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Lot Essay
The brand LPI is that of Louis-Philippe-Joseph II, Duc d’Orleans (1747-93), father of King Louis-Philippe.
When the Duc d’Orleans inherited his title, he became the Premier Prince du Sang, First Prince of the Blood, which put him in line for the succession to the throne immediately after the comte d'Artois, the youngest brother of Louis XVI. However, in a stark contrast to his family, the Duc d’Orleans advocated for the separation of the church and state and supported the formation of a constitutional monarchy. He embraced the French Revolution to the point that he assumed the name of Philippe-Egalité. He voted for the death of his cousin King Louis XVI but was beheaded himself on 6 November 1793.
Louis-Philippe-Joseph II was vastly wealthy both in his own right and through his marriage to his wife, the only surviving child of the Duc de Penthièvre, one of the richest men in France. In addition to the estates and furniture that were part of his wife’s dowry, the Duc d’Orleans’ principal residences were the Palais Royal, Saint Cloud and the chateau d’Eu. This pair of meubles d’appui, which incorporate Louis XVI elements, may therefore have been embellished during the Restauration period for one of these residences which were restituted to his son, the future King Louis Philippe (1773-1850), who embarked on a series of lavish furnishing schemes for these palaces.
When the Duc d’Orleans inherited his title, he became the Premier Prince du Sang, First Prince of the Blood, which put him in line for the succession to the throne immediately after the comte d'Artois, the youngest brother of Louis XVI. However, in a stark contrast to his family, the Duc d’Orleans advocated for the separation of the church and state and supported the formation of a constitutional monarchy. He embraced the French Revolution to the point that he assumed the name of Philippe-Egalité. He voted for the death of his cousin King Louis XVI but was beheaded himself on 6 November 1793.
Louis-Philippe-Joseph II was vastly wealthy both in his own right and through his marriage to his wife, the only surviving child of the Duc de Penthièvre, one of the richest men in France. In addition to the estates and furniture that were part of his wife’s dowry, the Duc d’Orleans’ principal residences were the Palais Royal, Saint Cloud and the chateau d’Eu. This pair of meubles d’appui, which incorporate Louis XVI elements, may therefore have been embellished during the Restauration period for one of these residences which were restituted to his son, the future King Louis Philippe (1773-1850), who embarked on a series of lavish furnishing schemes for these palaces.