98 - IMPRESSIVE WOODWORK FROM THE HÔTEL DE GRAMONT

IMPRESSIVE WOODWORK FROM THE HÔTEL DE GRAMONT A complete set made entirely of natural oak, featuring molded and carved panels that alternate between large panels of high wainscoting with a rich central motif of a large fleur-de-lis surrounded by a ribboned oak wreath on a flat rectangular field with small fleur-de-lis motifs in the spandrels, and narrow panels of upper wainscoting richly carved with cornucopias, floral garlands, and symmetrical rocaille motifs. The set consists of: – Five large panels (upper wainscoting) with large fleurons (all with unique designs) – Twelve narrow panels (upper paneling) with rich decorations of cornucopias (all with unique designs) – A large semicircular pediment carved with a trophy bearing the attributes of love (a quiver and a blazing torch) in a central medallion framed by a laurel wreath and flanked by two cornucopias overflowing with fruit and flowers. Louis XVI style, crafted by Eugène Barriol (1865–1938). Included are two double doors matching the design (modern, reusing the lower paneling), seven small panels matching the design of the lower paneling, and other complementary elements such as baseboards. Panel height: 258 cm - Average width of a large panel: 100 cm - Width of a narrow panel: 48 cm. Large pediment: 122 x 194 cm. (Subsequent adaptations, additions, and modifications). Sold as is. Provenance: – Acquired by the Duke of Gramont, Armand Antoine Agénor (1879–1962), for his private mansion built in 1910 at 42 bis Avenue Georges Mandel, Paris. – Located in the Hôtel de Gramont, 42 bis Avenue Georges Mandel, Paris 16th arrondissement. – Passed in 1962 to the heirs of the Duke and Duchess of Gramont. – On-site sale in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, 42 bis Avenue Georges Mandel, October 8–9, 1969; auctioneers: Mr. Etienne Ader, Mr. Jean-Louis Picard, Mr. Antoine Ader, lot no. 12. – Private collection to the present day. Bibliography: – Catalog of the sale in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, 42 bis Avenue Georges Mandel, October 8–9, 1969; auctioneers: Mr. Etienne Ader, Mr. Jean-Louis Picard, and Mr. Antoine Ader, lot no. 12. – *France-Soir*, October 10, 1969, article by R.W. titled “Before Demolishing the Hôtel de Gramont (…)”, illustrated with a photograph of our woodwork in situ. – “Half a Century at the Hôtel Gramont” in *Connaissance des Arts* No. 141 (November 1963), featuring illustrations of our woodwork. – François Gilles, “Composing and Recomposing the Grand Sculpted Decorations of the Ancien Régime: The Collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris,” doctoral dissertation supervised by Maaike van der Lugt, University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin (in progress). Description: Woodwork from a Bygone Era… This set of woodwork was designed in the early 20th century by Eugène Barriol (1865–1938) for the vast mansion of the Duke of Gramont, located between 42 bis Avenue Georges Mandel and 27 bis Rue Decamps, which was designed in 1910 by the architect Maugue in a style that fully embraced the Louis XVI aesthetic. It was demolished in 1969. This place, more than just a residence, was part of the tradition of the great collectors’ mansions which, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, turned Paris into an interior theater where the Ancien Régime was reenacted. Duke Armand de Gramont, deeply involved in the construction and design of his mansion, created a sophisticated interior, nourished by erudition and memory, where antique woodwork found a second life—not as relics, but as active elements of a way of life. For nearly half a century, our woodwork belonged to the Duke of Gramont; it bore witness to receptions attended by the highest ranks of the aristocracy and Parisian high society, perpetuating the atmosphere of the salons of the Faubourg Saint-Germain. Countless figures, such as Robert de Montesquiou and the Countess Greffulhe (the Duke of Gramont’s mother-in-law)—icons of a world of elegance and charm—were regular guests there. Marcel Proust masterfully observed this world and brought it to life in *In Search of Lost Time*. Indeed, it was the Duke of Gramont’s mother-in-law, the Countess Greffulhe, who inspired the character of the Duchess of Guermantes. It is therefore not unreasonable to see the Hôtel de Gramont as a possible source of inspiration when he describes “pretty woodwork; I believe it was Bagard who did that—you know, those slender strips so supple that the cabinetmaker would sometimes shape them into little shells and flowers, like ribbons tying a bouquet.” Beyond their exceptional decorative quality, these wood panelings thus stand as witnesses to a bygone world, one whose imprint has deeply shaped French culture and the literary imagination. Having remained in place for nearly half a century, they were eventually dispersed when