Lot Essay
Léonard Boudin, maître in 1761
The output of Léonard Boudin is arguably the most prolific of the Transitional period. His commercial activity as a marchand-ébéniste flourished and he employed a large number of ébénistes including Evalde, Foullet, Denizot, Topino and Gilbert. His stamp is found alongside that of the individual ébéniste and he shared the practice of double stamping as the marchand with Migeon and Criard
This secrétaire, executed circa 1775, is closely related to a small group of marquetry secrétaires stamped by André-Louis Gilbert (maître in 1774) of the rue Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, several of which bear the stamp of Boudin:-
-Madame Queniaux, sold Paris, 11 June 1908, lot 132 (illustrated) and again in Paris, 6 December 1966, no. 67 (illustrated), stamped by both Gilbert and Boudin
-Maître Martin Sale, Versailles, 11 November 1976, lot 152 (illustrated), stamped by both Gilbert and Boudin
-Sale in Paris, 20 November 1933, lot 116 (illustrated), attributed to Gilbert
-Anonymous Sale, Sotheby's Monaco, 23 June 1985, lot 787 (illustrated), stamped Boudin
-A final example recorded on the art market in 1971, stamped Gilbert
This group of secrétaires all have channelled friezes, panels with concave angles enclosed within identically-cast frames and mounts, often identically fixed, on the canted angles
The inventory taken following the death of Madame Boudin in 1777 is extremely revealing. It records the recognition that Monsieur Filaine owed Boudin 12,578 livres for supplying furniture. The settlement of this outstanding bill was due by the end of August 1775, but Boudin experienced great difficulty in extracting payment, and it was not finally settled until the end of 1776
This secrétaire can, therefore, be accurately dated to 1775, a fact corroborated by the 'permission d'imprimer' dated 23 Mai 1776 which appears on the marchand-mercier's label
In the same 1777 inventory are recorded:-
"deux autres secrétaires de trois pieds chacun dont un de bois de rose et l'autre en vérnis noir de Paris sans aucune garniture 144 livres"
"trois secrétaires en pente de verny rouge estimés ensemble la somme de 144 livres"
As these descriptions reveal, Boudin employed Parisian vernisseurs and, moreover, the gilt-bronze mounts were applied in the marchands atelier
The gilt-bronze mounts of this secrétaire are perhaps attributable to the bronzier André Ravrio (maître in 1777), to whom Boudin owed 1004 livres in January 1777 and whom he continued to patronise the following year, when a payment for 2700 livres is recorded. However, Boudin also employed the ciseleur Mayeux and the doreur Labbé
LEONARD BOUDIN 1735-1807
The son of a compagnon-tabletier, Léonard Boudin of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine gained his maîtrise on 4 March 1761. On becoming a marchand-mercier, he established himself in the early 1770s in the Cloître Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, close to the Louvre and his fellow ébénistes in the rue Saint Honoré
Boudin flourished as a marchand-mercier, and it was not unusual for him to deliver as much as 10,000 livres of furniture at one time, either to other marchands, both at home and abroad, or to private clients. Amongst these, he counted such figures as the duc de Duras, the Prince of Orange and the duchesse d'Arenberg as his principal patrons. However, by 1777 his debts amounted to the colossal sum of 248,340 livres, while his assets did not exceed 10,000 livres
Boudin was, above all, a 'grossiste du meuble'. Possessing an enormous stock right up until his death, he often rented furniture to private clients. However, unlike his peers of the rue Saint Honoré such as Daguerre and Dulac, Boudin rarely dealt in luxury furniture, and this sécrétaire is therefore exceptional in its quality when placed within the context it the marchand-ébénistes oeuvre
The vernis decoration of this secrétaire almost certainly by Martin Frères, is undoubtedly by the same hand as that of the Macret secétaire (lot 39).
We would like to thank Mme. Patricia Lemonnier for her assistance in providing the quotations from the ébénistes inventaires for this catalogue entry
The output of Léonard Boudin is arguably the most prolific of the Transitional period. His commercial activity as a marchand-ébéniste flourished and he employed a large number of ébénistes including Evalde, Foullet, Denizot, Topino and Gilbert. His stamp is found alongside that of the individual ébéniste and he shared the practice of double stamping as the marchand with Migeon and Criard
This secrétaire, executed circa 1775, is closely related to a small group of marquetry secrétaires stamped by André-Louis Gilbert (maître in 1774) of the rue Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, several of which bear the stamp of Boudin:-
-Madame Queniaux, sold Paris, 11 June 1908, lot 132 (illustrated) and again in Paris, 6 December 1966, no. 67 (illustrated), stamped by both Gilbert and Boudin
-Maître Martin Sale, Versailles, 11 November 1976, lot 152 (illustrated), stamped by both Gilbert and Boudin
-Sale in Paris, 20 November 1933, lot 116 (illustrated), attributed to Gilbert
-Anonymous Sale, Sotheby's Monaco, 23 June 1985, lot 787 (illustrated), stamped Boudin
-A final example recorded on the art market in 1971, stamped Gilbert
This group of secrétaires all have channelled friezes, panels with concave angles enclosed within identically-cast frames and mounts, often identically fixed, on the canted angles
The inventory taken following the death of Madame Boudin in 1777 is extremely revealing. It records the recognition that Monsieur Filaine owed Boudin 12,578 livres for supplying furniture. The settlement of this outstanding bill was due by the end of August 1775, but Boudin experienced great difficulty in extracting payment, and it was not finally settled until the end of 1776
This secrétaire can, therefore, be accurately dated to 1775, a fact corroborated by the 'permission d'imprimer' dated 23 Mai 1776 which appears on the marchand-mercier's label
In the same 1777 inventory are recorded:-
"deux autres secrétaires de trois pieds chacun dont un de bois de rose et l'autre en vérnis noir de Paris sans aucune garniture 144 livres"
"trois secrétaires en pente de verny rouge estimés ensemble la somme de 144 livres"
As these descriptions reveal, Boudin employed Parisian vernisseurs and, moreover, the gilt-bronze mounts were applied in the marchands atelier
The gilt-bronze mounts of this secrétaire are perhaps attributable to the bronzier André Ravrio (maître in 1777), to whom Boudin owed 1004 livres in January 1777 and whom he continued to patronise the following year, when a payment for 2700 livres is recorded. However, Boudin also employed the ciseleur Mayeux and the doreur Labbé
LEONARD BOUDIN 1735-1807
The son of a compagnon-tabletier, Léonard Boudin of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine gained his maîtrise on 4 March 1761. On becoming a marchand-mercier, he established himself in the early 1770s in the Cloître Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, close to the Louvre and his fellow ébénistes in the rue Saint Honoré
Boudin flourished as a marchand-mercier, and it was not unusual for him to deliver as much as 10,000 livres of furniture at one time, either to other marchands, both at home and abroad, or to private clients. Amongst these, he counted such figures as the duc de Duras, the Prince of Orange and the duchesse d'Arenberg as his principal patrons. However, by 1777 his debts amounted to the colossal sum of 248,340 livres, while his assets did not exceed 10,000 livres
Boudin was, above all, a 'grossiste du meuble'. Possessing an enormous stock right up until his death, he often rented furniture to private clients. However, unlike his peers of the rue Saint Honoré such as Daguerre and Dulac, Boudin rarely dealt in luxury furniture, and this sécrétaire is therefore exceptional in its quality when placed within the context it the marchand-ébénistes oeuvre
The vernis decoration of this secrétaire almost certainly by Martin Frères, is undoubtedly by the same hand as that of the Macret secétaire (lot 39).
We would like to thank Mme. Patricia Lemonnier for her assistance in providing the quotations from the ébénistes inventaires for this catalogue entry