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Lot Essay
This magisterial seat, with shield-decked rails and palm-wrapped feet terminating in spear-heads, displays 'antique bronze' pillars of Roman fasces or 'lictor' rods wrapping spears that were originally crowned by helmets or 'casques' that served with the Roman 'gladius' sword to symbolise Napoleon's Consolate (1799-1804). Its robust architecture reflects the archaeological antique style introduced by the architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who served as Napoleon's 'architects' and were co-authors of Receuil de decorations Interieures, 1801. Their style was adopted by the celebrated ébéniste François-Honore-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (d. 1841) on assuming control of his family firm in 1803.
The chair back was designed en suite with the head-board of a consular bed, whose sides displayed triumphal peace trophies of palm-flowered spears and swords, The 'trophy' foot-board displayed a shield with the palm-wreathed head of Mars displayed on crossed spears and supported by axe-headed 'fasces' pillars.
The suite, comprising a bed, a marble-topped commode, a night table and a suite of at least two bergeres, six armchairs and four chairs is likely to have been acquired by Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, later Duc de Dalmatie (d. 1852) on his appointment by Napoleon as a marshal of France in 1804. The suite described as a faisceaux à quasque is recorded in 1810 as being in la chambre de Monseigneur le Duc [de Dalmatie] in his Parisian residence, the hôtel de Talleyrand-Perigord, which he first occupied in 1803. It was listed again in the 1852 inventory as being in the Chambre du Nonce [the Pope's room]. It is also recorded, that when the Marshal first moved to the hôtel, he employed the ébéniste Cercous of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine to carry out modifications to some furnishings.
Hortense, the Marshal's daughter, married the marquis de Mornay-Montchevreuil in 1822. In 1895 their grand-daughter Marie married the marquis de Balleroy, and the furniture was recorded at his château de Montchevreuil in 1907 ('Decorations Intérieures et meubles des epoques Louis XV, Louis XVI et Empire', Revue d'Art decoratif, Paris 1907-1908, pl. LXXX-LXXXIII).
An armchair of this pattern, also inscribed 'M. le Marquis de Mornay' was sold together with part of the original suite at Sotheby's House sale, Château de Groussay, 2-6 June, 1999, lot 797 (152,600 FF).
The chair back was designed en suite with the head-board of a consular bed, whose sides displayed triumphal peace trophies of palm-flowered spears and swords, The 'trophy' foot-board displayed a shield with the palm-wreathed head of Mars displayed on crossed spears and supported by axe-headed 'fasces' pillars.
The suite, comprising a bed, a marble-topped commode, a night table and a suite of at least two bergeres, six armchairs and four chairs is likely to have been acquired by Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, later Duc de Dalmatie (d. 1852) on his appointment by Napoleon as a marshal of France in 1804. The suite described as a faisceaux à quasque is recorded in 1810 as being in la chambre de Monseigneur le Duc [de Dalmatie] in his Parisian residence, the hôtel de Talleyrand-Perigord, which he first occupied in 1803. It was listed again in the 1852 inventory as being in the Chambre du Nonce [the Pope's room]. It is also recorded, that when the Marshal first moved to the hôtel, he employed the ébéniste Cercous of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine to carry out modifications to some furnishings.
Hortense, the Marshal's daughter, married the marquis de Mornay-Montchevreuil in 1822. In 1895 their grand-daughter Marie married the marquis de Balleroy, and the furniture was recorded at his château de Montchevreuil in 1907 ('Decorations Intérieures et meubles des epoques Louis XV, Louis XVI et Empire', Revue d'Art decoratif, Paris 1907-1908, pl. LXXX-LXXXIII).
An armchair of this pattern, also inscribed 'M. le Marquis de Mornay' was sold together with part of the original suite at Sotheby's House sale, Château de Groussay, 2-6 June, 1999, lot 797 (152,600 FF).