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Lot Essay
Adam Weisweiler, maître in 1778.
A ROYAL PROVENANCE
Marked with the crowned F', this superb commode by Adam Weisweiler (1750-1810) corresponds to the commode listed in both the 1786 and 1787 inventories of the cabinet de retraite of the comte de Provence (1755-1824) at the château de Fontainebleau:
In 1786 it states:
“S.No. une commode de bois d’acajou à moulure dudit bois, rosace de bronze dans les encoignures de 3 panneaux du devant et de ceux des côtés. Chutes, anneaux, entrées, sabots de bronze doré, dessus de marbre blanc veiné de 4 pds de large, 2 grands tiroirs et trois petits dans la frises"
And later in 1787:
"Monsieur... Cabinet intérieur- No.86: une commode de bois d'acajou à moulure dudit bois, rosace de, bronze dans les encoignures des 3 panneaux du devant et de ceux des cotés, chutes, anneaux entrées, sabots de bronze doré, dessus de marbre blanc veiné de 4 pds de large, 2 grands tiroirs et tois petits dans la frises... 500 l.”
However, it seems that the commode may originally have been intended to furnish the appartement of the Comte d'Artois, Louis XVI’s other brother, as the number '153' stencilled on the present piece would logically relate to the numbering of other pieces listed in the comte d'Artois's apartments, such as the pieces '152' and '154’, which remained in their original position in his former bed chamber.
This commode would, in all probability, have been placed in comte de Provence’s cabinet during the reorganisation of the rooms after the new panelling was completed in 1784 – a project that had been ongoing since 1752. The comte de Provence had himself inherited this suite of rooms in 1771 on the occasion of his marriage to Marie Joséphine of Saxony (1753-1810). These rooms, now known as l’appartement du pape, were variously redecorated during the 19th Century; however, the cabinet intérieur retains the original 1784 panelling, which shows the same elegant rosettes to the in-cut corners as the commode.
Interestingly, a bureau à cylindre by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), now in the Louvre (OA 5160), is also stamped with the Fontainebleau stencil ‘153’. Originally intended for the private use of Thierry de Ville d’Avray (1732-1792), Intendant du Garde-Meuble from 1784 to 1792, this bureau was also moved to the appartement of the comte de Provence in 1785, where it appears alongside the present commode in the 1786 and 1787 inventories.
Nicholas Marie Potain (1723-1790), contrôleur des bâtiments du château de Fontainebleau, was in charge of the refurnishing of the king's brothers’ appartements in 1784 and would have decided on the necessary pieces and their placement following delivery. A dossier sent to Ville d’Avrey in March 1785 discussing the possible expense of new furniture for the comte’s appartement offers an explanation for the re-shuffling of furniture rather than further expenditure at a time when the royal coffers were not in a healthy state (1). It is clear that the comte de Provence was pleased with his new appartement, as on the 13 October 1795 Potain wrote to Ville d’Avray: ‘Monsieur m’a marqué de la satisfaction de l’arrangement … il est certain que cette réparation était bien necessaire.’ (Archives Nationales, OI 1436-452)
ANNA GOULD AND THE COMTE DE CASTELLANE
In the late 19th or early 20th Century, another arbiter of taste, Boniface, comte de Castellane (1867-1932), acquired the commode for the Palais Rose, a magnificent building on the avenue Foch, designed by the architect Ernst Sanson (1836-1918) in 1896 for the comte the year after his marriage to the American heiress Anna Gould (1875-1961). As one of the most refined tastemakers of the Belle Epoque, it is unsurprising that a work of such graceful sophistication as this commode attracted his attention. The place, itself in part a copy of the Grand Trianon, was decorated and furnished throughout in the grandest style of the Ancien Régime, and was the site of Castellane’s lavish entertaining. The marriage, never one of love, broke down in 1906, and Anna later remarried Castellane’s cousin, Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord, the Duc de Talleyrand (1859-1937). The new couple retained the property on avenue Foch, as it was her father’s railroad millions that had built and furnished it. The house and its contents remained in the family until the property was sold in 1962.
ADAM WEISWEILER
Whilst this commode is stamped by Adam Weisweiler, it is stylistically more closely related to the oeuvre of Jean-Henri Riesener. This can be explained by Riesener's official role as ébéniste du Roi between 1774 and 1784. The latter supplied the crown with pieces valuing more than 938,000 livres; to respond to such pressure he was forced to subcontract work, a practice common among former ébénistes du Roi such as Antoine Gaudreau (1680-1746) or Gilles Joubert (1689-1775). Weisweiler was particularly favoured by Riesener around 1784. Several pieces bearing both ébénistes's stamps are recorded, such as an almost identical commode sold at Drouot Montaigne, 7 February 1990.
Born in Neuwied, Weisweiler is believed to have studied with David Roentgen (1743-1807) before emigrating to Paris, where he was established as an artisan libre – a foreign worker protected by the medieval right of refuge – by 1777, the year of his marriage. The following year he became a maître-ébéniste, and established his workshop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, joining Reisener and the elite group of German artisans providing pieces for the French royal family. Further collaborations included those supervised by the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796), who sold Weisweiler’s works to Royal households across Europe. In his own pieces, Weisweiler used costly veneers, lacquer, and even polished steel to obtain the luxurious finishes and effects for which he became known. Notable works in his distinctive style included pieces supplied for Marie-Antoinette’s apartments at Saint-Cloud.
(1) P. Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal Français, vol. II, Paris, 1992, p. 97.
A ROYAL PROVENANCE
Marked with the crowned F', this superb commode by Adam Weisweiler (1750-1810) corresponds to the commode listed in both the 1786 and 1787 inventories of the cabinet de retraite of the comte de Provence (1755-1824) at the château de Fontainebleau:
In 1786 it states:
“S.No. une commode de bois d’acajou à moulure dudit bois, rosace de bronze dans les encoignures de 3 panneaux du devant et de ceux des côtés. Chutes, anneaux, entrées, sabots de bronze doré, dessus de marbre blanc veiné de 4 pds de large, 2 grands tiroirs et trois petits dans la frises"
And later in 1787:
"Monsieur... Cabinet intérieur- No.86: une commode de bois d'acajou à moulure dudit bois, rosace de, bronze dans les encoignures des 3 panneaux du devant et de ceux des cotés, chutes, anneaux entrées, sabots de bronze doré, dessus de marbre blanc veiné de 4 pds de large, 2 grands tiroirs et tois petits dans la frises... 500 l.”
However, it seems that the commode may originally have been intended to furnish the appartement of the Comte d'Artois, Louis XVI’s other brother, as the number '153' stencilled on the present piece would logically relate to the numbering of other pieces listed in the comte d'Artois's apartments, such as the pieces '152' and '154’, which remained in their original position in his former bed chamber.
This commode would, in all probability, have been placed in comte de Provence’s cabinet during the reorganisation of the rooms after the new panelling was completed in 1784 – a project that had been ongoing since 1752. The comte de Provence had himself inherited this suite of rooms in 1771 on the occasion of his marriage to Marie Joséphine of Saxony (1753-1810). These rooms, now known as l’appartement du pape, were variously redecorated during the 19th Century; however, the cabinet intérieur retains the original 1784 panelling, which shows the same elegant rosettes to the in-cut corners as the commode.
Interestingly, a bureau à cylindre by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), now in the Louvre (OA 5160), is also stamped with the Fontainebleau stencil ‘153’. Originally intended for the private use of Thierry de Ville d’Avray (1732-1792), Intendant du Garde-Meuble from 1784 to 1792, this bureau was also moved to the appartement of the comte de Provence in 1785, where it appears alongside the present commode in the 1786 and 1787 inventories.
Nicholas Marie Potain (1723-1790), contrôleur des bâtiments du château de Fontainebleau, was in charge of the refurnishing of the king's brothers’ appartements in 1784 and would have decided on the necessary pieces and their placement following delivery. A dossier sent to Ville d’Avrey in March 1785 discussing the possible expense of new furniture for the comte’s appartement offers an explanation for the re-shuffling of furniture rather than further expenditure at a time when the royal coffers were not in a healthy state (1). It is clear that the comte de Provence was pleased with his new appartement, as on the 13 October 1795 Potain wrote to Ville d’Avray: ‘Monsieur m’a marqué de la satisfaction de l’arrangement … il est certain que cette réparation était bien necessaire.’ (Archives Nationales, OI 1436-452)
ANNA GOULD AND THE COMTE DE CASTELLANE
In the late 19th or early 20th Century, another arbiter of taste, Boniface, comte de Castellane (1867-1932), acquired the commode for the Palais Rose, a magnificent building on the avenue Foch, designed by the architect Ernst Sanson (1836-1918) in 1896 for the comte the year after his marriage to the American heiress Anna Gould (1875-1961). As one of the most refined tastemakers of the Belle Epoque, it is unsurprising that a work of such graceful sophistication as this commode attracted his attention. The place, itself in part a copy of the Grand Trianon, was decorated and furnished throughout in the grandest style of the Ancien Régime, and was the site of Castellane’s lavish entertaining. The marriage, never one of love, broke down in 1906, and Anna later remarried Castellane’s cousin, Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord, the Duc de Talleyrand (1859-1937). The new couple retained the property on avenue Foch, as it was her father’s railroad millions that had built and furnished it. The house and its contents remained in the family until the property was sold in 1962.
ADAM WEISWEILER
Whilst this commode is stamped by Adam Weisweiler, it is stylistically more closely related to the oeuvre of Jean-Henri Riesener. This can be explained by Riesener's official role as ébéniste du Roi between 1774 and 1784. The latter supplied the crown with pieces valuing more than 938,000 livres; to respond to such pressure he was forced to subcontract work, a practice common among former ébénistes du Roi such as Antoine Gaudreau (1680-1746) or Gilles Joubert (1689-1775). Weisweiler was particularly favoured by Riesener around 1784. Several pieces bearing both ébénistes's stamps are recorded, such as an almost identical commode sold at Drouot Montaigne, 7 February 1990.
Born in Neuwied, Weisweiler is believed to have studied with David Roentgen (1743-1807) before emigrating to Paris, where he was established as an artisan libre – a foreign worker protected by the medieval right of refuge – by 1777, the year of his marriage. The following year he became a maître-ébéniste, and established his workshop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, joining Reisener and the elite group of German artisans providing pieces for the French royal family. Further collaborations included those supervised by the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796), who sold Weisweiler’s works to Royal households across Europe. In his own pieces, Weisweiler used costly veneers, lacquer, and even polished steel to obtain the luxurious finishes and effects for which he became known. Notable works in his distinctive style included pieces supplied for Marie-Antoinette’s apartments at Saint-Cloud.
(1) P. Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal Français, vol. II, Paris, 1992, p. 97.