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Lot Essay
Jean Desforges, maître in 1739.
This beautiful commode by Jean Desforges, who stamped his creations with the initials ‘DF’, with its richly cast and chased rocaille framing panels of precious Chinese lacquer, displays the full ingenuity of the marchands-merciers in combining exotic Asian lacquer with the most refined Parisian craftsmanship, reflecting the latest fashions among their sophisticated clients.
JEAN DESFORGES AND HIS COLLABORATORS
The grandfather of Jean Desforges, Michel, worked in the atelier of Pierre Gôle until the latter's death in 1685, and subsequently moved to the workshop of André-Charles Boulle (J. Guiffrey, Sentence et arrêt rendus contre André-Charles Boulle au profit de ses ouvriers, 1685, in Nouvelles annales de l'Art Français, 1881, p. 316). Based in the Grande Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, Desforges married in 1707 and had two sons, Robert, described as a marqueteur ébéniste and Michel II, who also became ébéniste. Michel II had numerous children including not only Jean, but also Jeanne, who was married to Guillaume Martin, the celebrated marchand peintre and Vernisseur du Roi. Brothers-in-law, Martin and Jean Desforges almost certainly worked together on various items of lacquer furniture, with Martin's expertise in lacquer enbling him to overpaint some areas of the Asian lacquer, to create a fuller design. Additionally, Desforges collaborated with his cousin, the ciseleur Guillaume, who also supplied bronzes to Jean-Pierre Latz (for a general discussion of Desforge’s life and work, see C. Demetrescu, 'D.F. un ébéniste identifié’, L'Estampille-L'Objet d'Art, October, 1992, pp. 64-81).
LACQUER FURNITURE BY DESFORGES
Jean Desforges' ouevre consisted exclusively of two-drawer commodes decorated sans traverse with floral marquetry or Asian lacquer. He is not known to have executed other furniture types. He crafted these works with a beautiful finesse, as evidenced by his commodes' backboards, which were often paneled and chamfered. A particular recurring motif is the refined shaping of the rear legs, as featured on this commode. The sumptuous lacquer panels were framed by large and exceptional bronze mounts, beautifully chased and richly gilded. As a result, his furniture achieves a rare and supreme richness, with a harmony of design and execution equal to that of his contemporary BVRB; indeed, their work has often been interchanged due to the extremely close similarities.
Based on an examination of his mounts and the arrangement of his commode façades, D.F.'s oeuvre can be divided into various consecutive groups. A beautiful example of his early work and representative of the first group is a commode of circa 1730-1735 now at Versailles (T. Wolvesperges, Le Meuble Français en Laque au XVIIIième Siècle, Paris, 1999, p. 65, fig. 51). This example combines a central Chinese lacquer field with kingwood surrounds, a feature more frequently found on Régence lacquer pieces. The massive angle mounts are of an enormous scale and continue into strips which join the sabots. This impressive and ponderous commode relates to the sumptuous group of lacquer furniture by BVRB and Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus acquired circa 1730-1733 in Paris by Karl Albrecht, Elector of Bavaria for the Residenz in Munich (B. Langer, Die Möbel der Residenz München, vol. I, Munich, 1995, pp. 88-102).
The next group of commodes of circa 1735-1750, called commodes à cadres, are much more delicate in appearance and finish, with a thin meandering framing mount around a lacquer or marquetry tableau of smaller scale and less intricate design. The most prominent mounts on these commodes are a characteristic double C-scroll mount to the apron and a flowering, multiple C-scroll mount to the angles. These are often stamped with the C couronné poinçon, the tax mark applied between March 1745 and February 1749 to any alloy containing copper. Similar mounts also appear on the present commodes, providing the principal clue to their date of execution. A fine example of this group is the Chinese red lacquer commode from the collection of the Duchesse de Richelieu (illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français, Paris, 1989, p. 176).
Among his commodes of this period, Desforges produced a particularly richly mounted group of lacquer examples called commodes à cartel, to which the Aitken commode belongs. The most distinctive feature of these commodes is the cartel to the center of the lacquer panel. Capturing the essence of the rococo, this whimsical, double-domed scrolling cartouche issuing the handles is set within the framing mounts, creating a harmonious tripartite façade. Besides the present commode, a further example, from the collection of Alphonse de Rothschild at Schloss Schillersdorf, is illustrated in Demetrescu, op cit., fig. 11, later sold from the collection of Anne Ford Johnson (and interesting also with a brèche d’alep marble top); Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 9 December 1972, lot 114. While a near pair, one in Chinese lacquer and one in Japanese lacquer (from the collection of Baron Stieglitz, St. Petersburg), was sold from the Riahi Collection; Christie’s, London, 6 December 2012, lot 40 (£2,057,250), and a further example, but with an incomplete cartel to the center, reputedly a gift from Louis XV’s daughter Madame Adelaïde, is recorded in the collection of the Genest family of Angoulême (illustrated in J. Nicolay, L’Art et la Manière des Maîtres Ebénistes Français, 1976, p. 76, and p. 147, fig. A).
THE ARENBERG PROVENANCE
The Arenberg dynasty, originating in the Eifel region on the borders of Belgium and Germany, was among the most important families in the Holy Roman Empire, who through an early-seventeenth century marriage with the Cröy-Aarschot family inherited vast estates in the Habsburg Netherlands. Their palatial residences in Germany and Belgium included the Palais d' Egmont in Brussels, the Château d'Arenberg near Leuven and Schloss Nordkirchen in Westphalia. Although it is not clear which Duke first owned this commode, it could have descended to Engelbert, 9th Duc d'Arenberg (1872-1949) who inherited in 1875 his title from his father. Because of his German citizenship, his possessions in Belgium were confiscated in World War I and much of his collection was either put into storage or sold at this time, while after his death in 1949 the collection was further dispersed in a series of sales in the 1950s, at which time this commode might have been sold. It may also have descended to his eldest son Engelbert-Charles-Marie, 10th Duc d'Arenberg, (1899-1974), who settled in the French Riviera at Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, which might explain the inscription on the reverse of the commode 'salon bleue'.
This beautiful commode by Jean Desforges, who stamped his creations with the initials ‘DF’, with its richly cast and chased rocaille framing panels of precious Chinese lacquer, displays the full ingenuity of the marchands-merciers in combining exotic Asian lacquer with the most refined Parisian craftsmanship, reflecting the latest fashions among their sophisticated clients.
JEAN DESFORGES AND HIS COLLABORATORS
The grandfather of Jean Desforges, Michel, worked in the atelier of Pierre Gôle until the latter's death in 1685, and subsequently moved to the workshop of André-Charles Boulle (J. Guiffrey, Sentence et arrêt rendus contre André-Charles Boulle au profit de ses ouvriers, 1685, in Nouvelles annales de l'Art Français, 1881, p. 316). Based in the Grande Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, Desforges married in 1707 and had two sons, Robert, described as a marqueteur ébéniste and Michel II, who also became ébéniste. Michel II had numerous children including not only Jean, but also Jeanne, who was married to Guillaume Martin, the celebrated marchand peintre and Vernisseur du Roi. Brothers-in-law, Martin and Jean Desforges almost certainly worked together on various items of lacquer furniture, with Martin's expertise in lacquer enbling him to overpaint some areas of the Asian lacquer, to create a fuller design. Additionally, Desforges collaborated with his cousin, the ciseleur Guillaume, who also supplied bronzes to Jean-Pierre Latz (for a general discussion of Desforge’s life and work, see C. Demetrescu, 'D.F. un ébéniste identifié’, L'Estampille-L'Objet d'Art, October, 1992, pp. 64-81).
LACQUER FURNITURE BY DESFORGES
Jean Desforges' ouevre consisted exclusively of two-drawer commodes decorated sans traverse with floral marquetry or Asian lacquer. He is not known to have executed other furniture types. He crafted these works with a beautiful finesse, as evidenced by his commodes' backboards, which were often paneled and chamfered. A particular recurring motif is the refined shaping of the rear legs, as featured on this commode. The sumptuous lacquer panels were framed by large and exceptional bronze mounts, beautifully chased and richly gilded. As a result, his furniture achieves a rare and supreme richness, with a harmony of design and execution equal to that of his contemporary BVRB; indeed, their work has often been interchanged due to the extremely close similarities.
Based on an examination of his mounts and the arrangement of his commode façades, D.F.'s oeuvre can be divided into various consecutive groups. A beautiful example of his early work and representative of the first group is a commode of circa 1730-1735 now at Versailles (T. Wolvesperges, Le Meuble Français en Laque au XVIIIième Siècle, Paris, 1999, p. 65, fig. 51). This example combines a central Chinese lacquer field with kingwood surrounds, a feature more frequently found on Régence lacquer pieces. The massive angle mounts are of an enormous scale and continue into strips which join the sabots. This impressive and ponderous commode relates to the sumptuous group of lacquer furniture by BVRB and Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus acquired circa 1730-1733 in Paris by Karl Albrecht, Elector of Bavaria for the Residenz in Munich (B. Langer, Die Möbel der Residenz München, vol. I, Munich, 1995, pp. 88-102).
The next group of commodes of circa 1735-1750, called commodes à cadres, are much more delicate in appearance and finish, with a thin meandering framing mount around a lacquer or marquetry tableau of smaller scale and less intricate design. The most prominent mounts on these commodes are a characteristic double C-scroll mount to the apron and a flowering, multiple C-scroll mount to the angles. These are often stamped with the C couronné poinçon, the tax mark applied between March 1745 and February 1749 to any alloy containing copper. Similar mounts also appear on the present commodes, providing the principal clue to their date of execution. A fine example of this group is the Chinese red lacquer commode from the collection of the Duchesse de Richelieu (illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français, Paris, 1989, p. 176).
Among his commodes of this period, Desforges produced a particularly richly mounted group of lacquer examples called commodes à cartel, to which the Aitken commode belongs. The most distinctive feature of these commodes is the cartel to the center of the lacquer panel. Capturing the essence of the rococo, this whimsical, double-domed scrolling cartouche issuing the handles is set within the framing mounts, creating a harmonious tripartite façade. Besides the present commode, a further example, from the collection of Alphonse de Rothschild at Schloss Schillersdorf, is illustrated in Demetrescu, op cit., fig. 11, later sold from the collection of Anne Ford Johnson (and interesting also with a brèche d’alep marble top); Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 9 December 1972, lot 114. While a near pair, one in Chinese lacquer and one in Japanese lacquer (from the collection of Baron Stieglitz, St. Petersburg), was sold from the Riahi Collection; Christie’s, London, 6 December 2012, lot 40 (£2,057,250), and a further example, but with an incomplete cartel to the center, reputedly a gift from Louis XV’s daughter Madame Adelaïde, is recorded in the collection of the Genest family of Angoulême (illustrated in J. Nicolay, L’Art et la Manière des Maîtres Ebénistes Français, 1976, p. 76, and p. 147, fig. A).
THE ARENBERG PROVENANCE
The Arenberg dynasty, originating in the Eifel region on the borders of Belgium and Germany, was among the most important families in the Holy Roman Empire, who through an early-seventeenth century marriage with the Cröy-Aarschot family inherited vast estates in the Habsburg Netherlands. Their palatial residences in Germany and Belgium included the Palais d' Egmont in Brussels, the Château d'Arenberg near Leuven and Schloss Nordkirchen in Westphalia. Although it is not clear which Duke first owned this commode, it could have descended to Engelbert, 9th Duc d'Arenberg (1872-1949) who inherited in 1875 his title from his father. Because of his German citizenship, his possessions in Belgium were confiscated in World War I and much of his collection was either put into storage or sold at this time, while after his death in 1949 the collection was further dispersed in a series of sales in the 1950s, at which time this commode might have been sold. It may also have descended to his eldest son Engelbert-Charles-Marie, 10th Duc d'Arenberg, (1899-1974), who settled in the French Riviera at Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, which might explain the inscription on the reverse of the commode 'salon bleue'.