A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY FOLIO CABINET

Although the inventories for the Château de Compiègne were destroyed, the GR stamp beneath a crown is that used by the Garde Meuble of Queen Marie-Antoinette before 1784 for Compiègne.

The Château de Compiègne, set in the Oise valley, on the edge of a vast forest, has its origins around the 5th Century, at the time of Clovis when it was used as a retreat and hunting lodge. The château grew in importance and scale as it was developed into a palace under the Carolingians with extensive construction on the primary residence and the surrounding property. In the 14th Century, Charles V had an entirely new structure built in place of the original château. This new architectural configuration served as the preferred summer residence and indeed one of the primary residences of the kings of France through the 18th Century. Although the château suffered during the Revolution, Napoleon brought the Château de Compiègne back to its former spledor and even beyond, making it an imperial palace to rival Versailles or Fontainbleau.