On Saturday 25 November, a rare commode by Charles Cresseny is to be auctioned by Saint-Germain-enLaye Enchères.
Maître Frédéric Laurent de Rummel and Maître Peggy Savidan, with the assistance of expert PierreFrançois Dayot, will be offering an
exceptional historic work, probably the only piece of furniture that the great ébéniste (cabinet maker) and sculptor Charles Cressent ever made for Louis XV.
This commode once adorned the king’s bedroom at the Château de la Muette. It is the last commode identified as having been made for the
king’s bedroom still in private hands: a rare opportunity for collectors to acquire a piece of furniture that has marked the history of cabinetmaking.
It is a masterpiece. Its ability to
Pierre-François Dayot, expert
capture the eye is immense; one
is compelled to admire it.
Discovered in a Paris apartment during the taking of an estate inventory, this piece instantly drew the attention and admiration of the auctioneers and the expert. And with good reason, the quality of its workmanship and its state of preservation are on a par with its prestigious provenance.
Commissioned by Louis XV, it later entered the collections of the Count de Gramont, where it remained until 1934, when the family of the current owners acquired it at auction. Until today, it has never reappeared on the market.
Remodelling
On the back of the commode is an inventory number, which refers to its description in the Journal du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne. On 4 August 1738, it was delivered by the Ébéniste du Roi, AntoineRobert Gaudreaus, for the King’s new bedroom at the Château de la Muette. This hunting lodge, situated next to the Bois de Boulogne, was converted into a small château by the Duchesse de Berry. Her father, the Regent, donated the estate to Louis XV, who became very attached to it, visiting it frequently and constantly enlarging and embellishing it. In 1736, he moved his favorite, Mme de Mailly, to the nearby Château de Madrid. The entire length of the château was doubled, and an apartment was created for Louis XV on the second floor. It was during this major remodelling that Cressent’s commode was created. The top of the commode, in Sarrancolin marble, matched that of the bedroom fireplace.
This piece is one of a series of commodes featuring the same design, delivered to the Garde-Meuble Royal between 1738 and 1744 for the various chambers of King Louis XV.
Estimate is €500,000 – €700,000.
SALE:
25 November at 2:30 pm
At l’hôtel des ventes de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
9, rue des Arcades – 78100 Saint-Germain-en-Laye
EXHIBITION:
Thursday 23 November from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Friday 24 November from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday 25 November from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
See also: Sex Pistols’ John Lydon Releases First Art Collection
