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Lot Essay
Either Pierre-Etienne Levasseur (d.1823) or his son Levasseur jeune.
This sumptuous pair of meubles d'appui is almost en suite with a pair of cabinets stamped by Levasseur in the collection of the Duke of Wellington at Stratfield Saye, Berkshire. Illustrated in F.J.B.
Watson, 'The Great Dukes Taste For French Furniture', Apollo, vol CII, July 1975, p.47 (fig. 8), these latter cabinets - together with a further set of four biblioth/geqes basses, two meubles d'entre-deux and four pedestals all by Levasseur - were acquired by the triumphant 1st Duke of Wellington from Le Chevalier Féréol de Bonnemaison, circa 1817. An otherwise little-documented marchand-mercier, Le Chevalier is now thought to have been responsible for supplying much of the 'Buhl' furniture that found its way into English collections in the early 19th Century, possibly working alongside Edward Holmes Baldock (d.1843). This includes a further pair of closely related cabinets by Levasseur in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at Boughton House, Northamptonshire, as well as a larger pair of bas d'armoire formerly in the Buccleuch collection, which now form part of the Grog Bequest to the mus/aee du Louvre. It is interesting to note, therefore, that Buccleuch, like Wellington, is known to have been in Paris shortly after Waterloo. Another pair of bas d'armoire, originally from the Marquess of Londonderry's collection and now in a Parisian private collection, were also probably supplied by Le Chevalier.
A related set of four stamped by Levasseur was sold anonymously at Sotheby's New York, 7 May 1983, lot 212 and is illustrated in A. Prad/gere, French Furniture Makers, Paris, 1989, p.309.
Geoffrey de Bellaigue suggests that the design of the marquetry on the drawers may have been inspired by or copied from engravings of a garden parterre de broderie, which were published in 18th century books on architecture and gardens by Blondel, Liger, d'Aviler and others, see G. de Bellaigue, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, London, 1974, vol I, p.190.
LEVASSEUR FILS
Etienne Levasseur (1721-1798) was one of the foremost cabinet-makers of his time. He learned his craft with the sons of André-Charles Boulle, probably from A-C. Boulle the younger (1685-1745) or Charles-Joseph Boulle (d. 1754). By 1765, he was established as a privileged craftsman in the faubourg Saint-Antoine, at a shop known as au Cadran bleu. He was made maître-ébéniste on 2 April 1767. Among his patrons were the king's aunts, Mesdames Adelaïde and Victoire at Bellevue, and rich collectors such as the fermier général, Mulot de Pressigny. In 1782, he was made deputé of his guild. Levasseur specialized in copying and repairing Boulle furniture and his stamp appears on many Louis XIV pieces, including many in English country house collections. The principal marchand-mercier for Boulle furniture, Claude-François Julliot was supplied by Levasseur, as well as by Montigny, Joseph Baumhauer, Jean-Louis Faizelot-Delorme and Weisweiler.
Levasseur p/gere does not appear to have continued working after the Revolution and he died in the rue de Faubourg-Saint-Antoine on 8 December 1798. His son and grandson, however, followed in his footsteps, continuing both the use of his stamp and his specialisation in Boulle marquetry furniture well into the 1820s. Pierre-Etienne was not made a ma/citre, probably because of the Revolution. He married a daughter of Roger van der Cruse, dit Lacroix, and moved to 15 rue Martel, later to 182 Faubourg Saint-Martin where he is recorded in 1807, and finally to 114 Faubourg Saint-Antoine, where his son succeeded him in 1823. The latter, known as Levasseur the Younger, placed an advertisement in the Bazar Parisien in 1822 in which he described himself as perhaps the only /ab/aeniste making and repairing Boulle funriture in Paris, 'furniture seldom seen but avidly sought by collectors and dealers' (A. Pradère, French Furniture Makers, Paris, 1989, p.316).
This sumptuous pair of meubles d'appui is almost en suite with a pair of cabinets stamped by Levasseur in the collection of the Duke of Wellington at Stratfield Saye, Berkshire. Illustrated in F.J.B.
Watson, 'The Great Dukes Taste For French Furniture', Apollo, vol CII, July 1975, p.47 (fig. 8), these latter cabinets - together with a further set of four biblioth/geqes basses, two meubles d'entre-deux and four pedestals all by Levasseur - were acquired by the triumphant 1st Duke of Wellington from Le Chevalier Féréol de Bonnemaison, circa 1817. An otherwise little-documented marchand-mercier, Le Chevalier is now thought to have been responsible for supplying much of the 'Buhl' furniture that found its way into English collections in the early 19th Century, possibly working alongside Edward Holmes Baldock (d.1843). This includes a further pair of closely related cabinets by Levasseur in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at Boughton House, Northamptonshire, as well as a larger pair of bas d'armoire formerly in the Buccleuch collection, which now form part of the Grog Bequest to the mus/aee du Louvre. It is interesting to note, therefore, that Buccleuch, like Wellington, is known to have been in Paris shortly after Waterloo. Another pair of bas d'armoire, originally from the Marquess of Londonderry's collection and now in a Parisian private collection, were also probably supplied by Le Chevalier.
A related set of four stamped by Levasseur was sold anonymously at Sotheby's New York, 7 May 1983, lot 212 and is illustrated in A. Prad/gere, French Furniture Makers, Paris, 1989, p.309.
Geoffrey de Bellaigue suggests that the design of the marquetry on the drawers may have been inspired by or copied from engravings of a garden parterre de broderie, which were published in 18th century books on architecture and gardens by Blondel, Liger, d'Aviler and others, see G. de Bellaigue, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, London, 1974, vol I, p.190.
LEVASSEUR FILS
Etienne Levasseur (1721-1798) was one of the foremost cabinet-makers of his time. He learned his craft with the sons of André-Charles Boulle, probably from A-C. Boulle the younger (1685-1745) or Charles-Joseph Boulle (d. 1754). By 1765, he was established as a privileged craftsman in the faubourg Saint-Antoine, at a shop known as au Cadran bleu. He was made maître-ébéniste on 2 April 1767. Among his patrons were the king's aunts, Mesdames Adelaïde and Victoire at Bellevue, and rich collectors such as the fermier général, Mulot de Pressigny. In 1782, he was made deputé of his guild. Levasseur specialized in copying and repairing Boulle furniture and his stamp appears on many Louis XIV pieces, including many in English country house collections. The principal marchand-mercier for Boulle furniture, Claude-François Julliot was supplied by Levasseur, as well as by Montigny, Joseph Baumhauer, Jean-Louis Faizelot-Delorme and Weisweiler.
Levasseur p/gere does not appear to have continued working after the Revolution and he died in the rue de Faubourg-Saint-Antoine on 8 December 1798. His son and grandson, however, followed in his footsteps, continuing both the use of his stamp and his specialisation in Boulle marquetry furniture well into the 1820s. Pierre-Etienne was not made a ma/citre, probably because of the Revolution. He married a daughter of Roger van der Cruse, dit Lacroix, and moved to 15 rue Martel, later to 182 Faubourg Saint-Martin where he is recorded in 1807, and finally to 114 Faubourg Saint-Antoine, where his son succeeded him in 1823. The latter, known as Levasseur the Younger, placed an advertisement in the Bazar Parisien in 1822 in which he described himself as perhaps the only /ab/aeniste making and repairing Boulle funriture in Paris, 'furniture seldom seen but avidly sought by collectors and dealers' (A. Pradère, French Furniture Makers, Paris, 1989, p.316).