1 / 4
Featured lot selected by the auctions House.
Premium Osenat
458
-
PIERRE Garnier (1726-1800), attributed to
A rosewood and ama…
See original version (French)
458
-
PIERRE Garnier (1726-1800), attributed to
A rosewood and ama…
See original version (French)
Estimate €40,000 - €50,000
Voluntary lot
Description
PIERRE Garnier (1726-1800), attributed to
A rosewood and amaranth flat desk opening to two registers of four drawers and a central drawer, the back with two leaves revealing two compartments, the drawer fronts and sides with protruding shelves, the top resting on projecting corner pilasters supported by a plinth, the drawers and sides with butterfly wing veneers in a double black and white filleted frame; (minor restorations, notably to the veneer).
Louis XVI period, circa 1760-1770.
H: 78 cm, W: 145.5 cm, D: 80.5 cm
Bibliographical references
C. de Quénetain, Pierre Garnier, Paris, 2003.
Provenance :
Château de Montchevreuil (Hauts-de-France), which in the 20th century brought together the former Balleroy, Mornay and Soult collections.
With the emergence of the new "Greek style" in the second half of the 1750s, and in conjunction with the cabinetmaker Joseph Baumhauer, Pierre Garnier made three desks similar to the one shown here, two of which are topped by a curtained top.
The first was probably in the former Ann Getty collection in Los Angeles (New York sale, Christie's, 22 October 2022, lot 443), with an inscription dating it to 1767. A second tiered desk once belonged to the Edmond Safra collection (New York sale, Sotheby's, 19 October 2011, lot 730). It is virtually identical to the previous one but is made of rosewood and amaranth, unlike the one in the Getty collection, which is entirely made of amaranth.
The third desk listed is the closest in structure to our example and is the one formerly in the Steinitz gallery (gallery catalogue, Paris, 2004, pp. 92-194). Identical in size to the other two (approximately 195 cm wide), it is not topped by a shelf and, like the other two desks, opens onto nine drawers and three registers on the front.
This arrangement is the main characteristic of this piece of furniture, which was new for its time. Stylistically, the Neoclassical style of these desks is particularly apparent in the use of pilasters with three flutes surmounted by a disc in a square. These two elements, relating to both the architecture (the shape of the piece) and the decoration, can also be found on the desk in this sale. Its appearance on the market adds to the fortunes of the original model.
In fact, the simplified version of the three desks examined is a smaller variant (145 cm instead of 195 cm), the wood used being similar to that of the Safra collection, and the absence of a top to that of the Steinitz gallery. Other differences include the use of three simulated flutes instead of brass-trimmed flutes, and the different layout of the square, which is adorned not with a disc but with a rosette surmounted by a triglyph.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like