Furniture

From mediaeval pieces to contemporary design, furniture auctions traverse the legend of the centuries, encompassing all styles through to the most functional aesthetic.
A combination of the beautiful with the useful, furniture comes in the form of wardrobes, bookcases, sideboards, credenzas, desks, cabinets, bedside tables, chests, commodes, consoles and corner cupboards, occasional tables, beds, screens, writing and slant-front desks, tables and showcases.
For those who love classical pieces, these online furniture sales provide mediaeval chests, renaissance cabinets, 18th century commodes stamped;from mediaeval to contemporary design by Charles Cressent, Thomas Hache, b.v.r.b, Jean-Henri Riesener and other items of fine workmanship.
But those unmoved by the Louis XIV style may prefer french regency dressers, Louis XV gaming tables, rolltop desks from the transition period, Louis XVI bonheurs-du-jour writing tables, directoire rest beds or empire tripod occasional tables.
Aficionados of the "neo" can bow down and adore 19th century neo-gothic or neo-renaissance pieces, while followers of modernism can go for austere architects' tables.

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TRANSITION PERIOD ROYAL CHEST OF DRAWERS Attributed to Simon Oeben Satinwood and satinwood veneer, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, restored Flanders marble top, recessed front opening with five drawers in three rows, canted uprights, cambered legs finished with bronze claws. Marks: F N 183 (Château de Fontainebleau furniture storage mark F under closed royal crown) on the back and reverse of the marble top, the frame and reverse of the marble top numbered with stencil N°9; minor accidents and missing parts, veneer lightened by the sun. H. 86 cm (33 ¾ in.) l. 148 cm (58 ¼ in.) P. 65 cm (25 ½ in.) Provenance: Most likely delivered for Étienne François, Marquis de Stainville, duc de Choiseul at the Château de Chanteloup, circa 1765; Mentioned in 1786 at Château de Fontainebleau in the bedroom of Dauphin Louis Joseph (1781-1789); Mentioned in 1787 at Château de Fontainebleau in the bedroom of Dauphin Louis Joseph (1781-1789). Comparative bibliography : V. Moreau, Chanteloup, un moment de grâce autour du duc de Choiseul, Paris, 2007, p.248-249. A Transitional royal gilt-bronze mounted and satinwood commode, attributed to Simon Oeben This lot is sold in aid of the 30 Millions d'Amis Foundation. This lot is being sold in aid of 30 Millions d'Amis. The stencil mark F (couronné) N°183 on the back and reverse of the marble top of our commode corresponds to the inventory of the Château de Fontainebleau in 1787: " N°183. Une commode à deux grands tiroirs et 3 petits dans la frise plaquée de bois satiné uni, annneaux et sabots de bronze de couleur, dessus de marbre de Flandre de 4 pieds 1/2 de large [1m46]" (1). In the inventory of the château the previous year (1786, O1 3397), the chest of drawers is described in the same terms in the same room of the Dauphin Louis Joseph, without an inventory number or a number from the Journal du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne that could identify its delivery date. It seems certain that this chest of drawers was not one of the deliveries made by the royal furniture guard's usual suppliers (Joubert then Riesener), duly recorded on a daily basis in the furniture guard's register. More likely, it was part of a batch of furniture purchased from a dealer. A similar satinwood commode, also by Simon Oeben and with the Fontainebleau mark F (couronné) N°976, was placed in 1787 in the bedroom of the Duchesse d'Orléans (Sotheby's Monaco sale, February 26-27, 1992, n°220, then Edmond Safra collection, then Christie's London, Exceptional sale, July 6, 2023, lot 27) (fig. 1). Like the commode shown here, it could not be identified by a number in the Journal du Garde Meuble Royal, but had brush numbers on its frame (n°I Chambre). Its marble was that of commode N°974, which formed its counterpart in the bedroom of the Duchess of Orleans, with the same brush marks (from chapel N°I C). We thus had three similar commodes by Simon Oeben, unmarked in the Garde-Meuble journal, but with brush marks corresponding to an earlier inventory. Given that Simon Oeben's main client was Étienne-François, Duc de Choiseul (1719-1785), whose Château de Chanteloup and Parisian residence he furnished, these chests of drawers are closely related to the Chanteloup furnishings. After Choiseul's death, when the château was sold to the Duc de Penthièvre in 1786, some of the furniture was retained. However, a comparison of Choiseul's inventory with that of Penthièvre shows that many pieces were sold at that time, the dates coinciding with the appearance of the commodes at Fontainebleau. In Choiseul's inventory of 1786 (2), no fewer than thirty commodes were listed in the château's apartments, including three in mahogany, three in satinwood and twenty-four in "bois des Indes", a vague term used at the time to designate exotic wood veneers. Their descriptions are too brief to confirm that they correspond to this type of commode, but later inventories point to this model. It is therefore likely that some of this furniture was sold by the Choiseul estate to the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, according to Christian Baulez (3). Only two chests of drawers in the Duchesse de Choiseul's bedroom had their ornaments in gilded bronze. In bedroom no. 9, "a table of bois des Indes, a commode of similar wood" were inventoried, and together with a set of crimson lampas, fetched the substantial sum of 1800 livres. This could therefore correspond to the number 9 found on the frame and reverse of the marble top of our copy.

Estim. 30,000 - 50,000 EUR

LOUIS XV STYLE BUREAU PLAT DIT "DE L'ABBÉ TERRAY" Based on a model by Nicolas Pierre Severin Satinwood veneer, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, three drawers on the belt, curved legs surmounted by shells and foliage. H.:79 cm (31 in.) l.:201 cm (79 ¼ in.) P.:98 cm (38 ½ in.) Comparative bibliography: C. Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'Art Français 1850-1900, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 57, 283 and 284. C. Payne, Paris, La Quintessence du Meuble au XIXe siècle, Éditions Monelle Hayot, 2018, p.148. A Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted and satinwood bureau plat, after the model by Nicolas Pierre Severin Our elegant flat desk, with its monumental proportions, is a replica of the famous Abbé Terray desk, kept at the Musée du Louvre since 1924 (inv. OA 7805). The original was made around 1760 for Louis XV's last Controller General of Finances, and is stamped by Nicolas Pierre Severin, Master in 1757. Better known for his work as a restorer, some authors have speculated that he acted as restorer and that the desk is the work of Joseph Baumhauer. This model enjoyed great success in the 19th century, as evidenced by the stamped examples produced by the leading cabinetmakers of the day, including Henri Dasson, Alfred Beurdeley, Paul Sormani and Gervais Durand. Rare on the market, among the latest examples to come up for sale in recent years: - Christie's Paris, April 23, 2013, lot 575 (signed Sormani and dated 1881) ; - Sotheby's New York, April 22, 2010, lot 128 (signed Beurdeley); - Sotheby's New York, April 14, 2016, lot 614 (signed E. Laurent Rue Charonne). It should be noted that all these copies are smaller than ours, which is the same size as the original copy in the Louvre.

Estim. 12,000 - 18,000 EUR

LOUIS XVI PERIOD CYLINDER DESK Attributed to Claude-Charles Saunier In satin-finish and satin-finish veneer decorated on all sides, with chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, the cylinder opens with a flap revealing a writing desk, three drawers and two compartments, two sliding side shelves, the belt opens with four drawers, resting on eight sheathed legs;small accidents and missing parts. Dimensions (closed) : H.:115 cm (45 ¼ in.) l.:191,5 cm (75 ½ in.) P.:95 cm (37 ½ in.) A Louis XVI gilt-bronze mounted and satinwood cylinder desk, attributed to Claude-Charles Saunier Stylistically dating from the years 1775-1780, this very large cylinder desk is one of the most accomplished examples of this new type of writing desk, created in the 1760s by Jean-François Oeben, before becoming a great success due to its practicality. With its resolutely architectural lines, veneered in the finest satin-finish and embellished with sober, finely chased bronze ornamentation, it can be compared with the cylinder desks produced by the best cabinetmakers of the Louis XVI period, such as Claude-Charles Saunier. The rare radiant sun motif found on the cylinder of our example can be found on a cylinder desk stamped by Saunier and illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Les Éditions de L'Amateur, Paris, 1999, p.821. It should also be noted that the same bronze escutcheons and keyhole adorn the top of the legs of a cylinder desk stamped by Jean Caumont and sold at Sotheby's Paris, April 4, 2023, lot 79.

Estim. 12,000 - 18,000 EUR

neoclassical russian imperial gueridon, late 18th century Attributed to Christian Meyer In stained hornbeam floral marquetry on a rosewood base, the top decorated in the center with an allegory of a River God in the form of a reclining Old Man amidst jagged foliage scrolls, the maple, lemon and stained hornbeam border with a motif of flowering falls au naturel, the waist opening into a drawer, the sheathed mounts with simulated flutes ending in casters. Marks on the reverse:old printed label inscribed in Cyrillic "Царскосельскаго / Дворцового Правленiя141", and numerous inventory numbers H.:70 cm (27 ½ in.) w.:86 cm (34 in.) P.:62 cm (24 ½ in.) Provenance: Delivered for the Tsarkoye Selo Palace; Most likely sold by order of the Soviet government between the late 20s and early 30s; Swiss private collection since 1935. A Russian Imperial Neoclassical floral marquetry, rosewood, maplewood, and bois citronnier gueridon, late 18th century, attributed to Christian Meyer * Information for buyers: When leaving the EU, a CITES re-export certificate may be required, at the expense of the future buyer. * Information to buyers: For an exit from the EU, a CITES re-export certificate will be necessary, at the buyer's expense. This elegant coffee table is reminiscent of the excellent work of cabinetmakers working for the Russian aristocracy and imperial family in Saint Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. The superb marquetry of our piece allows us to link it to the work of Christian Meyer, rightly considered the finest cabinetmaker of the period and who worked actively for the imperial court, delivering pieces for the Hermitage as well as for Chateau Michel, Pavlosk and Tsarkoe Selo. Our table is characterized by a structure combining sober neoclassical lines with a very pure decor, the top distinguished by the use of contrasting colored veneers, surrounding a central cartouche. The tabletop's fine marquetry, combining extremely jagged foliate scrolls and strikingly naturalistic floral bouquets, is influenced by the work of the architect Charles Cameron (1745-1812) and the Italian Michelangelo Pergolesi, who were to be a major source of inspiration in Christian Meyer's work. Comparable inlays can be found on a number of tables delivered by Meyer for the imperial court (cfr. N. Guseva, T. Semyonova, Russian Eighteenth Century Furniture in the Hermitage Collection, The State Hermitage Publishers, 2015, p.330-348). It should also be remembered that the decoration on the belt of our table, adorned with a stylized foliage motif marquetry, can be found on a pair of high-backed pieces of furniture designed by Christian Meyer for the Winter Palace and illustrated in N. Guseva, T. Semyonova, Russian Eighteenth Century Furniture in the Hermitage Collection, The State Hermitage Publishers, 2015, p.374-375. The motif of the central painting on the top of our piece is framed by scrolls and ornaments that were very much in vogue in interior decoration and that the architect Cameron would use in many of his designs for Russian imperial palaces (cfr. fig. 1 and fig. 2). As for the central decoration depicting the allegory of a River God, most probably the Tiber or another Italian river, Meyer seems to have been inspired here by the large number of 18th-century engravings illustrating this subject (see figs. 3, 4 and 5). As illustrated by the numerous inventory numbers and the label printed on the underside of our tabletop, it was made for the Tsarkoe Selo Palace, the summer residence of the Russian imperial family, some twenty kilometers from Saint Petersburg. The imperial estate of Tsarkoe Selo comprises the Catherine Palace, built in the mid-18th century for Empress Elisabeth by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1700-1771), and the Alexander Palace, a neoclassical residence built between 1792 and 1796; the latter was the preferred residence of the last Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, Tsarina Alexandra, and their children. The printed label, dating from the interwar period, shows that the table was still in Tsarskoye Selo at the beginning of the 20th century. As for its fate after the 1917 revolution, it is very likely that it followed the fate of many other pieces of Russian imperial furniture that left the country between 1928 and 1932 when the Soviet authorities organized mass sales of works of art.

Estim. 25,000 - 40,000 EUR

REGENCY PERIOD CONSOLE Carved and gilded wood, Flanders marble top, the belt decorated in the center with a sunflower inscribed in a cartouche flanked by dragons and foliate scrolls, the console legs joined by an X-shaped brace decorated in the front with a shell and surmounted by a sunflower. H.:83 cm (32 ¾ in.) l.:137 cm (54 in.) P.:72 cm (28 ¼ in.) A Regence giltwood console Made towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV or during the early years of the Regency, this console still retains reminiscences of the post-1700 Louis-Quatorzian style. The perfect symmetry of the central clasp and the scrolls below the belt, as well as the shape of the crosspieces, all recall the compositions of tables and consoles from the Louis XIV period. The quality of its execution and the richness of its ornamental vocabulary mean that it can be compared with the work of the decorative wood artists who worked for the Crown. Indeed, the sculptors Jules Degoullons (c.1671-1738), André Legoupil (1660/5-1733), Martin Bellan (†1714) and Pierre Taupin (c.1692-1739) founded, on January 21, 1699, the Société pour les Bâtiments du Roi (Society for the King's Buildings), whose primary aim was to work for the sovereign, princes and princesses of the blood, and the principal members of the royal family, but who over time also executed works for the nobility, great lords and financiers. Alas, as is usual with gilded wood furniture, unless there is a precise indication of provenance, such as that of the consoles for the Palais Royal for example, known from drawings contemporary with their manufacture, it is almost impossible to find them in the inventories of the Ancien Régime.

Estim. 25,000 - 40,000 EUR