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Lot Essay
Rarely does such an extensive panelled room come to auction, offering a testimony of the refinement of early 18th-century Parisian interiors.
The origin of the present room is still to be traced, however, its structure and motifs are closely related to several documented rooms, some of which are preserved in their original building. Its scale and proportion as well as the fret designs are indeed similar to those of the Grand Salon on the first floor of the hôtel de Bourvallais, which now houses the Ministry of Justice. It is also quite close in inspiration to the white and gold-painted panelling from the former bedroom of the hôtel de Cressart, dated 1725, now installed in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu (illustrated in Bruno Pons, French Period Rooms, 1650-1800, Dijon, 1995, p. 210-20). Finally, the mirror frames with their prominent fronds and intertwined foliage are also to be found in the salle de companie in the hôtel de Soyecourt.
Panelled rooms that have been removed from their original setting have invariably been changed and adapted for each of their new settings. This boiserie is no exception, having spent at least part of its life in a US collection. Differences in the treatment of the carving between individual panels and elements suggest that the boiserie incorporates elements from at least two rooms, both 18th and 19th century as well as 19th century additions. It is now unified by the present white and gold decoration. Interestingly the carving visible in some areas beneath the gesso suggests at least some of the panels may have originally been un-decorated.
The origin of the present room is still to be traced, however, its structure and motifs are closely related to several documented rooms, some of which are preserved in their original building. Its scale and proportion as well as the fret designs are indeed similar to those of the Grand Salon on the first floor of the hôtel de Bourvallais, which now houses the Ministry of Justice. It is also quite close in inspiration to the white and gold-painted panelling from the former bedroom of the hôtel de Cressart, dated 1725, now installed in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu (illustrated in Bruno Pons, French Period Rooms, 1650-1800, Dijon, 1995, p. 210-20). Finally, the mirror frames with their prominent fronds and intertwined foliage are also to be found in the salle de companie in the hôtel de Soyecourt.
Panelled rooms that have been removed from their original setting have invariably been changed and adapted for each of their new settings. This boiserie is no exception, having spent at least part of its life in a US collection. Differences in the treatment of the carving between individual panels and elements suggest that the boiserie incorporates elements from at least two rooms, both 18th and 19th century as well as 19th century additions. It is now unified by the present white and gold decoration. Interestingly the carving visible in some areas beneath the gesso suggests at least some of the panels may have originally been un-decorated.