BY CLAUDE I SENE, MID-18TH CENTURY

With their finely carved sinuous frames specifically designed for the display of costly needlework these fauteuils illustrate the fine synergy of aesthetic sensibility and creative skill prevalent in French menuiserie of the mid-18^th century.

The fauteuils bear the stamp of Claude I Sené (1724-1792) and typify his production as one of the most talented members of an active dynasty of Parisian menuisiers. Characterised by finely shaped seat-rails and gracefully in-curving legs, the fauteuils are of an impressive scale and the generosity of their proportions implies a commission from an important patron. This hypothesis is supported by the existence of an identical fauteuil, with its original Beauvais upholstery, from the collection of Arthur Casmir, prince of Tonnay-Charente and 13^th Duke of Mortemart, sold galerie Charpentier, 10 December 1935, Me Etienne Ader, lot n° 16, repr. pl. III. The frame and carving of the fauteuil is identical to the present pair and almost certainly made en-suite. The Rochechouart-Mortemarts, the dynasty to which the prince belonged, was one of the most illustrious families of France and owners of numerous estates as well as two of the finest Parisian hôtels particulier in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. Sené’s client base was largely an aristocratic one and it is probable that these fauteuils formed part of a larger commission for the duc de Mortemart. The wonderful needlepoint tapestry of the fauteuils, with a blue border surrounding a cartouche-shaped trellis ground embellished with roses is typical of the period and related upholstery is seen on a set of four chairs sold Sotheby’s, Paris 18 June 2002, lot 54. Designs for upholstery in this fashion are depicted in a series of watercolours by Pierre Ranson currently preserved in the musée des Arts Décoratifs (inv.no. A 223/225).

Son of the menuisier, Jean Sené, Claude I married the sister of Jean-Etienne Saint-Georges, a colleague, and continued his activity until 1780. His two sons were also menuisiers, the younger Claude II Sené and the older Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené, both of whom were awarded the title of maître in 1769. They produced chairs exclusively in the neoclassical style of the reign of Louis XVI and Claude II Sené became one of the most sought-after suppliers to the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne and Queen Marie-Antoinette. The work of Claude I Sené consists mainly of Louis XV style seats such as the present examples, even if he undoubtedly made a number of Louis XVI style chairs whose authorship has not always been attributed to him because of numerous confusions with the stamp of his son Claude II.

The fauteuils were acquired in 1970 by Gustave Leven, scion of a French-Jewish family with an established history of philanthropy. In 1946 Leven bought the Perrier spring in Southern France and through expansion of the operation and acquisition of other brands turned Perrier into the world’s largest mineral water company. Considered by Shimon Peres to be the biggest donor to Israel since the state’s establishment, Gustave Leven was a leading philanthropist and Commander of the Legion of Honour who focussed much of his generosity on the promotion of education.