CIRCA 1810

Details

A PAIR OF EMPIRE GILTWOOD CHAISES D'ENFANT
CIRCA 1810
Each with rectangular padded back in conforming frame carved with paterae and anthemion, with bowed upholstered seat in similarly carved frame, on circular tapering legs carved as arrow-filled quivers, upholstered in green and gold floral silk, one with a paper label inscribed in ink Le Soeur, peintre et doreur, rue des deux eculs no 4 a Pais, the other with an identical paper label and a printed label inscribed VILLA BONAPARTE
25 ¼ in. (64 cm.) high, overall

Provenance

Possibly supplied to Napoleon's Uncle, Cardinal Fesch, his mother (Madame Mère) or his sister Pauline, Princess Borghese, who all lived in the Villa Bonaparte after the fall of Napoleon, under the protection of Pope Pius VII.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, Monaco, 7 December 1985, lot 54.

Special notice

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Jonathan Rendell

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Lot Essay

The Villa Bonaparte, near the Porta Pia in Rome, was built in 1750 for Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga, Secretary of State to Pope Benedict XIV. It was acquired by Napoleon's sister Pauline Borghese in 1815 and both her mother and her uncle Cardinal Fesch stayed there under the protection of Pope Pius VII.

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