DESIGNED BY GEORGES GEFFROY, MADE BY MAISON DECOUR, 1950

Details

A SET OF SIX FRENCH POLYCHROME-DECORATED DINING CHAIRS
DESIGNED BY GEORGES GEFFROY, MADE BY MAISON DECOUR, 1950
Each upholstered in red velvet with fringed green velvet dust covers, on X-framed legs joined by a brass stretchers, the frames painted to simulate tulipwood
33 1/2 in. (85 cm.) high; 18 1/2 in. (47 cm.) wide; 18 in. (46 cm.) deep

Provenance

Arturo López-Willshaw (1900-1962) commissioned for his yacht La Gaviota IV.
Robert de Balkany (1931-2015), purchased with the yacht (renamed Marala)
‌Anonymous sale; sold Sotheby's, Paris, 27 November 2018, lot 147 (a set of twelve).

Literature

P. Arizzoli Clementel, Georges Geffroy (1905-1971), une légende du grand décor français, Paris, 2016, p. 61 and 69 (ill.)

Special notice

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends. This lot has been imported from outside the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Customs Duty (as applicable) will be added to the hammer price and Import VAT at 20% will be charged on the Duty inclusive hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer''s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice. Please see Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Charlotte Young Associate Director, Specialist

cyoung@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2730

Lot Essay

La Gaviota IV was purchased by Arturo López-Willshaw (1900-1962), a Chilean millionaire in 1931 who became an important patron of the arts, collector and society figure in Paris during the interwar years, splitting his time between Hôtel Lambert and Hôtel Rodocanachi, Neuilly-sur-Seine. He employed the revered interior designer Georges Geffroy (1903-1971) to refurbish the La Gaviota circa 1950 and it is from this scheme that these six chairs originate. Geffory was described by Hubert de Givenchy as being 'An eighteenth-century gentleman, a figure from another era, one of a breed of decorators that is extinct today' with an unerring eye. Robert De Balkany was so taken with the stories surrounding the yacht and its interiors that he kept them just as they were when he later purchased the boat and renamed it Marala.

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