PARIS.- Sotheby’s France will offer for auction a superb collection built up over the last twenty years by a passionate devotee of the 18th century. The sale echoes various events celebrating 18th century taste held in Paris this year, including the Vernis Martin exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and the exhibition devoted to sources of Decorative Arts and Design that opens in the Palace of Versailles later this month… not forgetting the opening new rooms devoted to Works of Art at the Louvre in June. The 18th century style appeals to demanding aesthetes who enjoy its timeless elegance and unique savoir-faire. Sotheby’s are joining this homage and invite collectors to discover a striking ensemble assembled by a great connoisseur of the Louis XV/ Louis XVI periods on 5 November 2014.
The collection comprises a hundred or so items characterized above all by their rarity and pedigree. It also features a vast choice of items presented with their pendants, offering collectors a unique opportunity to acquire the objects they love together with their doubles.
Unusually for a Furniture sale, gilded bronze items are in the majority. With their remarkable chasing and original mercury gilding, left intact by delicate cleaning, they meet the standards of the most demanding 18th century connoisseurs. Such quality reflects the demands of the collector, who bought mainly from such leading antiques dealers as Pascal lzarn – who advised him about many pieces, such as a pair of superb onyx vases with Louis XVI ormolu mounts once in the collections of the Duc d’Aumont (estimate €80,000-120,000 / $104,000- 155,000*).
Connoisseurs will also admire a large, Louis XVI ormolu-mounted, crackled celadon Chinese porcelain vase which can easily be imagined in front of a work of modern art (est. €70,000-100,000 / $90,500-130,000). Gilt-bronze items are represented by a superb ensemble of clocks, two of them by the great bronzier Saint-Germain: an Elephant clock (est. €40,000-60,000 / $52,000- 77,500) and a clock with Children of the Wild (est. €60,000-100,000 / $77,500-130,000).
Furniture masterpieces include a very rare ‘violin’ secretaire by Jean-Francois Dubut: a perfect example of the inventiveness attained by the decorative arts under Louis XV (est. €200,000-300,000 / $259,000-388,000). The secretaire was one of a set of four items of furniture adorned with lacquer panels: one is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, another in the Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Ours has all the characteristics of the Louis XV style, blending rococo curves and counter-curves with the use of veneer and Oriental lacquer, all underlined by superb gilded bronzes.
The collection has a superb array of small tables and bonheurs du jour with exquisite marquetry, by Topino, Pionniez, BVRB and RVLC, and mostly acquired from Maurice Segoura. Aesthetes will be thrilled by a pair of encoignures (corner cabinets) stamped RVLC with rare camomile-ground decoration (est. €60,000-100,000 / $77,500-130,000).
Another highlight is a pair of exceptional commodes by the great 18th century ébéniste Charles Cressent, both with amaranth veneer and opulent ormolu mounts (est. €120,000-180,000 / $155,000- 233,000 apiece). This type of commode is more often found in museums than the saleroom: only one or two come on the market every year. One such formerly belonged to Gladys Vanderbilt, a member of the famous American dynasty.
A number of 18th century paintings accompany the objects and furniture. Three large Venetian views reinforce the appeal of a refined and luxurious collection. One, by the Master of the Langmatt Foundation, shows the Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge (est. €60,000-90,000 / $77,500-117,000).
