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Lot Essay
Adam Weisweiler, maître in 1778
This elegant mahogany gueridon, with bird cage or à la lanterne' hinged action and animal-form feet, exemplifies the fashionable goût anglais of the 1770s and '80s, which was promoted by Madame de Pompadour's brother, the Marquis de Marigny, who greatly admired the simple forms and plain beauty of English mahogany furniture. Not only was he buying restrained mahogany pieces through an agent in London, but he was also commissioning furniture in a similar vein from his favoured ébénistes, for example the well known set of mahogany chairs showing a strong English influence, which were supplied by Pierre Garnier for the the dining room of his hôtel in the Place des Victoires in 1778. (A. Gordon with M. Déchery, 'The Marquis de Marigny's Puchases of English Furniture and Objects', Furniture History Society Journal, (XXV), 1989, pp. 86-108).
Adam Weiweiler, who hailed from Neuwied, executed various smaller items of furniture in the goût anglais, including numerous gueridons, but few are known to incorporate the English bird cage action. His collaboration with the marchand mercier Dominique Daguerre, who succeeded Simon-Philippe Poirier at the Couronne d'Or, undoubtedly allowed him to remain at the forefront of the latest fashion. (P. Lemonnier, Weisweiler, Paris, 1983, pp 38-43)
This elegant mahogany gueridon, with bird cage or à la lanterne' hinged action and animal-form feet, exemplifies the fashionable goût anglais of the 1770s and '80s, which was promoted by Madame de Pompadour's brother, the Marquis de Marigny, who greatly admired the simple forms and plain beauty of English mahogany furniture. Not only was he buying restrained mahogany pieces through an agent in London, but he was also commissioning furniture in a similar vein from his favoured ébénistes, for example the well known set of mahogany chairs showing a strong English influence, which were supplied by Pierre Garnier for the the dining room of his hôtel in the Place des Victoires in 1778. (A. Gordon with M. Déchery, 'The Marquis de Marigny's Puchases of English Furniture and Objects', Furniture History Society Journal, (XXV), 1989, pp. 86-108).
Adam Weiweiler, who hailed from Neuwied, executed various smaller items of furniture in the goût anglais, including numerous gueridons, but few are known to incorporate the English bird cage action. His collaboration with the marchand mercier Dominique Daguerre, who succeeded Simon-Philippe Poirier at the Couronne d'Or, undoubtedly allowed him to remain at the forefront of the latest fashion. (P. Lemonnier, Weisweiler, Paris, 1983, pp 38-43)