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Lot Essay
The present lot is the first secretaire by Sachman bearing his signature. His atelier was based at the Rue Isabella in Brussels throughout the first half of the 19th Century. Sachman, together with Jean-Joseph Chapuis (1765-1864) - see lot 249-, were among the most important ébénistes of their time in the Southern Netherlands, now Belgium. This is reflected by the fact that he supplied a considerable amount of furniture in the 1820s' for the newly built Winterpaleis, now Royal Palace, which became the Brussel residence of King William I (1772-1843) of the Netherlands. This palace was to be decorated in the Empire style under the supervision of the architect Tilleman F. Suys (1783-1861) (A. Smolar-Meynart (e.a.), Het paleis van Brussel, acht eeuwen kunst en geschiedenis, Brussel 1991, p. 319 and note 47).
The present secretaire à abattant is virtually identical to a secretaire at palace Soestdijk. In the early 19th Century this palace was offered to Prince William Frederik of Orange (1792-1849), the later King William II in gratitude for the role he played at the Battle of Waterloo and struggle at Quatre-Bas. During his reign he used Soestdijk as his residency, together with his wife Queen Anna Paulowna (1794-1865). In the early 19th Century the secretaire at Soestdijk was presented to William II, and was part of the salon of Anna Paulowna, according to an inventory taken in the 19th Century. Although it is unknown who made the secretaire, it was supplied by Gerrit Noordanus (1772-1840), a furniture-maker from the city of Delft. Today Palace Soestdijk is the residence of H.R.H. Juliana princess of Orange. (H. Tromp, het huys te Soestdyck, The Royal Palace Soestdijk in a historical view, Zutphen 1987, p. 101, ill. 4 and p. 105, ill. 4).
See illustration
The present secretaire à abattant is virtually identical to a secretaire at palace Soestdijk. In the early 19th Century this palace was offered to Prince William Frederik of Orange (1792-1849), the later King William II in gratitude for the role he played at the Battle of Waterloo and struggle at Quatre-Bas. During his reign he used Soestdijk as his residency, together with his wife Queen Anna Paulowna (1794-1865). In the early 19th Century the secretaire at Soestdijk was presented to William II, and was part of the salon of Anna Paulowna, according to an inventory taken in the 19th Century. Although it is unknown who made the secretaire, it was supplied by Gerrit Noordanus (1772-1840), a furniture-maker from the city of Delft. Today Palace Soestdijk is the residence of H.R.H. Juliana princess of Orange. (H. Tromp, het huys te Soestdyck, The Royal Palace Soestdijk in a historical view, Zutphen 1987, p. 101, ill. 4 and p. 105, ill. 4).
See illustration