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Lot Essay
This magnificent commode, with its beautifully-chased, jewel-like mounts and remarkably precise parquetry veneers is a masterpiece by the innovative cabinet-maker Jean-François Leleu and an exciting addition to his oeuvre, while its newly discovered provenance places it in the vanguard of sophisticated taste among elite amateurs in the 1770s.
It was supplied in 1774 to the wealthy banker Micault d'Harvelay (1723-1786) for his hôtel on the rue d'Artois, when it was precisely described in a bill from Leleu on 3 February as follows:
Du 3 février 1774 - Avoir fourni une commode de 2 pieds 6 pouces de long sur 18 pouces, 6 lignes de profondeur, 33 pouces 1⁄2 de haut, a pieds ronds cannelés par le bas en cuivre lisse, le bâti en chêne de Vosges, les trois tiroirs sont garnis en moire bleu, et ferrés de leur serrure en cuivre, 2 clefs dont une ciselée, ladite commode plaquée en bois de rose et amarante, filets noirs et blancs, les panneaux en mosaïque et les rosaces nuancées, ornées de quatre sabots, quatre chapiteaux, quatre double postes à fleurons et guirlandes à rosaces sur les pieds, trois moulures unies, trois cadres à feuilles d'eau, quatre anneaux et rosaces, dans la frise un entrelacs à feuilles d'ornements , le tout bien fini et doré d'or moulu, et son marbre griotte d'Italie pour ce ...1350 livres
('For having delivered a commode 2 pieds 6 pouces long (81cm) with round legs with plain brass flutings in the lower section, the carcasse made of oak from the Vosges, its three drawers lined with blue moiré silk, and with their brass locks, 2 keys one of which is chased, the said commode veneered with tulipwood and amaranth, white and black filets, the panels in marquetry of mosaic (= geometric patterns) and the rosettes shaded, ornamented with four capitals, four double vitruvian scrolls with flower heads and garlands with rosettes on the feet, three plain mouldings, three frames with leaves, four with rosettes, in the frieze an intertwined motif with leaves, the whole well finished and gilt in ormolu and with its griotte of Italy marble, for this… 1350 livres').
MICAULT D'HARVELAY
Micault d'Harvelay's (1723-1786) rise to a position of wealth and power was rapid. He succeeded his great-uncle, Paris de Montmartel, the richest and most powerful figure in the kingdom under Louis XV, as garde du Trésor Royal and conseiller d'Etat. Micault's fortune was further sealed when in 1762 he married the wealthy heiress Anne-Rose de Nettine (1739-1812), whose family were bankers to the court of Vienna at Brussels. This advantageous marriage also connected him to his brothers-in-law Jean-Joseph de Laborde, who had succeeded Paris de Montmartel as fermier général in 1759, and the celebrated amateur and early patron of Neoclassicism, Lalive de Jully (interestingly, Leleu supplied furniture to all three). As well as his banking interests, Laborde invested significantly in real estate and in 1770 bought a considerable plot of land on the site of the rue d’Artois (later the rue Cerutti and now the rue Laffitte) and the rue de Provence, building several hôtels designed by the Neoclassical architect Jean Benoît Vincent Barré of which Micault d'Harvelay acquired one (see also lot 106 in this sale for the pair of consoles by Carlin supplied to Laborde for his own hôtel on this site). After Micault's death in 1786, the commode was almost certainly that listed in the chambre à coucher of Madame d'Harvelay, which looked out onto the garden, described as 'une petite commode à trois tiroirs richement ornée en bronze doré et plaquée en bois de différentes couleurs, 300L.'
THE OEUVRE OF JEAN-FRANCOIS LELEU
Leleu was among the most refined and innovative cabinet-makers of his era, masterfully bridging the transition from the last flowering of the naturalistic Rococo style of the Louis XV period to the emergence of the rigorous Neoclassicism of the goût grec. He first worked in the workshop of the great ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763), where he perfected the art of both naturalistic floral marquetry, and the precise and sophisticated geometric parquetry patterns of his inlay. After the early death of his master, Leleu hoped to be entrusted with the running of the workshop, but was superseded by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), another journeyman in Oeben's employ. Riesener married Oeben's widow and went on to become the court ébéniste of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. Leleu left the workshop, became maître-ébéniste in 1764 and set up on his own. While unable to work for the Royal court because of Riesener's position as royal cabinet-maker, Leleu nevertheless attracted an important range of clients both from the ranks of aristocracy and the newly wealthy banking class, notably the duc d'Uzès, baron d'Ivry, Madame du Barry and the prince de Condé, and as mentioned above Micault's brothers-in-law Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully and Jean-Joseph de Laborde (S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, London 1974, pp. 79-81, figs. 127-130; A. Pradère, Les Ebénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris 1989, pp. 338-340, figs. 396 and 397).
Leleu's clientele included some of the most adventurous pioneers of the Neoclassical style—particularly Madame du Barry, whose extensive patronage exerted a wide influence on the introduction of Neolassical forms into furniture design—and the baron d'Ivry, for whom Leleu executed many pieces of case furniture between 1765 and 1771. These were supplied for the baron's château d'Hénanville, which had been modernized by the Nicolas Barré, who was also architect to Laborde. Leleu is also known to have supplied furniture for the château du Marais, another design by Barré, and the château de Méréville, decorated and furnished in the most up-to-date taste for Micault's brother-in-law the marquis de Laborde, while he is also recorded as restoring the famous goût grec coquiller of Micault's other brother-in-law Lalive de Jully .
Perhaps Leleu's most prestigious and celebrated commission is that for the prince de Condé for the palais Bourbon, to whom he supplied furniture worth more than 60,000 livres between 1772 and 1777. This included two sécretaires à abbatant, two bureaux à cylindre, seven commodes, two writing desks, twenty-seven games tables and eleven screens of various kinds; he also provided a marquetry floor (S. Eriksen, Early Neoclassicism in France, London 1974, p. 201). All of the furniture was in the most advanced taste and although the prince de Condé did not take up residence for a number of years, his initiative, along with that of other discerning connoisseurs, such as the duc de Choiseul and the duc d'Uzès, firmly established this new style amongst Parisian craftsmen (ibid., p. 120). The commission is also particularly pertinent for the Micault d'Harvelay commode, which shares many of the same models of mounts and design features.
Amongst these deliveries, several pieces can be identified in the following collections:
- Musée du Louvre (inv. OA9589), a commode supplied for the bedroom of the prince de Condé at the palais Bourbon for 2,400 livres on 9 November 1772, previously in the collection of the princesse de Faucigny, (see D. Alcouffe, et. al., Le Mobilier du Musée du Louvre, Dijon 1993, no. 62). This example features a parquetry pattern on the side closely related to that on the Micault commode, with rosettes within a finely drawn strapwork trellis, showing the same extraordinarily precise inlaid fillets in light and dark woods
- Musée National du château de Versailles et des Trianons, a pair of commodes supplied for the bedroom of the duchesse de Bourbon at the palais Bourbon for 7,470 livres on 1 May 1773. This celebrated model, much copied in the nineteenth century, shares many features with the Micault commode, notably the distinct legs with their acanthus capitals, the pierced anthemion mount to the angles, the swag and patera mount to the angles and the frieze and the richly scrolling mount of the frieze, all of which are virtually identical to the Micault commode, delivered less than a year later
- Wallace Collection, London (inv. no. F246), a commode supplied for the chambre rose at the palais Bourbon for 10,715 livres on 28 December 1772. This is of a much bigger scale but shares the same pierced anthemion mount to the angles
- Private Collection in France, a bureau à cylindre supplied for the salon rose at the palais Bourbon for 4,760 livres in 1772
It was supplied in 1774 to the wealthy banker Micault d'Harvelay (1723-1786) for his hôtel on the rue d'Artois, when it was precisely described in a bill from Leleu on 3 February as follows:
Du 3 février 1774 - Avoir fourni une commode de 2 pieds 6 pouces de long sur 18 pouces, 6 lignes de profondeur, 33 pouces 1⁄2 de haut, a pieds ronds cannelés par le bas en cuivre lisse, le bâti en chêne de Vosges, les trois tiroirs sont garnis en moire bleu, et ferrés de leur serrure en cuivre, 2 clefs dont une ciselée, ladite commode plaquée en bois de rose et amarante, filets noirs et blancs, les panneaux en mosaïque et les rosaces nuancées, ornées de quatre sabots, quatre chapiteaux, quatre double postes à fleurons et guirlandes à rosaces sur les pieds, trois moulures unies, trois cadres à feuilles d'eau, quatre anneaux et rosaces, dans la frise un entrelacs à feuilles d'ornements , le tout bien fini et doré d'or moulu, et son marbre griotte d'Italie pour ce ...1350 livres
('For having delivered a commode 2 pieds 6 pouces long (81cm) with round legs with plain brass flutings in the lower section, the carcasse made of oak from the Vosges, its three drawers lined with blue moiré silk, and with their brass locks, 2 keys one of which is chased, the said commode veneered with tulipwood and amaranth, white and black filets, the panels in marquetry of mosaic (= geometric patterns) and the rosettes shaded, ornamented with four capitals, four double vitruvian scrolls with flower heads and garlands with rosettes on the feet, three plain mouldings, three frames with leaves, four with rosettes, in the frieze an intertwined motif with leaves, the whole well finished and gilt in ormolu and with its griotte of Italy marble, for this… 1350 livres').
MICAULT D'HARVELAY
Micault d'Harvelay's (1723-1786) rise to a position of wealth and power was rapid. He succeeded his great-uncle, Paris de Montmartel, the richest and most powerful figure in the kingdom under Louis XV, as garde du Trésor Royal and conseiller d'Etat. Micault's fortune was further sealed when in 1762 he married the wealthy heiress Anne-Rose de Nettine (1739-1812), whose family were bankers to the court of Vienna at Brussels. This advantageous marriage also connected him to his brothers-in-law Jean-Joseph de Laborde, who had succeeded Paris de Montmartel as fermier général in 1759, and the celebrated amateur and early patron of Neoclassicism, Lalive de Jully (interestingly, Leleu supplied furniture to all three). As well as his banking interests, Laborde invested significantly in real estate and in 1770 bought a considerable plot of land on the site of the rue d’Artois (later the rue Cerutti and now the rue Laffitte) and the rue de Provence, building several hôtels designed by the Neoclassical architect Jean Benoît Vincent Barré of which Micault d'Harvelay acquired one (see also lot 106 in this sale for the pair of consoles by Carlin supplied to Laborde for his own hôtel on this site). After Micault's death in 1786, the commode was almost certainly that listed in the chambre à coucher of Madame d'Harvelay, which looked out onto the garden, described as 'une petite commode à trois tiroirs richement ornée en bronze doré et plaquée en bois de différentes couleurs, 300L.'
THE OEUVRE OF JEAN-FRANCOIS LELEU
Leleu was among the most refined and innovative cabinet-makers of his era, masterfully bridging the transition from the last flowering of the naturalistic Rococo style of the Louis XV period to the emergence of the rigorous Neoclassicism of the goût grec. He first worked in the workshop of the great ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763), where he perfected the art of both naturalistic floral marquetry, and the precise and sophisticated geometric parquetry patterns of his inlay. After the early death of his master, Leleu hoped to be entrusted with the running of the workshop, but was superseded by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), another journeyman in Oeben's employ. Riesener married Oeben's widow and went on to become the court ébéniste of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. Leleu left the workshop, became maître-ébéniste in 1764 and set up on his own. While unable to work for the Royal court because of Riesener's position as royal cabinet-maker, Leleu nevertheless attracted an important range of clients both from the ranks of aristocracy and the newly wealthy banking class, notably the duc d'Uzès, baron d'Ivry, Madame du Barry and the prince de Condé, and as mentioned above Micault's brothers-in-law Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully and Jean-Joseph de Laborde (S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, London 1974, pp. 79-81, figs. 127-130; A. Pradère, Les Ebénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris 1989, pp. 338-340, figs. 396 and 397).
Leleu's clientele included some of the most adventurous pioneers of the Neoclassical style—particularly Madame du Barry, whose extensive patronage exerted a wide influence on the introduction of Neolassical forms into furniture design—and the baron d'Ivry, for whom Leleu executed many pieces of case furniture between 1765 and 1771. These were supplied for the baron's château d'Hénanville, which had been modernized by the Nicolas Barré, who was also architect to Laborde. Leleu is also known to have supplied furniture for the château du Marais, another design by Barré, and the château de Méréville, decorated and furnished in the most up-to-date taste for Micault's brother-in-law the marquis de Laborde, while he is also recorded as restoring the famous goût grec coquiller of Micault's other brother-in-law Lalive de Jully .
Perhaps Leleu's most prestigious and celebrated commission is that for the prince de Condé for the palais Bourbon, to whom he supplied furniture worth more than 60,000 livres between 1772 and 1777. This included two sécretaires à abbatant, two bureaux à cylindre, seven commodes, two writing desks, twenty-seven games tables and eleven screens of various kinds; he also provided a marquetry floor (S. Eriksen, Early Neoclassicism in France, London 1974, p. 201). All of the furniture was in the most advanced taste and although the prince de Condé did not take up residence for a number of years, his initiative, along with that of other discerning connoisseurs, such as the duc de Choiseul and the duc d'Uzès, firmly established this new style amongst Parisian craftsmen (ibid., p. 120). The commission is also particularly pertinent for the Micault d'Harvelay commode, which shares many of the same models of mounts and design features.
Amongst these deliveries, several pieces can be identified in the following collections:
- Musée du Louvre (inv. OA9589), a commode supplied for the bedroom of the prince de Condé at the palais Bourbon for 2,400 livres on 9 November 1772, previously in the collection of the princesse de Faucigny, (see D. Alcouffe, et. al., Le Mobilier du Musée du Louvre, Dijon 1993, no. 62). This example features a parquetry pattern on the side closely related to that on the Micault commode, with rosettes within a finely drawn strapwork trellis, showing the same extraordinarily precise inlaid fillets in light and dark woods
- Musée National du château de Versailles et des Trianons, a pair of commodes supplied for the bedroom of the duchesse de Bourbon at the palais Bourbon for 7,470 livres on 1 May 1773. This celebrated model, much copied in the nineteenth century, shares many features with the Micault commode, notably the distinct legs with their acanthus capitals, the pierced anthemion mount to the angles, the swag and patera mount to the angles and the frieze and the richly scrolling mount of the frieze, all of which are virtually identical to the Micault commode, delivered less than a year later
- Wallace Collection, London (inv. no. F246), a commode supplied for the chambre rose at the palais Bourbon for 10,715 livres on 28 December 1772. This is of a much bigger scale but shares the same pierced anthemion mount to the angles
- Private Collection in France, a bureau à cylindre supplied for the salon rose at the palais Bourbon for 4,760 livres in 1772