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Lot Essay
Philippe-Claude Montigny, maître in 1766.
With its 'Etruscan' decoration and interlaced Greek-key frieze, this bureau plat reflects the goût Grec style introduced in the 1750's by the architect Louis-Joseph Le Lorrain. Probably working in collaboration with a marchand-mercier such as Simon-Philippe Poirier, Le Lorrain's goût Grec style was first realized in the designs for the celebrated suite of furniture supplied for the Parisian hôtel of the amateur Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully circa 1755, which included the bureau plat and cartonnier now in the musée Condé at Chantilly, as well as the set of four meubles d'appui including that sold by the Marquess of Cholmondeley, Works of Art from Houghton, Christie's London, 8 December 1994, lot 80.
This bureau plat relates to the well-documented group of bureaux à la grecque stamped by both Montigny and Dubois (for René Dubois, 1734-1809, who employed his father's stamp). Executed in either amaranth and tulipwood or in ebony, often displaying the same distinctive ormolu mounts and of very similar proportions and design, this group reflects the close collaboration that existed between these two ébénistes - a link further underlined by the fact that Montigny and Dubois were not only cousins, but that the former even acted as a witness at the wedding of the latter in 1772.
The 'bureaux à la Grecque' executed by Montigny, including the bureau plat offered here, tend to be characterized by their slightly larger size, and a unified veneer. Such as that stamped by Montigny with abbreviated Greek-key decoration across the three frieze drawers in a Private Collection (illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, 1989, p. 306, fig. 344). Another bureau almost identical to this, though not stamped by the ébéniste, was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 26-27 February 1993, lot 221 (2,109,000 FrF). Other bureaux à la Grecque by Montigny follow the same sense of design and outline, but have undecorated amaranth-veneered frieze drawers, such as that sold anonymously, Christie's Monaco, 19 June 1999, lot 110 (837,500 FrF), and another also sold anonymously, Sotheby's Monaco, 3 July 1993, lot 166. Others, however, have an ebonized surface with Greek-key ormolu mounts to the frieze drawers, such as that in the Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris and another that sold anonymously, Christie's New York, 27 May 1999, lot 210.
In view of the fact that une table de bois d'amaranthe à la Grecque was recorded in the inventory taken following the death of Jacques Dubois, while Montigny himself was not elected maître until 1766, it seems fair to conclude that it was Dubois who initially devised this model, but in the face of excessive demand, he in turn - acting in the capacity of a marchand-ébéniste- subcontracted to Montigny to supply him with bureaux of this form. This hypothesis is further supported by a number of pieces stamped by both ébénistes, both at Waddesdon Manor and in the Wallace Collection, as well as a bureau à la grecque sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 17 June 1988, lot 741 (only Montigny's stamp noted in the catalogue). An example of the demand for these bureau is demonstrated by the one supplied by Poirier to George, 6th Earl of Coventry (1722-1809) by Dubois on 12 March 1765. Further, the mention of 'bureaux plats à l'antique' in the 1772 inventory certainly confirms the long-standing popularity of this model.
With its 'Etruscan' decoration and interlaced Greek-key frieze, this bureau plat reflects the goût Grec style introduced in the 1750's by the architect Louis-Joseph Le Lorrain. Probably working in collaboration with a marchand-mercier such as Simon-Philippe Poirier, Le Lorrain's goût Grec style was first realized in the designs for the celebrated suite of furniture supplied for the Parisian hôtel of the amateur Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully circa 1755, which included the bureau plat and cartonnier now in the musée Condé at Chantilly, as well as the set of four meubles d'appui including that sold by the Marquess of Cholmondeley, Works of Art from Houghton, Christie's London, 8 December 1994, lot 80.
This bureau plat relates to the well-documented group of bureaux à la grecque stamped by both Montigny and Dubois (for René Dubois, 1734-1809, who employed his father's stamp). Executed in either amaranth and tulipwood or in ebony, often displaying the same distinctive ormolu mounts and of very similar proportions and design, this group reflects the close collaboration that existed between these two ébénistes - a link further underlined by the fact that Montigny and Dubois were not only cousins, but that the former even acted as a witness at the wedding of the latter in 1772.
The 'bureaux à la Grecque' executed by Montigny, including the bureau plat offered here, tend to be characterized by their slightly larger size, and a unified veneer. Such as that stamped by Montigny with abbreviated Greek-key decoration across the three frieze drawers in a Private Collection (illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, 1989, p. 306, fig. 344). Another bureau almost identical to this, though not stamped by the ébéniste, was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 26-27 February 1993, lot 221 (2,109,000 FrF). Other bureaux à la Grecque by Montigny follow the same sense of design and outline, but have undecorated amaranth-veneered frieze drawers, such as that sold anonymously, Christie's Monaco, 19 June 1999, lot 110 (837,500 FrF), and another also sold anonymously, Sotheby's Monaco, 3 July 1993, lot 166. Others, however, have an ebonized surface with Greek-key ormolu mounts to the frieze drawers, such as that in the Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris and another that sold anonymously, Christie's New York, 27 May 1999, lot 210.
In view of the fact that une table de bois d'amaranthe à la Grecque was recorded in the inventory taken following the death of Jacques Dubois, while Montigny himself was not elected maître until 1766, it seems fair to conclude that it was Dubois who initially devised this model, but in the face of excessive demand, he in turn - acting in the capacity of a marchand-ébéniste- subcontracted to Montigny to supply him with bureaux of this form. This hypothesis is further supported by a number of pieces stamped by both ébénistes, both at Waddesdon Manor and in the Wallace Collection, as well as a bureau à la grecque sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 17 June 1988, lot 741 (only Montigny's stamp noted in the catalogue). An example of the demand for these bureau is demonstrated by the one supplied by Poirier to George, 6th Earl of Coventry (1722-1809) by Dubois on 12 March 1765. Further, the mention of 'bureaux plats à l'antique' in the 1772 inventory certainly confirms the long-standing popularity of this model.