s1600/DSCN1446.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlNzzKWh7fltlRmC1dbDD9KSsy_N8AUGHLs-yx2PzmGw3u60NtwSgiT_6QiKiIMxKSOPgu4YZQxREWRuF44oyafb2WL5JSmMRTeSztikUen4qSYxsq8Ax3OASKKS15vGea_cGb-dujs8e/s320/DSCN1446.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526871386034138562" border="0" /></a><br />When I attended on the reopening day in September, it coincided with that massively attended weekend of <span style="font-style: italic;">Patrimonie Nationale</span> during which anyone can, for no admission fee, enter museums and historic houses (including some like government ministries not usually accessible to the public) The crowds were predictably considerable and daunting. But it was also encouraging as it showed just how much the local Versailles community love their museum which is virtually unknown in the USA - even among the most committed lovers of the 18th French Century.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiieeiN-PqizzpjujKpYeF_gN3Wx_a6JR1p2W7Niq6ClvgCUCMJMSBwb2X9ERWKVhI5lZp7HeSkCBEKf_MRjmKSFUL98mXQFFRKHVyb4vQy4M6UgLexmmN_xNbdIkPYoDOzYpssSfSuEgv/s1600/DSCN1361.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiieeiN-PqizzpjujKpYeF_gN3Wx_a6JR1p2W7Niq6ClvgCUCMJMSBwb2X9ERWKVhI5lZp7HeSkCBEKf_MRjmKSFUL98mXQFFRKHVyb4vQy4M6UgLexmmN_xNbdIkPYoDOzYpssSfSuEgv/s320/DSCN1361.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526886881996094658" border="0" /></a><br /><p>The <span style="font-style: italic;">Musée Lambinet</span> is a municipal museum in Versailles telling the history of the town. Since 1932 it has been housed in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Hôtel Lambinet</span>, a <span style="font-style: italic;">hôtel particulier</span> designed by Élie Blanchard, built in the second half of the 18th century by a part of the Clagny Lake (drained during the reign of Louis XV to encourage the city's expansion and development) and left to the town of Versailles by the heirs of Victor Lambinet (a cousin of the painter Émile Lambinet) in 1929. It has been classed as a <span style="font-style: italic;">monument historique </span>since 1944. Its garden façade has a sculpted pediment representing an allegorical figure of architecture.</p><p><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhear1iM9KHIJfYgrT6VwAdz15JfP8wsrYCIBidj8-G-UQfPPqwbOpTYFEUfDAy6hX9gtptwzoHH2QnE7IHBV4d-HHblyw-ibUFoCVvxpVad3QqQWuq6NOGnH08d7KTYQmGmU33Gpm4NV4b/s1600/DSCN1447.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhear1iM9KHIJfYgrT6VwAdz15JfP8wsrYCIBidj8-G-UQfPPqwbOpTYFEUfDAy6hX9gtptwzoHH2QnE7IHBV4d-HHblyw-ibUFoCVvxpVad3QqQWuq6NOGnH08d7KTYQmGmU33Gpm4NV4b/s320/DSCN1447.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526886876152690082" border="0" /></a><p></p><p>The museum has 35 rooms, some with period decor. One one floor is a very charming recreation of a gentleman's domestic establishment with the table laid out for dinner, the toilette table all ready for a gentleman to don his powdered wig, and the gaming table arrayed with cards and tokens to imply someone from the glorious <span style="font-style: italic;">18 eme</span> is just about to walk in the rooms to enjoy a convivial game of whist!<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVbp5vBUeu1_8gECVabBZmt86pNrwTxkTG88NaRImX5C0Sh-_wmiHv4YltS2IQgL9l44BaZJZVUlvZksW8esJZT3evdr3Eh-u0mUT95CzQ9xjyTYTRThrkSgH2F35glTyCWTUXpqRPYOH/s1600/DSCN1332.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVbp5vBUeu1_8gECVabBZmt86pNrwTxkTG88NaRImX5C0Sh-_wmiHv4YltS2IQgL9l44BaZJZVUlvZksW8esJZT3evdr3Eh-u0mUT95CzQ9xjyTYTRThrkSgH2F35glTyCWTUXpqRPYOH/s320/DSCN1332.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526882463735390354" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9u8iZ9IXEWJwIS3zgeJmkgR34P9PpAGN7rCzfFbvNzcwyaZdhUCRFsFsJUclgfksvJWgsSrVpSZhnLCVP4KFvdEZa2QyQosdRi5prVYpcBSBLnQ14OgKCe8WVc8e8gIm6ScqMCKvcTIu/s1600/DSCN1337.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9u8iZ9IXEWJwIS3zgeJmkgR34P9PpAGN7rCzfFbvNzcwyaZdhUCRFsFsJUclgfksvJWgsSrVpSZhnLCVP4KFvdEZa2QyQosdRi5prVYpcBSBLnQ14OgKCe8WVc8e8gIm6ScqMCKvcTIu/s320/DSCN1337.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526882449878425522" border="0" /></a><p><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnR247sX0xkMBkZkjf72J0BKLBBqFsLca_ZUjz3aIsyshD4h7xel68rWVlzC-MVYpTPFqrZLjz368tLBljn4HW2QqXtySqgy5m-4HxVPEVCgAOXdMoOPzzPvefNX51JuM2ZPsWamhHFgt/s1600/DSCN1335.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnR247sX0xkMBkZkjf72J0BKLBBqFsLca_ZUjz3aIsyshD4h7xel68rWVlzC-MVYpTPFqrZLjz368tLBljn4HW2QqXtySqgy5m-4HxVPEVCgAOXdMoOPzzPvefNX51JuM2ZPsWamhHFgt/s320/DSCN1335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526882447221520882" border="0" /></a><p><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNAy9KpIbkholDQt65e_2WfCUBmXGDOGz56YuYjW3EtMmRQPspDJ01EDB0EFkqyT71a-Az7WrkHjFaqc2rRRw0hnaN3Y0sy3XfzHUx5GEYj0qlW0-Lcz46kWLWWsM4luhUzZJ_CR9Jb40/s1600/DSCN1344.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNAy9KpIbkholDQt65e_2WfCUBmXGDOGz56YuYjW3EtMmRQPspDJ01EDB0EFkqyT71a-Az7WrkHjFaqc2rRRw0hnaN3Y0sy3XfzHUx5GEYj0qlW0-Lcz46kWLWWsM4luhUzZJ_CR9Jb40/s320/DSCN1344.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526882454199657538" border="0" /></a><p>There are collections on the town's history on display, such as furniture, ceramics and <span style="font-style: italic;">objets d'art</span> as well as historic plans of the town and paintings, sculptures and other works of art by artists from the town. Indeed, the newly renovated museum now has a worthy gallery on the ground floor to showcase a sumptuous collection of sculpture by one of the city's most celebrated sons, Jean-Antoine Houdon!</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOUKKQrVtfAOe1x3TBJpN2WggrGZBbqp6022O7UpltrwXsupAxczTSUslygBhdjTCfYPWS9_zNZhDZU-ROm_lcs_pVatmmv5OF_NaK90w3nK-PF_6dbM51nUNykZeCP0YV6A5E6K9CaQv/s1600/DSCN1319.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOUKKQrVtfAOe1x3TBJpN2WggrGZBbqp6022O7UpltrwXsupAxczTSUslygBhdjTCfYPWS9_zNZhDZU-ROm_lcs_pVatmmv5OF_NaK90w3nK-PF_6dbM51nUNykZeCP0YV6A5E6K9CaQv/s320/DSCN1319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526886889256318738" border="0" /></a><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfenslqtXjpx5muN1gNtcvL7Zd86q7EmFfoJg-f_ZmqSa-DiMTeYq8qA_i3gAUKVQuXwA_aM7B4LHbyyA0i5bQDKO-alrl6Qct2nbRaMgyTkQzORhI35Wg6jrbAxqjx0VsS2md2hNYFK5/s1600/DSCN1317.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfenslqtXjpx5muN1gNtcvL7Zd86q7EmFfoJg-f_ZmqSa-DiMTeYq8qA_i3gAUKVQuXwA_aM7B4LHbyyA0i5bQDKO-alrl6Qct2nbRaMgyTkQzORhI35Wg6jrbAxqjx0VsS2md2hNYFK5/s320/DSCN1317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526886884149551826" border="0" /></a></p>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-4766249465247867352009-11-08T12:54:00.000-08:002009-11-08T14:03:54.620-08:00Furniture Discussion, First in a Series... The 18th Century French RafraichissoirA delightful blog entry in one of my favourite blogs discussing taste and decoration was written by much admired fellow blogger An Aesthete's Lament. I recommend the entry as I do this very amusing and enlivening blog.<br /><br /><a href="http://http://aestheteslament.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-isnt-this-still-made-edition-22.html">http://aestheteslament.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-isnt-this-still-made-edition-22.html</a><br /><br />Recently the blog discussed a charming mid 20th Century adaptation of an 18th Century furniture form that is usually only known to serious antiquarians today... As a serious antiquarian and particular enthusiast of the decorative arts of 18th Century Paris and Versailles, my current entry aspires to provide my welcome visitors with an antiquarian's view and history of this admittedly fetching and almost forgotten form of serving table.<br /><br />Among the most delightful and civilized tables for a specific use in 18th Century France, there was the <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span>. It has often also been called a <span style="font-style: italic;">servante</span> The essential purpose of the <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoi</span>r was to allow a host and his guests to dine alone unaccompanied by waiters and other domestic servants that could overhear private conversations. Bottles of wine would sit chilling in 2 (or sometimes 3) wells that were actually removable buckets inset in the top of the table. These receptacles, were usually silver plated or brass. The remaining area of the table top was usually (but not always) covered with a marble surface. And below that was a frieze drawer for extra napkins, cutlery, a corkscrew or whatever else was required. This was usually placed along the front just below the marble. A standard <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span> also had one or sometimes a pair of tiered shelves below to hold covered dishes, or extra plates for later courses. Invariably, it was customary to rest the four legs of a <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span> on brass casters to allow it to be wheeled about as needed. And sometimes, though not always, there were handles on the sides. In short, the <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span>'<span style="font-style: italic;">s</span> main purpose was to allow the small group more privacy by providing all the required items for the duration of the dinner without the prying eyes and ears of servants - thus eliminating servant's gossip on which many a historian has relied for years!<br /><br />The usual<span style="font-style: italic;"> rafraichissoir </span>that developed around 1770, was most often apparently made by the Parisian ebeniste Canabas who seems to have made a specialty of them. You see a good example of the kind of <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span> his <span>workshop</span> produced in the illustration of the pair below.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AavYf61likXkeKjuYK9CKJB6zCDRE-2rhg9NJHmSpvF79CzA-UMFhlmsfH0A_PP-pDsz5f4GJg5NUJ1iQyUvWeUE14J12zIKTZkE7YjJWzUvxe0UdQHbPLZLQ2jICAJ9rELWLyjuDGyd/s1600-h/Pair+Rafraichissoirs,+stamped+Canabas,+ca+1770,+lot+%23+813,+Chrisites+NY,+20.Oct+06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AavYf61likXkeKjuYK9CKJB6zCDRE-2rhg9NJHmSpvF79CzA-UMFhlmsfH0A_PP-pDsz5f4GJg5NUJ1iQyUvWeUE14J12zIKTZkE7YjJWzUvxe0UdQHbPLZLQ2jICAJ9rELWLyjuDGyd/s320/Pair+Rafraichissoirs,+stamped+Canabas,+ca+1770,+lot+%23+813,+Chrisites+NY,+20.Oct+06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401847285659182946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The lovely pair of <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span> illustrated here were lot 813 at an auction at Christie's in New York on 20 October 2006.<br /><br />Incidentally, as early as the 1770's these very useful tables were already customarily being made of mahogany before that wood really became so very fashionable on the eve of the French Revolution. In the engraving by Moreau le Jeune, entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Le Souper Fin</span>, you can see the very setting and social gathering at which it would have been put to (not surprisingly) very good use.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eeovErn904mtV2AAeG086MjS01tCQRdQFNDhFr8gH_2RdjLK_il_9DbVLNwiEzJP18zqD7SEZj1mQ8GInCY-i0SMjWTEgq93INVWQ4bdkwtJETT9F7eD2IBaijIWii3UYCnhnOEfAhp_/s1600-h/Moreau+le+Jeune,+Le+Souper+Fin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eeovErn904mtV2AAeG086MjS01tCQRdQFNDhFr8gH_2RdjLK_il_9DbVLNwiEzJP18zqD7SEZj1mQ8GInCY-i0SMjWTEgq93INVWQ4bdkwtJETT9F7eD2IBaijIWii3UYCnhnOEfAhp_/s320/Moreau+le+Jeune,+Le+Souper+Fin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401847936641582642" border="0" /></a><br />Understandably, as the curvaceous Louis XV style gave way to the more rectilinear Louis XVI and later <span style="font-style: italic;">Directoire</span> Styles, the <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir</span> similarly became more rectilinear as well. In the other illustration, you will note a restrained <span style="font-style: italic;">rafraichissoir </span>of approximatly 1785-1790 that has enjoyed the benign fate of so many of these charming tables and is now used as a planter when not enlisted to service in a dining room. Incidentally, the lovely drawing room is in the Chateau de Chesnaie as illustrated in <span style="font-style: italic;">Meubles et Ensembles <span style="font-style: italic;">É</span>poque Louis XVI</span> by Yvonne Brunhammer and Monique de Fayet published in Paris by Éditions Charles Massin in 1965.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI907Iyy8VZGpDibVRz8PLe8gNIJHyzzA739vDS33pln2KZfRGB8VJmI-ij-2bQ4o51jBYUuoWGcEuAViz5opdnYRR7-NLUcKMAbKcvYKiQ14QkQTZGcrsywIZrcXruqjHXQLhENpyaeQ/s1600-h/Salon+%60a+Chateau+de+Chesnaie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI907Iyy8VZGpDibVRz8PLe8gNIJHyzzA739vDS33pln2KZfRGB8VJmI-ij-2bQ4o51jBYUuoWGcEuAViz5opdnYRR7-NLUcKMAbKcvYKiQ14QkQTZGcrsywIZrcXruqjHXQLhENpyaeQ/s320/Salon+%60a+Chateau+de+Chesnaie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401847944598785730" border="0" /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-73206824985350934162009-10-29T10:27:00.000-07:002011-04-07T09:16:54.675-07:00Visiting Great Homes and Collections, 1st in a Series: Chateau de La Motte Tilly, France<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3AKmr-222pVEI_C9by_yjV3ZJuL3g6b2wcClwdbQG49pb9UJ0ZoRTu9keAwnjnsNdXkx9fESWW1tImI6vCUe7zFcIdLdDnL-022cu-49lptIByC-kcpo__Tlt7cJUE-WccIh0oFVdkiu/s1600/DSCN0707.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3AKmr-222pVEI_C9by_yjV3ZJuL3g6b2wcClwdbQG49pb9UJ0ZoRTu9keAwnjnsNdXkx9fESWW1tImI6vCUe7zFcIdLdDnL-022cu-49lptIByC-kcpo__Tlt7cJUE-WccIh0oFVdkiu/s320/DSCN0707.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592697092997431026" border="0" /></a><br />The Chateau de La Motte Tilly stands on the site of what was formerly an old Medieval house and was built in 1748 by the brothers Pierre Terray de Rozières<span style="font-style: italic;">, Consieller au Parlement </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Procueure gén</span><span style="font-style: italic;">éral `a la cour des aides </span>along with his more important brother the <span style="font-style: italic;">Abb</span><span style="font-style: italic;">é </span>Joseph Terry who was the money man for the government and Louis XV's last <span style="font-style: italic;">Contrôleur General des Finances. </span>To anyone familiar with the increasingly precarious state of the growing treasury deficit at the time, it's obvious <span style="font-style: italic;">Messr L'Abbé</span> did not have an enviable job. Though for the record, his policies and those of the king at the time would have averted the cataclysm of 1789 had only Louis XV and his reforming ministers had a few more years and the King not struck down with smallpox in 1774 which ended this happy reign in the joyful 18th Century too early.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0ClADG5naOlMDkQWM_l9z64qEFXHuumDqNPSIYs_EQ3tVsRCdwtgD0uwnP-55jmgzTOtOgGA4C4gzmcff3QfG2oFkPK4gdzkU2-kmFCiocbi-LbN-bFUJoMF8e5_9dxw338USGgEGek0/s1600-h/Motte+Tilly+Main+Entrance.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ5pyYSI0ErEUcZy1Xnb7E5clIrTTd-cKv53H7ckbyuALOdIKsIIKKir7bE-c4IKIrIdk5Z0D7RZcabNsuBAcw-H1E2LFjTMh4pmjyPZPv0bYOmLfLia10qg4y9urDMKdIYUt-ZRbLY08/s1600/DSCN0716.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ5pyYSI0ErEUcZy1Xnb7E5clIrTTd-cKv53H7ckbyuALOdIKsIIKKir7bE-c4IKIrIdk5Z0D7RZcabNsuBAcw-H1E2LFjTMh4pmjyPZPv0bYOmLfLia10qg4y9urDMKdIYUt-ZRbLY08/s320/DSCN0716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592702022165182418" border="0" /></a><br />The brothers Terray, chose a lesser remembered architect François Nicholas Lancret to design this fine seignorial country seat. He was the nephew of the better known painter Nicholas Lancret. The view from the garden side with the reflection of this handsome residence is mesmerizingly beautiful... But it's largely the fine interiors and appointments that concern us here. For any collector or enthusiast of 18 eme French decorative arts, the chateau, which is open to the public, is a must. However don't expect to see total archeological fidelity to 18th Century furniture arrangements. The visit can be very rewarding if you're willing to understand this was a collection arranged in the late 19th and early 20th Century and evokes rather than recreates 18th Century room arrangements. Hence be prepared to see fine stamped 18th Century furniture, paintings, busts and decorative appointments of all kinds and of the highest quality. But also understand you'll see plenty of electric table lamps and other modern day features which is more in the mood of an interior by Maison Jansen of Paris. incidentally, many scenes from the film <span style="font-style: italic;">Valmont</span> were shot here.<br /><br />Below is the entrance hall...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjOEg_UGsEWYMHMIgRwqL3EksDUjtbn-OENG_yM5YhNa9kxmPJN7cQ9U0_-sy9K2JV-hlUau9tvHEHhyphenhyphenwedT5VbOpotpWdtDa6N_27K5jV_pVJriT21wuZhraLiRonnEyIMPqUZoXrcCP/s1600/DSCN0725.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjOEg_UGsEWYMHMIgRwqL3EksDUjtbn-OENG_yM5YhNa9kxmPJN7cQ9U0_-sy9K2JV-hlUau9tvHEHhyphenhyphenwedT5VbOpotpWdtDa6N_27K5jV_pVJriT21wuZhraLiRonnEyIMPqUZoXrcCP/s320/DSCN0725.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592697093423169890" border="0" /></a><br />Below are images of the ground floor reception rooms with a drawing room, library, billiard room and dining room.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b7mjg5cvSPadk_xHtL5lmpvBvhZOd8Ril10t86nH3seIixf9H4LzCraA-5jKODBFHiTXWzXbvMHk-DwqwcQaxbz-9NQYzMqbz8d9TmeyvLHNXpQmhVwk4PM5OjYSrtMD1sQ4_wDJ6Nuf/s1600/DSCN0789.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b7mjg5cvSPadk_xHtL5lmpvBvhZOd8Ril10t86nH3seIixf9H4LzCraA-5jKODBFHiTXWzXbvMHk-DwqwcQaxbz-9NQYzMqbz8d9TmeyvLHNXpQmhVwk4PM5OjYSrtMD1sQ4_wDJ6Nuf/s320/DSCN0789.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592697097655793810" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dItNuEs4ESNfvy_Eh0AMTCgb9kVb0f-L4JOqWf7Q9vE44SIS0jQjZoXjElHxrUx-yP2NRb17xXr7Vxxj6QNXQ3Hg__St_M2MLesLeuLCeNagdUlS7q1Ys3yL0rwAxIQL6mE_CS3BsWLT/s1600/DSCN0756.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dItNuEs4ESNfvy_Eh0AMTCgb9kVb0f-L4JOqWf7Q9vE44SIS0jQjZoXjElHxrUx-yP2NRb17xXr7Vxxj6QNXQ3Hg__St_M2MLesLeuLCeNagdUlS7q1Ys3yL0rwAxIQL6mE_CS3BsWLT/s320/DSCN0756.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592697097936860562" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0kmCctfStH9yjnwoA756GYwSu15NM5qQ3B-k4kx0_PgDnRSYCzz10Ac3zIPFjRUByGUwolhEwmykk0rQFFo_rx7Z4ZqIEw1nKg9zF8-ZxsvSVpEH3QF_5MJ_8Op-Vv4s_So64vjKyEq6/s1600/DSCN0833.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0kmCctfStH9yjnwoA756GYwSu15NM5qQ3B-k4kx0_PgDnRSYCzz10Ac3zIPFjRUByGUwolhEwmykk0rQFFo_rx7Z4ZqIEw1nKg9zF8-ZxsvSVpEH3QF_5MJ_8Op-Vv4s_So64vjKyEq6/s320/DSCN0833.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592697108922245794" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXQn218M8S1bOBnL7Mm178BJ2UjyORGNI6l2hBGLoWnz1P8nrVKSsFfbKkfjiLI-f8IKXAjV4IIF6GHZNMkAkfyEwHOl6JX8Hnh1Tl1m_nviqI10zt4TOpoVkYb0W5Yvi6B7BIQQLBk7R/s1600/DSCN0809.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXQn218M8S1bOBnL7Mm178BJ2UjyORGNI6l2hBGLoWnz1P8nrVKSsFfbKkfjiLI-f8IKXAjV4IIF6GHZNMkAkfyEwHOl6JX8Hnh1Tl1m_nviqI10zt4TOpoVkYb0W5Yvi6B7BIQQLBk7R/s320/DSCN0809.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592702029750519874" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwffyzn0utfl3b-wktLARl328Bk-ReVvkmk_Eq4aXk3io58UBC1d0fc9rGgKDtEsMui47EYw6KlEphaA57m5S56OuybHXwW2SWAzAXlV_m_dvx-K5WBzaeK6MGCcqS7UyEOClP-67sFnol/s1600/DSCN0916.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwffyzn0utfl3b-wktLARl328Bk-ReVvkmk_Eq4aXk3io58UBC1d0fc9rGgKDtEsMui47EYw6KlEphaA57m5S56OuybHXwW2SWAzAXlV_m_dvx-K5WBzaeK6MGCcqS7UyEOClP-67sFnol/s320/DSCN0916.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592702033982959778" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi276CnQ9kxhjqkRp6cKa33zbBGRD_o6RrXnhMyjEIAZ19_a144QjRm8b1ByIlEtCm_aMc6MRfJtd24uvXjPJ296ZLClceJjDPDTUNwezP68kGlWKh3XgqmiM2Pq4rpokQdrt376yeaAAif/s1600/DSCN0859.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi276CnQ9kxhjqkRp6cKa33zbBGRD_o6RrXnhMyjEIAZ19_a144QjRm8b1ByIlEtCm_aMc6MRfJtd24uvXjPJ296ZLClceJjDPDTUNwezP68kGlWKh3XgqmiM2Pq4rpokQdrt376yeaAAif/s320/DSCN0859.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592874422638743714" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7osiROacyqcVdTRg8u9mp2T7Bp5S2DyrbsDf5oW7TSaEnDI3CMjhJ-KdG-gVrmZr1_5dnlN3WXH8hSXaFxBODfDuDF1uBt6GFvdjb9VcKJI3paQVtund6GNsRRbLq9fxXfNPPD06JI8k8/s1600/DSCN0863.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7osiROacyqcVdTRg8u9mp2T7Bp5S2DyrbsDf5oW7TSaEnDI3CMjhJ-KdG-gVrmZr1_5dnlN3WXH8hSXaFxBODfDuDF1uBt6GFvdjb9VcKJI3paQVtund6GNsRRbLq9fxXfNPPD06JI8k8/s320/DSCN0863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592874425645016258" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaBZxYxdTxJRcc8mZ5blxiMSTGg8qIQuy_rTl79F_0IEs8TNwxVljFmzVjcB8izoCQKJjK6DDKi8z4ICI0MvRPJV8t6da6MU8lqWUffdjLFreYYsBxfL7tsfIDxNOpQkwyLP1oYqkYh_f/s1600/DSCN0867.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaBZxYxdTxJRcc8mZ5blxiMSTGg8qIQuy_rTl79F_0IEs8TNwxVljFmzVjcB8izoCQKJjK6DDKi8z4ICI0MvRPJV8t6da6MU8lqWUffdjLFreYYsBxfL7tsfIDxNOpQkwyLP1oYqkYh_f/s320/DSCN0867.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592874430536356946" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTwXy0SjMvkEnM_6BqypgQFSIhZW8u5cat-EU2IIeruQtTjgHOW1aR9j5nZSi30VHbEAdZqePyWNWQwmj0GUWtS1oOaoUayRnuBT5H_UM0hV3FSIVE9IyDcBWUF6VnlxpYm5KX8O7J2A-/s1600/DSCN0877.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTwXy0SjMvkEnM_6BqypgQFSIhZW8u5cat-EU2IIeruQtTjgHOW1aR9j5nZSi30VHbEAdZqePyWNWQwmj0GUWtS1oOaoUayRnuBT5H_UM0hV3FSIVE9IyDcBWUF6VnlxpYm5KX8O7J2A-/s320/DSCN0877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592874429132612066" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN7bGaEjvWaUc6ek_yqL9YZ5VV0lngL-edb9enhCx7vL0Fd78pSvy3SB4h5fWW7vffXK3FKEDoui2QVE_G1pXXW_L5INj_-m83LIlG_zRmHrzYRLmXQDqny_7aoZGH-QfHUXUoH4LrIF0/s1600/DSCN0932.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN7bGaEjvWaUc6ek_yqL9YZ5VV0lngL-edb9enhCx7vL0Fd78pSvy3SB4h5fWW7vffXK3FKEDoui2QVE_G1pXXW_L5INj_-m83LIlG_zRmHrzYRLmXQDqny_7aoZGH-QfHUXUoH4LrIF0/s320/DSCN0932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592874441109444706" border="0" /></a><br />In the dining room, there was a very instructive comparative pair of table settings to demonstrate the difference between 18th Century service`a la Française and a 19th Century service`a la Russe.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWd0IKejq3txhVdL90TMCORlCrhw7Vw4OEG2jDBC4GHl1eKDvuPJBccvBOSRHS8Ux9vxJxx8B4CskutGi4ufUOhij0xYqVjrHSCYW0lycwn5xLcMd-1_Jt2TmdF7mgZhpogseoQSeAlHB/s1600/DSCN1090.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWd0IKejq3txhVdL90TMCORlCrhw7Vw4OEG2jDBC4GHl1eKDvuPJBccvBOSRHS8Ux9vxJxx8B4CskutGi4ufUOhij0xYqVjrHSCYW0lycwn5xLcMd-1_Jt2TmdF7mgZhpogseoQSeAlHB/s320/DSCN1090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592702041205587826" border="0" /></a><br />Here is an 18th Century French table setting with cheerfully elegant Sevres porcelain.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_WscUnQCrQQnsbTw1cmNmh9SbF81Ps4cHvO_OBBJbrBAMarg2mrROFb-cUxfS7S-67nWcxBJgqMEXxnNnvJ-7dKCh3mAEJoXvRWfUKZFRYykyoZC9a1yQa8d4Cqr8buAfGPdgz0wQCv8/s1600/DSCN1082.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_WscUnQCrQQnsbTw1cmNmh9SbF81Ps4cHvO_OBBJbrBAMarg2mrROFb-cUxfS7S-67nWcxBJgqMEXxnNnvJ-7dKCh3mAEJoXvRWfUKZFRYykyoZC9a1yQa8d4Cqr8buAfGPdgz0wQCv8/s320/DSCN1082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592702053393241730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRf_eQyROlYQIBnd6Zu1Cu8aQO2ADiNtuknNq8f4o64X4QqIBSiEDB3jEVXsCnyhKT_8Qjmi_yO-8NivQqlQTFzi_W8pMMvS6yc-YFbLjEZe84g3dOLkakOhnD64InVPg9aXx7zEBIyo-/s1600-h/800px-A_397.jpg"><br /></a>The upper story bedrooms are lovely decorative ensembles in Louis XV, Louis XVI and Empire Styles!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpCYWoKDSvfQ59CHnntKsi5D8-1M2uGVNWlP6NjNEmYgB442VMiKCElf9f4KsAbrFkIPXU9H3rNcrt_pNpW3NK8bt4KiXnEe8Klja2lWjsPIQEmILD_s1ETqQC7She4OA7y97SVCgeu3P/s1600/DSCN1005.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpCYWoKDSvfQ59CHnntKsi5D8-1M2uGVNWlP6NjNEmYgB442VMiKCElf9f4KsAbrFkIPXU9H3rNcrt_pNpW3NK8bt4KiXnEe8Klja2lWjsPIQEmILD_s1ETqQC7She4OA7y97SVCgeu3P/s320/DSCN1005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592709216778305714" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZbggW93IdzjtbFCqvx92yEicA0542y5do4wrhKwMcEKk9_bvUek0AIAA8ks905uFdu2PelQh3x2k4OJquYQPtFR1bRqrYvuH5gZygYF8ghHN9_sHIC41NNigoucRtVdwYT4YBenNPzjZ/s1600/DSCN1024.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZbggW93IdzjtbFCqvx92yEicA0542y5do4wrhKwMcEKk9_bvUek0AIAA8ks905uFdu2PelQh3x2k4OJquYQPtFR1bRqrYvuH5gZygYF8ghHN9_sHIC41NNigoucRtVdwYT4YBenNPzjZ/s320/DSCN1024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592709228282108002" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zHpAM9_IhBJ1CvaWwlsMC4HzcyGOFamjD6zpGrbjuwWybYsdxoY7ndF1DZkTSBsD0BNv4aA2_Eeqzd59A1jnHAfUjm7yUMVR3an4Ore8YiYrz9nSIFBFmoE8Ze7UTU3T-kcjRdfqyHDh/s1600/DSCN1015.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zHpAM9_IhBJ1CvaWwlsMC4HzcyGOFamjD6zpGrbjuwWybYsdxoY7ndF1DZkTSBsD0BNv4aA2_Eeqzd59A1jnHAfUjm7yUMVR3an4Ore8YiYrz9nSIFBFmoE8Ze7UTU3T-kcjRdfqyHDh/s320/DSCN1015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592709220609764818" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCOKjl996NFqVawNTTCtyhdzhAIqfzvV5Wlkv82bxXJbV2sv3yStB4SuuFk1A2nhFFUmcIJQNS9x7kS9sstt8hObSCrh5vJRfGo2KPWUM3LV16ACsLr6WsUHgXtn2r0zZsz5iyDeA9IFC/s1600/DSCN1012.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCOKjl996NFqVawNTTCtyhdzhAIqfzvV5Wlkv82bxXJbV2sv3yStB4SuuFk1A2nhFFUmcIJQNS9x7kS9sstt8hObSCrh5vJRfGo2KPWUM3LV16ACsLr6WsUHgXtn2r0zZsz5iyDeA9IFC/s320/DSCN1012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592709224009556418" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmr-tHXjBh5nkDnGsqjJPb3p5XsAuGA6W_ebVBjSlO_dTVaQ2vHL4qkeqjZuwvUb-8p-d0iQ1gKMZtlZJnm8N-liNjIA6wVy8wXP7Tuw6022FAI8SViuthu387QXhuOCyPuDhUgQunvFM/s1600/DSCN1035.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmr-tHXjBh5nkDnGsqjJPb3p5XsAuGA6W_ebVBjSlO_dTVaQ2vHL4qkeqjZuwvUb-8p-d0iQ1gKMZtlZJnm8N-liNjIA6wVy8wXP7Tuw6022FAI8SViuthu387QXhuOCyPuDhUgQunvFM/s320/DSCN1035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592709231950189074" border="0" /></a><br />In 1910, a decendant of the Terrays, The Comte de Rohan Chabot, bought the house. Under his stewardship, the restoration of the interiors - of which sadly much is lost due to the pillaging that transpired during the revolution and again during WWII - was greatly brought back to life and evokes the original period with a standard that would please any serious museum curator. The blue drawing room retains the only original boiseries. However the <span style="font-style: italic;">Grand Salon</span> with it's fine seating furniture signed by Tilliard (once owned by Madame de Pompadour) is ravishing and sumptuous and very much in the taste of the 18th Century. Like many a great chateaux in France conserving - to some degree - its original 18 eme spirit, The Chateau de La Motte Tilly also has some rooms appointed in early 19th Century Empire. The Library with its Winterhalter oval portrait of Rohan Chabot's mother, Jeanne Terray de Morel Vindé is another gentle 19 eme touch... Much of this exceptionally lovely house's state of conservation is due to the daughter of the Comte de Rohan Chabot, La Marquise de Maillé, who was responsible for the furnishing of the rooms as we see them today. She was widowed at a young age, and devoted herself largely to the study of Medieval architecture. After her father's death in 1964, she set on a course of action to also install central heating and other modern comforts. In 1972, the chateau was given to The <span style="font-style: italic;">Caise Nationale des Monuments Historiques et des Sites</span> and since 1978, it has been open to the public. Unlike other houses that are also on view, this one does not - nor pretends to - appeal to idle tourists. So happily for those of us who deeply and earnestly want to see great 18 eme French furniture and decorative appointments in the right setting, this is a place to which one must make a pilgrimage! Many thanks to the lovely fun and informed private guide Allison Crossley a delightful UK transplant to France who also runs a long established translation service in the area. She most kindly collected me at the train station after figuratively holding my hand via cell phone as I changed a series of trains from Paris to get there and drove me about once I arrived. She kindly showed me the chateau very leisurely and accepted to be my guest at a very animated friendly lunch at a nearby local haunt which was sensational!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgHYrvrErbXM4-HNWL-psJVVqKsFPIelsooToYIIEAzvylLASBzd6HrRl_mVTDpqiNN1YFzUBiOs3OGAKdy4HAqnfSFIdyhQAwbFIzknL3nHBn6m2exV0eP1HVi1MJ6PF9nhniVggfkia/s1600-h/450px-A_408.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xuW7gNMVHqjZ8-tJj8fZ19zIo5PsKnb8X1QleDUCuF5FDzmqOtLxP9VUJQDd9MsG5xLGOMzHadmCiLZOBtzmabgK_b75sOjdp3PPTPS82ciWEBgx6Hz2vv_B-ANaezrp6gc_b6eMashN/s1600-h/800px-LaMotteTillyBedroom.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4S-6smtMTVVXsjZPQpOcZ_b3s4huUpS7E6FICjoz7-BtnwMPKf4pmxAmO4awY4pfbjh2RXz7NN-dWehg5L4a9VYPKQwlRPHjFdU9TrmdHB9FA4oNY85ORcPmQ_wgS99TjKUx3BXGwVuX/s1600-h/450px-A_401.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ndgqmHgxHKbQw1c_7sAVtntcmbNM5kzJhojh5zBm401NQ5B1COSA81h-ckSHie1qpS_uk4Wl4n_LmeQ0kYM1aCCdPFS-Smavd7qn7qHcq0XEadl293fSo-dlViKV6R4vyOj9jJZehwjE/s1600-h/800px-LaMotteTillyPoolroom.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrofpOIgjoT_LyQp6yFSVZAoD4ZBG8a6UfX4fAc13xO4KNLBLrXr0nT27kk7veVV1wgg8FPUAbLzDGbN-4txHu4o0mGuXujK0k3LUNH0w7gtzmEqWxjt73nDqbnrYpOL5AE9OKrMZmyPRm/s1600-h/Motte+Tilly+Garden+Facade.jpg"><br /></a>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-74454232370890220642009-09-16T10:27:00.000-07:002009-11-08T14:22:16.479-08:00Collections at Auction : 1st in a Series Being The Pescheteau-Badin Auction of The Maurice Aicardi Estate Collection... A Truly Gentlemanly Style!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdysmqk4-nRDcvITuLMf-mG9pmDXRrlCKgGYIy0sJ0M-6JjDdMC5llIiLYUTuhSdt8nenWmYFADTja5w8A_poRfKGjukr-RrOXPeze2fI4NXFi9yJw-2w-W3pa2juow9SWxQKSbeJerXr9/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI1er044+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdysmqk4-nRDcvITuLMf-mG9pmDXRrlCKgGYIy0sJ0M-6JjDdMC5llIiLYUTuhSdt8nenWmYFADTja5w8A_poRfKGjukr-RrOXPeze2fI4NXFi9yJw-2w-W3pa2juow9SWxQKSbeJerXr9/s400/VenteAICARDI1er044+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382174898440170402" border="0" /></a><br />In November of 2007, The Parisian auction house Pescheteau-Badin, conducted the auction of the collections of the late Maurice Aicardi. This auction house is not as widely known outside of Europe as are Sotheby's, Christie's or even Doyle's and Phillips. But to Europeans - particularly the French collecting circles, it is known for it's very respectable offerings of fine estates of the second rank that don't have the impact that such estates as that of the late Yves Saint Laurent would have enjoyed. Yet, to informed collectors, such auctions are truly a gold mine with possibilities and the excitement of discovery and acquisition!<br /><br />Maurice Aicardi's taste in arranging his home was clearly influenced by the great taste makers of his time like Charles de Beistegui, Madame Castaing, Georges Geoffroy and Maison Jansen. You see it in the patterned carpets, the leopard skin fabrics on chairs and pillows, the red walls of the <span style="font-style: italic;">chambre `a coucher,</span> the walls covered with lovely paintings including lots of portraits of gentleman and ladies in their bewigged and powdered finery, interspersed with amazing effortlessness alongside prints and drawings in framed with delicate watercoloured mats. This is the nearly extinct easy civilized taste of a generation of European that still emerges at auction from time to time today as the last of this generation passes... And what they can teach us about <span style="font-style: italic;">l'art de vivre</span> is invaluable!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a979Z9tA63OPdrqaF2qkSVO0D-usNGgdfJ2cLZhajsaz3-I1KOFGd052WqsHuN7Y6urnknEI6JmpFNAe7hRgF_SWTbWkw4-fpYN-eIoyzngj54zjRAZJwbjjNOj5HDta2kPM21B9YeCW/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI1er044+3rd++version.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a979Z9tA63OPdrqaF2qkSVO0D-usNGgdfJ2cLZhajsaz3-I1KOFGd052WqsHuN7Y6urnknEI6JmpFNAe7hRgF_SWTbWkw4-fpYN-eIoyzngj54zjRAZJwbjjNOj5HDta2kPM21B9YeCW/s400/VenteAICARDI1er044+3rd++version.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382125738400755362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmIAh57T3j3yWdAeEiBiIpJSGsblmYYv_ehRks2iv1XQgT-3fdCS78_-m1aLmU5f65jizcxvI-Iie_CwDvfd83fRrVoRdphx69zCMm7SuihyD6rEosHdhnKuiK1w7BA97MwfTxI4VWuuH/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI2nde045+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmIAh57T3j3yWdAeEiBiIpJSGsblmYYv_ehRks2iv1XQgT-3fdCS78_-m1aLmU5f65jizcxvI-Iie_CwDvfd83fRrVoRdphx69zCMm7SuihyD6rEosHdhnKuiK1w7BA97MwfTxI4VWuuH/s400/VenteAICARDI2nde045+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382125727840161570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTOJG_cQJb1kmolgLcAgivw4dI5lw6s4vS_kk1XOaeAX7pNl3QMzo_Uw_CO9lz6C2sh7d2gdYHLp4f3fPcbLybKKxEC1uawzZ4528ODNFdMRevgvDJZnmpHZwuiwx78zTYOBOVM-R9jgV/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI3046+2nd+version.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTOJG_cQJb1kmolgLcAgivw4dI5lw6s4vS_kk1XOaeAX7pNl3QMzo_Uw_CO9lz6C2sh7d2gdYHLp4f3fPcbLybKKxEC1uawzZ4528ODNFdMRevgvDJZnmpHZwuiwx78zTYOBOVM-R9jgV/s400/VenteAICARDI3046+2nd+version.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382125721351049282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsC1cTKL2EYKPQL225vOqbPEYABMQO75bu1c4d3B9nphuPAHvQM8tOLW31D7lls05_SZoalY2SWk2oHjCkhwRl1dwjZSlVcwSxje0qXciMCuX_mjdVwymggBgK-P0qU8iVJEaipW_UHrn/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI6049+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsC1cTKL2EYKPQL225vOqbPEYABMQO75bu1c4d3B9nphuPAHvQM8tOLW31D7lls05_SZoalY2SWk2oHjCkhwRl1dwjZSlVcwSxje0qXciMCuX_mjdVwymggBgK-P0qU8iVJEaipW_UHrn/s400/VenteAICARDI6049+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382173737171025954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAD3jUzPu05NyCIdB0h2GIXbbE31-DR6svzuHyChix5RyrugwCxfVZPWnLJIKJBzmUb4SoO_EgvBHwnRz9MhXFfOu65xfBxZQ-25BDU46OnjHc1jeM-DSlLOOh1-KzurwYzrsn8skO_oo5/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI4047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAD3jUzPu05NyCIdB0h2GIXbbE31-DR6svzuHyChix5RyrugwCxfVZPWnLJIKJBzmUb4SoO_EgvBHwnRz9MhXFfOu65xfBxZQ-25BDU46OnjHc1jeM-DSlLOOh1-KzurwYzrsn8skO_oo5/s400/VenteAICARDI4047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382125712968772754" border="0" /></a><br />Above all however, Aicardi was a true collector and that is something of which one cannot lose sight as one peruses the photos of his elegant Parisian residence in the Palais Royale.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7QWzS1tKJQD4gYvkNCHRQovvWkLv6g2ySkaCti056cpjArb8kNe3SfrJ-FxuHAfVspba3Vw3UM3L2KfJrjOb0gmd1X6HHy40lky0D7oFXUoQZ_1raNbQ2-DbDcSbtrC1D_U9kmKRo5q_/s1600-h/VenteAICARDI3046,+detail+2+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7QWzS1tKJQD4gYvkNCHRQovvWkLv6g2ySkaCti056cpjArb8kNe3SfrJ-FxuHAfVspba3Vw3UM3L2KfJrjOb0gmd1X6HHy40lky0D7oFXUoQZ_1raNbQ2-DbDcSbtrC1D_U9kmKRo5q_/s400/VenteAICARDI3046,+detail+2+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382174901863332082" border="0" /></a><br />The decorating seems to have just taken care of itself! This man bought quality! He clearly wanted good representational pieces ranging from the early 18th Century to the early 19th Century. But he was more interested in his acquisitions being fine rather than just accumulating trophies to impress. Like Beistegui, he had no qualms about putting a pair of Consulat chairs in a room with a Louis XVI <span style="font-style: italic;">semainier</span> under a <span style="font-style: italic;">Regence</span> portrait. But unlike Beistegui, he was collecting more than decorating and clearly sought good examples of good straight forward period furniture and other decorative art. Such collectors of French furniture from Louis XIV to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Restauration</span> were more concerned with quality than labels or just stage set decorating and that breed are noticeably on the wane today. And before the last of these very seigneurial decorative ensembles and collections completely disappear, they should be recorded, photographed, studied and appreciated for the lessons they can impart to us in this hurried world where it's unlikely anything like this way of life they represented will be seen again. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Helas!</span>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436342283417850884.post-49029697802894662612009-09-09T11:17:00.000-07:002009-10-29T11:25:46.666-07:00La Ville De Versailles, A Serious Series of Visits: 1st in the Series Being An Introduction with MUCH MORE TO COME!<span style="font-family:arial;">Although I had been taken there as a child, I consider my first visit to Versailles was in 2000 to quietly celebrate my recent 40th birthday in late 1999. I recall working on a epic scale appraisal and subsequent liquidation sale of the estate of a rather prominent interior designer that summer and autumn during which time the workload was so intense that a birthday in France was unthinkable. Those same circumstances also regrettably impeded me from going to France to see the historic preview of the Sotheby's auction for the Chateau de Groussay which I have ever regretted. But duty has to come first I suppose... Anyone who knows anything about the life of an art/antiques appraiser knows it's hard work and late hours in often inclement environments. And this one was not only huge. It was gritty and ugly! The decedent had been murdered brutally and left no will. He also left behind a cornucopia of personal property as well as his stock in trade that took up his residence (where I had to record the contents amidst clear bloodstains in the master bedroom where he was murdered), a showroom in Miami's well known "Design District" which is not particularly safe at night when I would have to routinely continue working, and 2 warehouses in the poor "Little Haiti" area of Miami with NO AC in August and in which I also had to work routinely well into the night just to keep up with the work load and the deadlines. What sustained me during this epic assignment was the determination to reward myself when it was over and go spend a week in the city of Versailles about which I knew nothing by first hand experience and of which I deeply yearned to know more. To other colleagues and friends also interested in the great Chateau de Versailles, the ancien régime, and the decorative arts of the joyful 18th Century this seemed odd indeed. Invariably, the response was either "You mean you're going to Paris of course..." to "Why don't you stay in Paris and just take the train into Versailles? You'll be bored to death... What will you do when you're not in the Chateau? There is nothing there!"<br /><br />Thank God I learned a long time ago to follow my instincts which were heavily reinforced by years and years of reading. And was I ever rewarded! <span style="font-style: italic;">La Ville </span>de<span style="font-style: italic;"> Versailles</span> is glorious! Not only that, in spite of the inevitable demolition here and inexcusable alteration there, the city is home to historic buildings including homes of royal mistresses, artists, courtiers and all the old "friends" about whom any lover of the French court from the age of Louis XIV to the Revolution has read in endless histories, diaries, letters and <span style="font-style: italic;">memoires</span> of the period. The rewards of a sojourn in early 21st Versailles are manifold! Outside of the chateau itself, there are virtually no crowds. The smaller <span style="font-style: italic;">Musée Lambinet</span> which is a former <span style="font-style: italic;">18 eme Hôtel Particulier</span> converted into a museum similar in mission statement to that of the Carnavalet and which is largely devoted to the history of <span style="font-style: italic;">La Ville de Versailles</span> is peaceful and pregnant with glorious collections including period rooms, paintings, porcelains, objets d'art and has hosted major landmark exhibitions on such masters of the 18th Century as the painter </span>Jean-Jacques Bachelier<span style="font-family:arial;"> or the Sculptor Simon Boizot. Stay tuned for more about this subject to which I have devoted many rewarding years of study and visits. Et Vive le Roi!<br /></span>The Curious Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398535657109988456noreply@blogger.com1