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Lot Essay
François Rübestück (maître in 1766).
Impressive by virtue of its size, elaborate floral marquetry and fine ornementation de bronze, this striking commode was commissioned by the duc de Penthièvre, Louis XIV's grandson, from the celebrated ébéniste François Rübestück, for his château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.
DUC DE PENTHIEVRE AND CHATEAUNEUF-SUR LOIRE
The only son of Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, and Marie Victoire de Noailles, Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre (1725-1793), was an illegitimate grandson of Louis XIV (d. 1715) and his celebrated maîtresse-en-tître the Marquise de Montespan (d. 1707). Upon his father’s death in 1737, the twelve-year old duke inherited many military titles and posts, including those of Admiral of France, Marshal of France and Grand Huntsman (‘Grand Veneur’), an important position in the Royal Household, as well as the Hôtel de Toulouse and the château de Rambouillet. Through his paternal uncle, the duc du Maine, Penthièvre inherited the châteaux at Sceaux, Anet, Aumale, Dreux, and Gisors. Other châteaux that came into his possession were Chanteloup, Amboise, La Ferté-Vidame and the Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.
The château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, for which this commode was commissioned, was purchased from the Rohan-Guiminée family by the duc de Penthièvre along with its contents. Penthièvre ordered ébénisterie from his preferred craftsmen including Jean-François Oeben and Roger Vandercruse, dit Lacroix, and menuiserie from Georges Jacob for his other residences and, therefore, must have been extremely impressed with the contents of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire to have purchased them outright (and for the considerable sum of 50,000 livres). During the Revolution, the furnishings of the château were seized. Initially sent to Tours, they were subsequently sent to Paris where they were sold without reserve, as was the case for a commode now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
FRANÇOIS RUBESTUCK
François Rübestück was born in Westphalia and emigrated to Paris, establishing his workshop in the rue de la Roquette before transferring to the rue de Charenton. Rübestück is known to have worked in a variety of styles and produced a prolific amount of high quality furniture. He is most well-known for his lacquer chinoiserie-decorated furniture, but also produced a group of small, elegant floral marquetry commodes inspired by those made by Jean-François Oeben who developed and perfected this technique. This commode is a departure from Rübestück’s known floral marquetry commodes, which tend to be of smaller scale and less elaborately mounted, indicating it would have been costly commission at the time. The most closely related example to this commode is a near pair now in the Huntington Collection, San Marino, CA., stamped by Joseph Schmitz (maître in 1761), who was similarly a Parisian ébéniste of German origin (S. Bennett and C. Sargentson, French Art of the Eighteenth Century at the Huntington Collection, San Marino, 2008, pp. 81-82, fig. 16). This pair of commodes from the collections of Alfred de Rothschild, share the same overall form, floral bouquet marquetry and ornate ormolu mounts with similar central cartouches and nearly identical chutes as seen on this commode.
Impressive by virtue of its size, elaborate floral marquetry and fine ornementation de bronze, this striking commode was commissioned by the duc de Penthièvre, Louis XIV's grandson, from the celebrated ébéniste François Rübestück, for his château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.
DUC DE PENTHIEVRE AND CHATEAUNEUF-SUR LOIRE
The only son of Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, and Marie Victoire de Noailles, Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre (1725-1793), was an illegitimate grandson of Louis XIV (d. 1715) and his celebrated maîtresse-en-tître the Marquise de Montespan (d. 1707). Upon his father’s death in 1737, the twelve-year old duke inherited many military titles and posts, including those of Admiral of France, Marshal of France and Grand Huntsman (‘Grand Veneur’), an important position in the Royal Household, as well as the Hôtel de Toulouse and the château de Rambouillet. Through his paternal uncle, the duc du Maine, Penthièvre inherited the châteaux at Sceaux, Anet, Aumale, Dreux, and Gisors. Other châteaux that came into his possession were Chanteloup, Amboise, La Ferté-Vidame and the Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.
The château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, for which this commode was commissioned, was purchased from the Rohan-Guiminée family by the duc de Penthièvre along with its contents. Penthièvre ordered ébénisterie from his preferred craftsmen including Jean-François Oeben and Roger Vandercruse, dit Lacroix, and menuiserie from Georges Jacob for his other residences and, therefore, must have been extremely impressed with the contents of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire to have purchased them outright (and for the considerable sum of 50,000 livres). During the Revolution, the furnishings of the château were seized. Initially sent to Tours, they were subsequently sent to Paris where they were sold without reserve, as was the case for a commode now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
FRANÇOIS RUBESTUCK
François Rübestück was born in Westphalia and emigrated to Paris, establishing his workshop in the rue de la Roquette before transferring to the rue de Charenton. Rübestück is known to have worked in a variety of styles and produced a prolific amount of high quality furniture. He is most well-known for his lacquer chinoiserie-decorated furniture, but also produced a group of small, elegant floral marquetry commodes inspired by those made by Jean-François Oeben who developed and perfected this technique. This commode is a departure from Rübestück’s known floral marquetry commodes, which tend to be of smaller scale and less elaborately mounted, indicating it would have been costly commission at the time. The most closely related example to this commode is a near pair now in the Huntington Collection, San Marino, CA., stamped by Joseph Schmitz (maître in 1761), who was similarly a Parisian ébéniste of German origin (S. Bennett and C. Sargentson, French Art of the Eighteenth Century at the Huntington Collection, San Marino, 2008, pp. 81-82, fig. 16). This pair of commodes from the collections of Alfred de Rothschild, share the same overall form, floral bouquet marquetry and ornate ormolu mounts with similar central cartouches and nearly identical chutes as seen on this commode.