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拍品專文
This striking guéridon with its jewel-like enameled top richly decorated with birds and butterflies and its ormolu-mounted mahogany base reflects the taste for both innovation and luxurious materials in the Royal and Imperial French courts. The use of terre de lave, ‘volcanic stone’ in France dates back to the early 13th century when it was used in building construction. Easily cut and incredibly durable, its first use as a base for enameling appeared in the late 18th century but it wasn’t until 40 years later, when under the direction and tireless promotion of the architect-designer Jacques-Ignace Hittorff (1792-1867), that this material became popular.
One of France’s leading architect designers from the Restauration through the end of the French monarchy, Hittorff’s work was largely anchored in the Neo-classical aesthetic. This was almost certainly a result of his early work as a draftsmen for one of the Napoleonic era’s most influential designers, Charles Percier (1764-1838) who with Pierre Fontaine wrote Recueil de decorations intérieures (1801-1812) which became the template for the Empire style. Hittorff was named government architect in 1818 and his influence soon reached as far as the perception of the Bourbon monarchy itself. From 1819-30, Hittorff collaborated with François-Joseph Lecointe to direct Royal entertainments and also designed the backdrops for court ceremonies.
It is unclear when Hittorff’s interest in terre de lave began but his collaboration with Pierre Hachette in the founding of Hachette et Cie gave him the ideal platform to promote its use. The process of enameling terre de lave so it appeared almost painted had been given to them by Hachette’s father-in-law, Ferdinand Morteleque (1774-1844), who had developed this technique. As director of design for Hachette et Cie from 1833-38, Hittorff was a tireless evangelist for its use. It was not only for table tops but for a variety of household furnishings such as chimneypieces, candelabra and panels. Hittorff’s surviving designs are now in the collection of Cologne University and include one for a top with identical bands of butterflies and birds within the same anthemia tracery (M. Kiene and D. Vanzanten, Die Alben Von Jakob Ignaz Hittorf, Cologne, 2018, p.98).
However, it was the table tops that Hittorff specifically used to target influential potential clients including various members of the European monarchy which he hoped would then lead to significant architectural commissions. Hittorff sent tabletops to Prince Wilhelm Friedrich of Prussia, later Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany, for his Palace in Berlin in 1833 and another in 1836 to Leopold I, the King of Belgium. The director of Sèvres, Alexandre Brongniart was also targeted and was offered a panel for his Ceramics museum, now the Musée National de Ceramique, which is mentioned in an 1834 letter (D. Alcouffe et al., Un Age D’or Des Arts Decoratifs, 1814-1848, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1991, pp.296-7.).
These table tops were incredibly expensive to produce—the design for the tabletop that closely relates to the present guéridon had a factory price of 2200 Francs (Ibid, p.98)—so not surprisingly only a small handful are known to have survived. The tables delivered to Prince Wilhelm Friedrich and Leopold I are only known through contemporary documentation but closely related examples to as yet unknown beneficiaries include one sold anonymously at Christie’s, Monaco, 7 December 1985, lot 51 and another with identical bands of birds and butterflies was sold anonymously at Sotheby’s, Paris, 5 July 2001, lot 99 and is now in the collection of the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia (2001.21). A third table of less complicated design was offered anonymously at Christophe Joron-Derem, Drouot, Paris, 16 October 2011, lot 175.
PIERRE-BENOIT MARCION (1769-1840)
Pierre-Benoit Marcion was one of the principal ébénistes for the Emperor Napoleon I, second only to the renowned Jacob-Desmalter. Marcion opened his atelier in 1798 and by 1805 had supplied a variety of furniture to the Imperial Garde Meuble. His first significant commission was in 1808 for the Palais du Trianon and was followed by others for Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Rambouillet. In an 1816 audit of the Garde Meuble after the fall of Napoleon, Marcion’s work was singled out as one who ‘…makes furniture of the utmost perfection..’
Marcion’s role as one of the predominant suppliers for the Imperial Garde Meuble and the presence of two Royal chateau brands, the Palais du Tuileries which dates from 1815-30 and the Château de St. Cloud which dates from 1852-70, indicate that is that it was almost certainly part of an Imperial commission and then continued to be in Royal and Imperial collections until as late as 1870. Although it is unknown when the beautifully enameled terre de lave top was placed on the guéridon, Hittorff’s previous ties with the French Royal family combined with his passion to place these table tops among the European monarchy leaves an intriguing possibility that Hittorff arranged for this luxurious replacement during his tenure at Hachette et Cie.
One of France’s leading architect designers from the Restauration through the end of the French monarchy, Hittorff’s work was largely anchored in the Neo-classical aesthetic. This was almost certainly a result of his early work as a draftsmen for one of the Napoleonic era’s most influential designers, Charles Percier (1764-1838) who with Pierre Fontaine wrote Recueil de decorations intérieures (1801-1812) which became the template for the Empire style. Hittorff was named government architect in 1818 and his influence soon reached as far as the perception of the Bourbon monarchy itself. From 1819-30, Hittorff collaborated with François-Joseph Lecointe to direct Royal entertainments and also designed the backdrops for court ceremonies.
It is unclear when Hittorff’s interest in terre de lave began but his collaboration with Pierre Hachette in the founding of Hachette et Cie gave him the ideal platform to promote its use. The process of enameling terre de lave so it appeared almost painted had been given to them by Hachette’s father-in-law, Ferdinand Morteleque (1774-1844), who had developed this technique. As director of design for Hachette et Cie from 1833-38, Hittorff was a tireless evangelist for its use. It was not only for table tops but for a variety of household furnishings such as chimneypieces, candelabra and panels. Hittorff’s surviving designs are now in the collection of Cologne University and include one for a top with identical bands of butterflies and birds within the same anthemia tracery (M. Kiene and D. Vanzanten, Die Alben Von Jakob Ignaz Hittorf, Cologne, 2018, p.98).
However, it was the table tops that Hittorff specifically used to target influential potential clients including various members of the European monarchy which he hoped would then lead to significant architectural commissions. Hittorff sent tabletops to Prince Wilhelm Friedrich of Prussia, later Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany, for his Palace in Berlin in 1833 and another in 1836 to Leopold I, the King of Belgium. The director of Sèvres, Alexandre Brongniart was also targeted and was offered a panel for his Ceramics museum, now the Musée National de Ceramique, which is mentioned in an 1834 letter (D. Alcouffe et al., Un Age D’or Des Arts Decoratifs, 1814-1848, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1991, pp.296-7.).
These table tops were incredibly expensive to produce—the design for the tabletop that closely relates to the present guéridon had a factory price of 2200 Francs (Ibid, p.98)—so not surprisingly only a small handful are known to have survived. The tables delivered to Prince Wilhelm Friedrich and Leopold I are only known through contemporary documentation but closely related examples to as yet unknown beneficiaries include one sold anonymously at Christie’s, Monaco, 7 December 1985, lot 51 and another with identical bands of birds and butterflies was sold anonymously at Sotheby’s, Paris, 5 July 2001, lot 99 and is now in the collection of the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia (2001.21). A third table of less complicated design was offered anonymously at Christophe Joron-Derem, Drouot, Paris, 16 October 2011, lot 175.
PIERRE-BENOIT MARCION (1769-1840)
Pierre-Benoit Marcion was one of the principal ébénistes for the Emperor Napoleon I, second only to the renowned Jacob-Desmalter. Marcion opened his atelier in 1798 and by 1805 had supplied a variety of furniture to the Imperial Garde Meuble. His first significant commission was in 1808 for the Palais du Trianon and was followed by others for Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Rambouillet. In an 1816 audit of the Garde Meuble after the fall of Napoleon, Marcion’s work was singled out as one who ‘…makes furniture of the utmost perfection..’
Marcion’s role as one of the predominant suppliers for the Imperial Garde Meuble and the presence of two Royal chateau brands, the Palais du Tuileries which dates from 1815-30 and the Château de St. Cloud which dates from 1852-70, indicate that is that it was almost certainly part of an Imperial commission and then continued to be in Royal and Imperial collections until as late as 1870. Although it is unknown when the beautifully enameled terre de lave top was placed on the guéridon, Hittorff’s previous ties with the French Royal family combined with his passion to place these table tops among the European monarchy leaves an intriguing possibility that Hittorff arranged for this luxurious replacement during his tenure at Hachette et Cie.