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TRANSITION PERIOD GREEK CHEST OF DRAWERS
Stamped by Roger Va…
See original version (French)
74
-
TRANSITION PERIOD GREEK CHEST OF DRAWERS
Stamped by Roger Va…
See original version (French)
Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
Voluntary lot
Description
TRANSITION PERIOD GREEK CHEST OF DRAWERS
Stamped by Roger Vandercruse dit Lacroix or R.V.L.C
In satin-finish and satin-finish veneer, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, restored Breche d'Alep marble top, front with central recess opening into five drawers in three rows, rounded uprights, tapered legs terminating in bronze foliate claws, stamped twice RVLC and JME hallmark on back, black ink mark "CX1" on back.
H. 88 cm (34 ½ in.)
l. 133 cm (52 ¼ in.)
P. 56.5 cm (22 ¼ in.)
Roger Vandercruse dit Lacroix (RVLC), received master in 1755
Provenance :
Former collection of the Princesse Faucigny-Lucinge ;
Sale in Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 2-3 December 1952, lot 206.
A Transitional gilt-bronze mounted and satinwood commode, stamped by Roger Vandercruse, called Lacroix or R.V.L.C
This type of commode is directly inspired by the body of "commodes à la Grecque" commissioned by Madame de Pompadour for her various residences. The inventory of the Château de Menars lists no fewer than fifteen "à la Grecque" chests of drawers, which had the distinctive feature of opening with drawers and two doors on each side. They are mainly stamped by Jean-François Oeben, but also by his brother Simon, proof that Madame de Pompadour was not the only one to use them. (A. Pradère, Les ébénistes français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 260).
Our chest of drawers, stamped by RVLC, not only has the same dimensions, but also has Oeben's very own technical feature of a projection that allows all the drawers to be closed with the turn of a key.
The life of Roger Vandercruse dit Lacroix (1727-1799) is a perfect illustration of the endogamy in vogue at the time: one of his sisters married Jean-François Oeben and then Jean-Henri Riesener in a second marriage, while another married Simon Oeben.
There are significant similarities between the two productions, indicating ongoing collaboration between Lacroix and his brother-in-law; RVLC is also mentioned among Oeben's creditors in the latter's inventory after his death, drawn up in 1763.
Our copy is characterised by its sober, uncluttered lines, enhanced by a skilful choice of top-quality satin-finish with amber highlights and a fine bronze ornament;
Lacroix made several examples, some with mahogany veneer and others with satin-finish wood.
Similar chests of drawers in satinwood, also stamped by RVLC and sold in recent years, include the following:
Former Bensimon collection, sold in Paris on 19 November 1981, lot 117,
then Sotheby's Paris sale, 16 October 2007, lot 129 (see fig. 1).
Christie's Paris sale, 26 May 2020,
lot 120 (cfr. fig. 2).
Christie's Paris sale, 27 April 2021,
lot 151 (cfr. fig. 3).
THE FAUCIGNY-LUCINGE PROVENANCE
Our chest of drawers was kept until 1952 in the collections of the Faucigny-Lucinge family, a French princely family whose most important members included Ferdinand-Victoire-Amédée, Prince de Faucigny-Lucinge (1789-1866), aide-de-camp to the Duke of Bordeaux, known as the Count of Chambord (grandson of King Charles X).
Through his marriage in 1823 to Charlotte-Marie-Augustine de Bourbon, Comtesse d'Issoudun (1806-1866), the legitimate daughter of the Duc de Berry and granddaughter of King Charles X, he obtained the right to bear the title of prince in France, which was hereditary.
As for the CX mark on the back of our chest of drawers, it could refer to the Château de Chardonneux, home of the Faucigny-Lucinge family between 1880 and 1936, when Princess Aymon, née Carolyne Foster, died.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Furniture and Works of Art - Evening Sale (Lot 1-170)
Auction location
Auction time
06/16/2026 at 5:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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