French production (19th c.) "Return from Egypt" type decor, circa 1890-1900 Set of: - important wood panelling - four-poster bed - thirteen columns - two wall lamps Sculpted and painted wood Adapted in its dimensions, composed partly of ancient elements with some elements more recent. Precise dimensions can be provided upon request Provenance : - Comte and Comtesse Henry Greffulhe, Château de Wood-Boudran - Antiquaire Comoglio (Monsieur Jacques Lejeune), rue Jacob - Purchased from the latter by the current owner By its outstanding decoration "à l'egyptienne" and by its origin, this set of woodworks reflects the Countess Elisabeth Greffulhe's taste (1860-1952), famous for having inspired Marcel Proust's character of the Duchess of Guermantes in "A la recherche du temps perdu." Born Caraman Chimay, niece of Robert de Montesquiou, she married Count Henry Greffulhe in 1878. After her wedding she became the undisputed queen of the gotha for almost half a century. Falling under her charm at a ball given by the Princess of Wagram, Proust wrote to Montesquiou "(...) all the mystery of her beauty is in the brilliance, in the enigma especially of her eyes. I have never seen a woman so beautiful". Despite their obvious admiration, Proust and the Countess maintained an ambiguous relationship throughout their lives. A model of elegance highlighted by furtive appearances and always sumptuous outfits, Countess Greffulhe was also an avant-garde patron of the Arts. Among her many actions, she raised funds and financed Russian ballets, supported Captain Dreyfus, helped Marie Curie and her Radium Institute, etc. The countess held her salons in her private hotel on rue d'Astorg, in her villa in Dieppe and also in the Chateau de Bois-Boudran, vast seigneurial residence of the Greffulhe family in Seine et Marne. Acquired by the Greffulhe family at the beginning of the 19th century, Count Henry Greffulhe (1848-1932) and his wife transformed the modest hunting lodge of the 1820s into a prestigious residence where the French and European elite flocked. The painter Jacques Emile Blanche (La Peche aux souvenirs, Flammarion, 1949) describes the estate as follows : "Instead of a castle, we have three separate buildings (...) In the middle, is a trellised stone building with an ivy-covered facade". This apparent impression of simplicity disappears when he enters the the reception wing, built by the architect Ernest Samson in 1891 and decorated by Georges Hoentschel. Here is the description of the theatre, which he was honoured with: "All in gold, balustrades, pilasters, galleries, boxes, musician gallery, festoons and astragals, girandoles, crystal chandeliers (...) it was therefore the work of Mammon". The theatre was the place for grand performances with actors from the Comedie-Francaise and performed by the countess's proteges such as Faure and Saint-Saens. This way of life was reduced after the First World War and the death of the countess in 1952 marked the end of the splendour of Bois-Boudran. The wing was demolished in 1960. The tiles and staircase were returned to the Chateau des Moyeux in La Chapelle-Rablais, while the rococo woodwork of the Louis XV salon was bought by the Texan oil dealer John W. Mecom for the Golden Dove Hotel in Houston, USA. This exceptional set is one of the last remaining testimonies of this legendary residence.