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Lot Essay
The C couronn poinon was a tax mark employed in France between March 1745 and February 1749 on any alloy containing copper.
The distinctive angle-mounts of this bureau plat were almost certainly cast from a model owned by the marchand-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hbert. Appointed as one of the fournisseurs de la Cour, probably through the intervention of Louis XV's mistress, the comtesse de Mailly, Hbert particularly specialised in the sale of lacquer-mounted furniture, and indeed supplied the first ever piece of furniture with this decoration to the Royal family - the commode executed by BVRB for Queen Maria Leszczyinska's use at Fontainebleau in 1737. These specific angle-mounts feature on the celebrated blue vernis Martin commode executed by Matthieu Criaerd (1689-1776) and supplied by Hbert for the chambre bleue of the chteau de Choisy in 1739, which is now in the Louvre. Designed to correspond with the silk wall-hangings that his sponsor, the comtesse de Mailly had herself spun and given to Louis XV, the commode and its matching encoignures had silvered rather than gilded mounts (D. Alcouffe et al., Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Dijon, 1993, vol.1, no.43,pp.144-7). The same angle-mounts, but gilded, further feature on two Chinese lacquer and vernis martin commodes also stamped by Criaerd, one in the Louvre (op.cit., no.46, p.152) and the other sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 22 June 1987, lot 544. As Alcouffe et al., (op.cit., no.46, p.152) commented, it was Hbert who supplied Criaerd with the bronze mounts for his furniture. Interestingly, these same angle-mounts are elsewhere stamped with the C couronn poinon, as on the commode again supplied by Hbert and executed by Criaerd for the Dauphin's cabinet at Versailles in 1748, which is now at Versailles (F. Scherer. '3 grands bnistes flamands du XVIIIe sicle', L'Estampille/L'Objet d'Art, December 1977, p.33).
In both line, form and the treatment of the decoration, particularly the distinctive red vernis martin to the reverse of the cabriole legs, this bureau plat can be placed within a clearly identifiable group, two of which retain their original cartonniers:-
Of these, the first, traditionally thought to have been supplied to Stanislas Leszcyinski, King of Poland, was sold anonymously at Etude Couturier Nicolay, Paris, 28 March 1990, lot 122; the second was sold anonymously at Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 3-5 June 1931, lot 300; the third was sold anonymously at Palais Gallira, Paris, 1-5 March 1973, lot 119; and the last is now in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (John L. Severance Bequest). Whilst no bniste has been conclusively linked with this group, they were all probably executed by either Jacques Dubois, Mathieu Criaerd or Bernard II van Risenburgh (BVRB).
The distinctive angle-mounts of this bureau plat were almost certainly cast from a model owned by the marchand-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hbert. Appointed as one of the fournisseurs de la Cour, probably through the intervention of Louis XV's mistress, the comtesse de Mailly, Hbert particularly specialised in the sale of lacquer-mounted furniture, and indeed supplied the first ever piece of furniture with this decoration to the Royal family - the commode executed by BVRB for Queen Maria Leszczyinska's use at Fontainebleau in 1737. These specific angle-mounts feature on the celebrated blue vernis Martin commode executed by Matthieu Criaerd (1689-1776) and supplied by Hbert for the chambre bleue of the chteau de Choisy in 1739, which is now in the Louvre. Designed to correspond with the silk wall-hangings that his sponsor, the comtesse de Mailly had herself spun and given to Louis XV, the commode and its matching encoignures had silvered rather than gilded mounts (D. Alcouffe et al., Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Dijon, 1993, vol.1, no.43,pp.144-7). The same angle-mounts, but gilded, further feature on two Chinese lacquer and vernis martin commodes also stamped by Criaerd, one in the Louvre (op.cit., no.46, p.152) and the other sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 22 June 1987, lot 544. As Alcouffe et al., (op.cit., no.46, p.152) commented, it was Hbert who supplied Criaerd with the bronze mounts for his furniture. Interestingly, these same angle-mounts are elsewhere stamped with the C couronn poinon, as on the commode again supplied by Hbert and executed by Criaerd for the Dauphin's cabinet at Versailles in 1748, which is now at Versailles (F. Scherer. '3 grands bnistes flamands du XVIIIe sicle', L'Estampille/L'Objet d'Art, December 1977, p.33).
In both line, form and the treatment of the decoration, particularly the distinctive red vernis martin to the reverse of the cabriole legs, this bureau plat can be placed within a clearly identifiable group, two of which retain their original cartonniers:-
Of these, the first, traditionally thought to have been supplied to Stanislas Leszcyinski, King of Poland, was sold anonymously at Etude Couturier Nicolay, Paris, 28 March 1990, lot 122; the second was sold anonymously at Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 3-5 June 1931, lot 300; the third was sold anonymously at Palais Gallira, Paris, 1-5 March 1973, lot 119; and the last is now in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (John L. Severance Bequest). Whilst no bniste has been conclusively linked with this group, they were all probably executed by either Jacques Dubois, Mathieu Criaerd or Bernard II van Risenburgh (BVRB).