Page 240 - Bonhams Cornette Saint Cyr, Property from the estate of Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021)

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COMMODE D’ÉPOQUE TRANSITION EN BOIS DE ROSE ET This chest of drawers belongs to a group of furniture that Saunier was
FILETS D’AMARANTE, ORNEMENTATION DE BRONZE CISELÉ particularly fond of. He executed this very type of commode in different
ET DORÉ, ESTAMPILLE DE CLAUDE-CHARLES SAUNIER, variations. The sober decoration, absence of breakfront and discreet-
MARQUE AU FEU DU DUC DE PENTHIÈVRE À CHATEAUNEUF- looking facade is enriched by a double framing, here as an amaranth
SUR-LOIRE filet delicately contrasting the horizontal veined tulipwood, and an outer
Vers 1770 ormolu frame ‘encadrement’ highlighting the drawers sans traverse.
A practically identical commode of smaller size was sold anonymously
A LATE LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED TULIPWOOD AND Christie’s Paris, 500 Ans: Arts Décoratifs Européens, 5 May 2011,
AMARANTH-BANDED COMMODE, CLAUDE-CHARLES SAUNIER, lot 321. Another one was sold at Hôtel des ventes Piguet in Geneva
BRAND OF DUC DE PENTHIEVRE AT CHATEAUNEUF-SUR-LOIRE on 13 June 2012, lot 1001. A related chest of drawers was sold at
Circa 1770 Cheverny in June 1990; while another closely related example was
The rectangular moulded brèche d’Alep marble top above three offered for sale at Christie’s New York in October 1991.
drawers sans traverse framed by a contrasting veneered encadrement
and rosettes and an ormolu border, with escutcheons and ring The Duc de Penthièvre, Grandson of Louis XIV and son of Louis-
handles, the sides conformingly veneered, above slight cabriole Alexandre de Bourbon, Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon (1725-1793)
legs terminating in upswept acanthus foliate sabots, stamped ‘CC also had the title of Grand Amiral de France, a title he retains from
SAUNIER’ and ‘JME’, with Châteauneuf-sur-Loire château brand ‘C9’ the early age of twelve. Owner of Château de Rambouillet, which he
centred by an anchor. had to give up in favour of Louis XVI in 1783, the Duke de Penthièvre,
89cm (35in) high x 131cm (51 1/2in) wide x 56cm (22in) deep. one of the richest men in Europe as a result of inheriting land from
his uncle the Duke of Maine, owned the Hôtel de Toulouse (now
€18,000 - 25,000 the Banque de France) and through inheritance became the owner
of various important châteaux as Sceaux, Aumale, Dreux, Gisors
Provenance: and of Anet. Over the years, the Duke of Penthièvre also acquired a
Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre, Grand Amiral de few other prestigious properties, as Chanteloup and the Château at
France (1725-1793), at Châteauneuf-sur-Loire Châteauneuf-sur-Loire in 1784 from the Rohan-Guéméné family, with
Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., Monte-Carlo, 15 June 1981, lot 126 all its content. Following the Duke’s death in 1793, the contents of the
château were seized during the Revolution and later sold in Paris.
Published:
P.Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIème siècle, Paris, 1998, The brand used by the Duke of Penthièvre is that of the anchor, which
pp.772-773, pl.A refers to his title of Grand Amiral de France, with the addition of the
A.Pradère, Les ébénistes de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, letters specific to each castle, in this case in a very modern and original
p.369, pl.443 innovative spirit: ‘C9’ for Châteauneuf-sur Loire.

Claude-Charles Saunier, maître ébéniste in 1752. Claude-Charles Saunier (1735-1807), issu d’une famille d’ébénistes
établis rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, obtint sa maîtrise très jeune,
Claude-Charles Saunier (1735-1807), brought up by a family of en 1752. Il reprit en 1765 l’atelier familial produisant essentiellement de
cabinetmakers established rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, obtained luxueux meubles de goût Néoclassique.
his master’s degree (Maîtrise) at a very young age, in 1752. It is in 1765
that he took over the family workshop producing mainly luxurious and
tasteful furniture predominantly in the Neoclassical style.

(brand of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire) (detail of stamp)

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