Jean Royère (French, 1902-1981) Pair of Bensaude commodes, 1934. In sycamore veneer. Rectangular in shape, the surface consists of four raised bands on the front and one side, revealing four drawers. Originally, the chests of drawers were connected by a central drawer, the whole topped by three mirrors. Height 94,5 and 90,5 Long. 105,5, Depth 44,5 cm. (Provenance: - delivered by Jean Royère to Dr. Alfred Bensaude to furnish his apartment on avenue Pierre I of Serbia, on the occasion of his wedding, 1934, - by family descent. Bibliography: Jean Royère archives, kept at the library of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris (MAD), photographic album n°3, reproduced on photos n° R27, R41. Archive images and detailed article on www.rouillac.com. THE BENSAUDE APARTMENT BY ROYÈRE A self-taught artist, Jean Royère (1902-1981) gave up his comfortable situation to become a decorator at the age of twenty-nine. He became one of the most sought-after designers by French and international collectors, and several of his models have become icons. The polar bear sofa, the elephant armchair and the liana light illustrate his original practice, combining precious materials and organic forms: great luxury and humour. Never sacrificing the functional to the aesthetic, the discreet hinges of our Bensaude wardrobe reveal his art of combining design and drawing. Commissioned at the time of his marriage in 1934 by Dr. Alfred Bensaude (1908-1982), a member of an important dynasty of doctors who would become co-founder of the French Society of Proctology, our furniture was originally part of a complete furniture set. The layout of these unique models is preserved in the archives of the library of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de la Ville de Paris. This commission is one of three for 1934, along with that for Royère's own apartment at 48, rue de Passy. It bears witness to the close relationship between two men of the same generation. In this apartment on Avenue Pierre I de Serbie, each piece of furniture by the decorator appears in its place, made to measure, for the entrance, the study, the bedroom or one of the two living rooms. Designed before the war, our wardrobe and these chests of drawers were intended for the Bensaude couple's bedroom. The choice of the sycamore, a giant maple, for this intimate room is also a symbol of spiritual elevation. Dr. Bensaude was prematurely widowed and remarried, moving to Avenue Bugeaud in Paris. Saved during the war, the ensemble was gradually dispersed. Some of the artefacts can be found on the market, such as a cupboard presented by the Jacques Lacoste gallery. Our furniture has been preserved, for their part, in the descendants of Dr. Bensaude. The large number of photos of the Bensaude wardrobe in the Royère archive tends to prove its importance in the artist's career. It embodies the creative genius of a mind destined to decorate the greatest, after only a few years of practice. Its decoration anticipates the minimalism to come. Purified to the point of becoming modular parallelepipeds, the cabinet appears to us as much as a sculpture as a piece of furniture... thirty-one years before Donald Judd's Stacks. Aymeric Rouillac and Jacques Farran