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Lot Essay
ICONOGRAPHY AND PROVENANCE
The iconographic arrangement of the decoration on this richly decorated Boulle desk, particularly the head of Apollo in a sunburst, with an orb on crossed sceptre and sword below and a crown under a canopy above, as well as the two eagles on the central drawer, suggest a Royal commission. The crossed red sword and sceptre is an emblem of the Elector of Saxony, who in this period was Augustus the Strong (1670-1733). The orb on our piece is identical both with the one shown on a sculpture of the Elector being crowned King of Poland, and with the one with which he was buried. This would suggest that this desk was almost certainly made for Augustus.
Augustus' association with the symbolism of Apollo, whose head appears on the fall-front, can be seen as an attempt to emulate the Sun King Louis XIV. In 1709 Augustus organised festivities celebrating the Roman Gods in honour of the Danish King Friedrich IV, then on a state visit in Dresden. For this occasion Augustus commissioned Johann Melchior Dinglinger to create for himself a gilt mask representing the sun-god Apollo, in reference to the Ballet de Nuit of 1653 in which Louis XIV appeared as Apollo. In 1717 he commissioned a medal from Georg Wilhelm Vestner depicting him returning to his Saxony in the sun chariot of Apollo, which commemorates the Polish peace treaty of that year .
AUGUSTUS THE STRONG
Augustus Frederick (1670-1733), son of Elector John Georg III of Saxony, succeeded his brother George IV as Elector in 1694. After Jan III Sobieski's death in 1696, he was one of 18 candidates for the Polish thone. To further his chances he converted to Catholicism but thereby caused not only problems with his wife, a Hohenzollern Princess, but also alienated his Lutheran Saxon subjects. He was, however, successfully crowned King of Poland in 1697, taking the name Frederick Augustus I. He then took Poland into the war with Turkey concluded by the Treaty of Carlowitz in 1699. He also initiated the Great Northern Wars in 1700 by invading Swedish Livonia, in alliance with Russia and Denmark. These wars ruined Poland economically and allowed Swedish forces to invade Poland and place Stanislaw Leszcynski on the throne in 1706. He only regained the throne when Russia defeated Sweden in 1709 and Peter the Great forced the Diet to restore him as King of Poland. A man of extravagant and luxurious tastes, he did much to develop Saxon industry and trade and greatly embellished the city of Dresden.
RICHARD VON KAUFMANN
It is almost certain that this bureau was in the collection of Richard von Kaufmann (d. 1908). It was, however, not included in the enormous sale of his possesions in 1917 that took over three days and totalled the then record sum of nearly 12 million Mark. The collection was described by W. v. Bode, the Head of the Royal Museums, as probably unsurpassed within Germany. The paintings in the sale included numerous highly important works by such artists as Roger v. d. Weyden, Breugel, Fromment, Botticelli, Cranach and Holbein.
A RELATED PIECE
It is not entirely surprising, given that Boulle marquetry allows for at least one, if not two, sister pieces due to the cutting of the marquetry, that there is a sister piece to this desk in première partie Boulle technique. This desk, previously the property of the University of Warsaw of which Augustus was a supporter, is now in the Castle of Wilanow outside Warsaw. In the past it was presumed to have belonged to King Jan III Sobieski (d. 1696), the builder of Wilanow, and to have been made in Paris. Stylistically, however, this is extremely unlikely and it is now believed to date from the period between 1730 and 1733 when Augustus used the castle as a summer residence.
Interestingly, the iconography of the second desk stregthens the links with Augustus the Strong. The marquetry is largely the same, although with some alterations of subject. The fall-front on the Wilanow bureau has a central white eagle, emblematic of Poland, while the thunder bolts in the military trophies on our piece have been replaced by Turkish shields, possibly in reference to Augustus' Turkish wars. There are some structural differences such as: the pierced giltwood apron, which is a partial replacement on the Wilanow bureau and absent on this desk, the legs, which are partially replaced on the Wilanow piece and replaced on this lot, and the slightly out-turned sides to the Wilanow desk. The central calendar panel, which is so prominent on this lot, is now lacking on the Wilanow desk, while the interior side drawers are decorated with simple foliate motifs.
The presence of the white eagle on the Wilanow desk is probably emblematic of Augustus' position as King of Poland, while the mask of Apollo on this desk would indicate his pretensions as Sun King and the presence of the red Electoral sword his position as Elector of Saxony.
CONSTRUCTION AND MARQUETRY
The structure of this desk is unusual. The legs are removable and are fixed to the desk by long metal rods that screw into the carcase, a feature that was designed to ease transportation. The carcase is very clearly divided into an upper rectilinear section and a lower section of undulating profile. The two sections were constructed separately and then joined. This definition of profile is more clearly visible on the out-swept sides of the Wilanow piece which are not structurally necessary and suggest a construction in two parts. The backs of both desks are divided into three panels, one for each layer of the construction, rather than the more conventional single piece which would give stability. Further, while the top half of the desk is of a form that evolved in the late 17th Century in France and England, and which can particularly be found incorporated into bureaux-cabinet, the added single drawer level is very unusual. This profile was more common in the German world. In addition the feet and the capitals of the legs which normally be expected to be of ormolu, but are in fact of giltwood.
There are marked differences in the stylistic repertoire and the complexity of the marquetry which might suggest the hand of two different craftsmen: compare, particularly, the fall-front with the lower drawer-fronts. However, the manner in which the marquetry is engraved and the execution of the details suggest with some certainty the hand of one master.
The vocabulary used by the designer Jean Bérain can be detected in the central motif of the ornamental band below the fall-front, while Jean Marot's acanthus scrolls can possibly be seen on the lower drawer fronts. In these cases, but also in such motifs as the 'Season' drawers, where the putti do not relate to one another coherently, it is apparent that the cabinet-maker was only aware of a loose and insecure interpretation of the designs that were being developed in the cultural centres of the period.
THE MAKER
Although the cabinet-maker entrusted with this prominent and important commission knew the vocabulary of marquetry design, and had ample skills for the production of the desk, the combination of irregularities points towards a peripheral cabinet-maker's centre. That this piece is the work of a young master seems unlikely, particularly when considering the valuable materials that are used.
As there are no recorded Boulle-work pieces by the cabinet-makers of Dresden, it is impossible to give a stylistic comparison. However, of the recorded cabinet-makers at Court in this period, Johann Gottfried Grahl (master in 1700, d.1734), Peter Hoese (1687-1761), Andreas Gaether (1654-1727) and Johann Gottfried Borlach (apprentice in 1703 and mentioned 1728), all are recorded as producing pieces of assured marquetry-work by 1720, and so are unlikely to have built this bureau.
The presence of both a première and a contre partie bureau at the Court, which to all intents form a pair despite slight differences, would indicate that these desks were not a present from another Court, but were more probably produced within Augustus the Strong's sphere of influence. One very plausible possibility is Warsaw, which had only a limited cabinet-making tradition, but which at that time was host to one of the most splendid courts in Europe. It is probable that this desk was either made by a travelling cabinet-maker, who, when he arrived at the new Court in Warsaw was commissioned to make these two bureaux, or by a Polish craftsman who took his inspiration from the arrival of the new court. This desk is likely to be the first of the two made, as its construction seems to have been altered while it was being built, a fact shown by the separate construction of the lower drawer section and the alteration of the shape of the drawers. The Wilanow bureau does not bear these signs of experimentation.
We thank Dr. I. Jenzen from the Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden for allowing us to use information from his forthcoming article to be published in Weltkunst.
The iconographic arrangement of the decoration on this richly decorated Boulle desk, particularly the head of Apollo in a sunburst, with an orb on crossed sceptre and sword below and a crown under a canopy above, as well as the two eagles on the central drawer, suggest a Royal commission. The crossed red sword and sceptre is an emblem of the Elector of Saxony, who in this period was Augustus the Strong (1670-1733). The orb on our piece is identical both with the one shown on a sculpture of the Elector being crowned King of Poland, and with the one with which he was buried. This would suggest that this desk was almost certainly made for Augustus.
Augustus' association with the symbolism of Apollo, whose head appears on the fall-front, can be seen as an attempt to emulate the Sun King Louis XIV. In 1709 Augustus organised festivities celebrating the Roman Gods in honour of the Danish King Friedrich IV, then on a state visit in Dresden. For this occasion Augustus commissioned Johann Melchior Dinglinger to create for himself a gilt mask representing the sun-god Apollo, in reference to the Ballet de Nuit of 1653 in which Louis XIV appeared as Apollo. In 1717 he commissioned a medal from Georg Wilhelm Vestner depicting him returning to his Saxony in the sun chariot of Apollo, which commemorates the Polish peace treaty of that year .
AUGUSTUS THE STRONG
Augustus Frederick (1670-1733), son of Elector John Georg III of Saxony, succeeded his brother George IV as Elector in 1694. After Jan III Sobieski's death in 1696, he was one of 18 candidates for the Polish thone. To further his chances he converted to Catholicism but thereby caused not only problems with his wife, a Hohenzollern Princess, but also alienated his Lutheran Saxon subjects. He was, however, successfully crowned King of Poland in 1697, taking the name Frederick Augustus I. He then took Poland into the war with Turkey concluded by the Treaty of Carlowitz in 1699. He also initiated the Great Northern Wars in 1700 by invading Swedish Livonia, in alliance with Russia and Denmark. These wars ruined Poland economically and allowed Swedish forces to invade Poland and place Stanislaw Leszcynski on the throne in 1706. He only regained the throne when Russia defeated Sweden in 1709 and Peter the Great forced the Diet to restore him as King of Poland. A man of extravagant and luxurious tastes, he did much to develop Saxon industry and trade and greatly embellished the city of Dresden.
RICHARD VON KAUFMANN
It is almost certain that this bureau was in the collection of Richard von Kaufmann (d. 1908). It was, however, not included in the enormous sale of his possesions in 1917 that took over three days and totalled the then record sum of nearly 12 million Mark. The collection was described by W. v. Bode, the Head of the Royal Museums, as probably unsurpassed within Germany. The paintings in the sale included numerous highly important works by such artists as Roger v. d. Weyden, Breugel, Fromment, Botticelli, Cranach and Holbein.
A RELATED PIECE
It is not entirely surprising, given that Boulle marquetry allows for at least one, if not two, sister pieces due to the cutting of the marquetry, that there is a sister piece to this desk in première partie Boulle technique. This desk, previously the property of the University of Warsaw of which Augustus was a supporter, is now in the Castle of Wilanow outside Warsaw. In the past it was presumed to have belonged to King Jan III Sobieski (d. 1696), the builder of Wilanow, and to have been made in Paris. Stylistically, however, this is extremely unlikely and it is now believed to date from the period between 1730 and 1733 when Augustus used the castle as a summer residence.
Interestingly, the iconography of the second desk stregthens the links with Augustus the Strong. The marquetry is largely the same, although with some alterations of subject. The fall-front on the Wilanow bureau has a central white eagle, emblematic of Poland, while the thunder bolts in the military trophies on our piece have been replaced by Turkish shields, possibly in reference to Augustus' Turkish wars. There are some structural differences such as: the pierced giltwood apron, which is a partial replacement on the Wilanow bureau and absent on this desk, the legs, which are partially replaced on the Wilanow piece and replaced on this lot, and the slightly out-turned sides to the Wilanow desk. The central calendar panel, which is so prominent on this lot, is now lacking on the Wilanow desk, while the interior side drawers are decorated with simple foliate motifs.
The presence of the white eagle on the Wilanow desk is probably emblematic of Augustus' position as King of Poland, while the mask of Apollo on this desk would indicate his pretensions as Sun King and the presence of the red Electoral sword his position as Elector of Saxony.
CONSTRUCTION AND MARQUETRY
The structure of this desk is unusual. The legs are removable and are fixed to the desk by long metal rods that screw into the carcase, a feature that was designed to ease transportation. The carcase is very clearly divided into an upper rectilinear section and a lower section of undulating profile. The two sections were constructed separately and then joined. This definition of profile is more clearly visible on the out-swept sides of the Wilanow piece which are not structurally necessary and suggest a construction in two parts. The backs of both desks are divided into three panels, one for each layer of the construction, rather than the more conventional single piece which would give stability. Further, while the top half of the desk is of a form that evolved in the late 17th Century in France and England, and which can particularly be found incorporated into bureaux-cabinet, the added single drawer level is very unusual. This profile was more common in the German world. In addition the feet and the capitals of the legs which normally be expected to be of ormolu, but are in fact of giltwood.
There are marked differences in the stylistic repertoire and the complexity of the marquetry which might suggest the hand of two different craftsmen: compare, particularly, the fall-front with the lower drawer-fronts. However, the manner in which the marquetry is engraved and the execution of the details suggest with some certainty the hand of one master.
The vocabulary used by the designer Jean Bérain can be detected in the central motif of the ornamental band below the fall-front, while Jean Marot's acanthus scrolls can possibly be seen on the lower drawer fronts. In these cases, but also in such motifs as the 'Season' drawers, where the putti do not relate to one another coherently, it is apparent that the cabinet-maker was only aware of a loose and insecure interpretation of the designs that were being developed in the cultural centres of the period.
THE MAKER
Although the cabinet-maker entrusted with this prominent and important commission knew the vocabulary of marquetry design, and had ample skills for the production of the desk, the combination of irregularities points towards a peripheral cabinet-maker's centre. That this piece is the work of a young master seems unlikely, particularly when considering the valuable materials that are used.
As there are no recorded Boulle-work pieces by the cabinet-makers of Dresden, it is impossible to give a stylistic comparison. However, of the recorded cabinet-makers at Court in this period, Johann Gottfried Grahl (master in 1700, d.1734), Peter Hoese (1687-1761), Andreas Gaether (1654-1727) and Johann Gottfried Borlach (apprentice in 1703 and mentioned 1728), all are recorded as producing pieces of assured marquetry-work by 1720, and so are unlikely to have built this bureau.
The presence of both a première and a contre partie bureau at the Court, which to all intents form a pair despite slight differences, would indicate that these desks were not a present from another Court, but were more probably produced within Augustus the Strong's sphere of influence. One very plausible possibility is Warsaw, which had only a limited cabinet-making tradition, but which at that time was host to one of the most splendid courts in Europe. It is probable that this desk was either made by a travelling cabinet-maker, who, when he arrived at the new Court in Warsaw was commissioned to make these two bureaux, or by a Polish craftsman who took his inspiration from the arrival of the new court. This desk is likely to be the first of the two made, as its construction seems to have been altered while it was being built, a fact shown by the separate construction of the lower drawer section and the alteration of the shape of the drawers. The Wilanow bureau does not bear these signs of experimentation.
We thank Dr. I. Jenzen from the Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden for allowing us to use information from his forthcoming article to be published in Weltkunst.