Page 242 - Bonhams Cornette Saint Cyr, Property from the estate of Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021)

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GRANDE COMMODE À RESSAUT D’ÉPOQUE LOUIS XVI EN In 1785, Guillaume Beneman (circa 1750-1811), of German origin,
ACAJOU ET ACAJOU MOUCHETÉ, ORNEMENTATION DE then almost unknown, was chosen after having participated in a call
BRONZE CISELÉ ET DORÉ, ESTAMPILLE DE GUILLAUME for tenders launched by the Royal Garde-Meuble, to become the main
BENEMAN supplier of the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne to replace Jean-Henri
Vers 1790 Riesener, who had become slightly out of fashion and too expensive,
following the decision to cut costs. Beneman who until then had been
A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY AND PLUM- working freely in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, was quickly received
PUDDING MAHOGANY LARGE COMMODE, GUILLAUME BENEMAN as a master cabinetmaker in 1785. Exempted from the rights and
Circa 1790 conditions of access to the profession, he was mainly chosen for
Of rectangular break-front form, the grey-veined white marble top his talent and for the similarity of his production to Riesener’s one.
above three frieze drawers with encadrement mounts and foliate Beneman was initially responsible for restoring, modifying, updating
escutcheons, on two long drawers sans traverse but with three and copying existing important pieces of furniture from the royal
encadrement mounts, with foliate swagged handles and ribbon-tie collection, under the supervision of the talented and influent wood
cornucopia escutcheons, the brass-mounted channelled rounded sculptor Jean Hauré. In just a few years (1786-1792) and with the
angles surmounted by brettés panels and terminating in turned help of fifteen to twenty craftsmen at his command, he delivered no
tapering toupie feet, stamped four times ‘G.BENEMAN’. less than 235 pieces of furniture for a total of 59.555 livres. At the
99cm (39in) high x 175cm (69in) wide x 66cm (26in) deep. same time, Beneman kept up to date and was inspired by the latest
trends propagated by the important marchand-mercier Dominique
€25,000 - 40,000 Daguerre, whose ideas were often executed by the not less talented
cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler.
Provenance:
Probably from the collection of the late Sir Fairfax Cartwright,
G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., Christie’s London, 27 June 1968, lot 84
Christie’s Monte-Carlo, 7 December 1985, lot 120

Related literature:
A.Pradère, Les Ebénistes de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989,
pp.405-411
Guillaume Beneman, maître ébéniste in 1785. (detail of stamp)

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