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Lot Essay
Located in the Bresle valley between Normandy and Picardy, the Château d'Eu was reconstructed in 1578 by Henri le Balafri, duc de Guise. In the eighteenth century it was the home of the ducs de Maine and subsequently Orléans. The château was seized during the Revolution and most of its furnishings either sold or destroyed. In 1814 it was restituted to the dowager duchesse d'Orléans, daughter of the duc de Penthièvre, the future Louis-Philippe, who in 1821 started to restore and refurbish the château.
A giltwood prie-dieu attributed to François-Honoré-Georges Jacob and supplied to Louis-Philippe for his use at the château d'Eu with inventory number 739 was sold from the Estate of Bernice Richard, Christie's New York, 21 May 1996, lot 286. The inventory listing for that prie-dieu preceeded listings for seven other identical prie-dieu, which would have included the present lot as No. 743. The set of eight was reserved for the use of the royal family and it is possible that the first one, 739, was reserved for the King's use, as it bears further carving than the present example.
A giltwood prie-dieu attributed to François-Honoré-Georges Jacob and supplied to Louis-Philippe for his use at the château d'Eu with inventory number 739 was sold from the Estate of Bernice Richard, Christie's New York, 21 May 1996, lot 286. The inventory listing for that prie-dieu preceeded listings for seven other identical prie-dieu, which would have included the present lot as No. 743. The set of eight was reserved for the use of the royal family and it is possible that the first one, 739, was reserved for the King's use, as it bears further carving than the present example.