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Lot Essay
Bernard II van Risenburgh, known as BVRB, mitre circa 1735
A small number of bureaux en pente in Japanese lacquer, either stamped or attributed to BVRB are known:-
-One was sold anonymously at Htel Drouot, Paris, 24 November 1995, lot 177 (stamped, the ormolu struck with the 'C' couronn poinon).
-Another is in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, illustrated in the Catalogue, Lisbon, 1982, p. 114, no. 667, inv. no. 285 (not stamped).
-Another, formerly in the collection of the Vicomte de Murard, is illustrated in La Chinoiserie en Europe au XVIIIme sicle, Paris, 1910, pl. 15, no. 17.
The exceptional quality of the ormolu mounts, the degree of restraint in their conception and the absence of a 'C' couronn poinon would suggest that this bureau was made around 1750-1755. At that time BVRB was producing furniture for the marchand-merciers Darnault, Hbert and Duvaux.
On 17 December 1756 Duvaux supplied to Louis XV un secrtaire d'ancien lacq de trois pieds de long, garnis partout en bronze dor d'or molu 1800 livres.
Similarly, on 22 December 1750 Duvaux supplied Madame de Pompadour with un secrtaire d'ancien lacq noir pagodes, garni en bronze dor d'or molu, l'abattant en velours, les tiroirs doubls d'etoffe 1800 livres.
It is important to note that the term secrtaire at that time referred to a bureau en pente and that Lazare Duvaux, whenever he referred to what is now called a secrtaire, used the term secrtaire en armoire.
In ten years of running a prosperous business, Duvaux only ever supplied three such secrtaires en pente in Japanese lacquer: the first to Louis XV, the second to Mme. de Pompadour and a third, smaller, to Prsident Roujault in September 1753 for 720 livres. A fourth is listed in Mme. Paris de Montmartel's Boudoir in 1772: un secrtaire en pupitre de trois pieds de large d'ancien lac du Japon pagodes en or de relief pris 200 livres.
A small number of bureaux en pente in Japanese lacquer, either stamped or attributed to BVRB are known:-
-One was sold anonymously at Htel Drouot, Paris, 24 November 1995, lot 177 (stamped, the ormolu struck with the 'C' couronn poinon).
-Another is in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, illustrated in the Catalogue, Lisbon, 1982, p. 114, no. 667, inv. no. 285 (not stamped).
-Another, formerly in the collection of the Vicomte de Murard, is illustrated in La Chinoiserie en Europe au XVIIIme sicle, Paris, 1910, pl. 15, no. 17.
The exceptional quality of the ormolu mounts, the degree of restraint in their conception and the absence of a 'C' couronn poinon would suggest that this bureau was made around 1750-1755. At that time BVRB was producing furniture for the marchand-merciers Darnault, Hbert and Duvaux.
On 17 December 1756 Duvaux supplied to Louis XV un secrtaire d'ancien lacq de trois pieds de long, garnis partout en bronze dor d'or molu 1800 livres.
Similarly, on 22 December 1750 Duvaux supplied Madame de Pompadour with un secrtaire d'ancien lacq noir pagodes, garni en bronze dor d'or molu, l'abattant en velours, les tiroirs doubls d'etoffe 1800 livres.
It is important to note that the term secrtaire at that time referred to a bureau en pente and that Lazare Duvaux, whenever he referred to what is now called a secrtaire, used the term secrtaire en armoire.
In ten years of running a prosperous business, Duvaux only ever supplied three such secrtaires en pente in Japanese lacquer: the first to Louis XV, the second to Mme. de Pompadour and a third, smaller, to Prsident Roujault in September 1753 for 720 livres. A fourth is listed in Mme. Paris de Montmartel's Boudoir in 1772: un secrtaire en pupitre de trois pieds de large d'ancien lac du Japon pagodes en or de relief pris 200 livres.