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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A fine Empire gilt bronze mounted mahogany commode attributed to Charles-Joseph Lemarchand, the rectangular bleu turquin marble top above a frieze with a fine gilt bronze mount centred by Psyche with lamp and dagger in hand above a sleeping Cupid, the frieze above two doors ornamented with magnificent large gilt mounted figures of Psyche and Cupid centred by a stylised flower-head band, the doors opening to reveal four drawers, flanked either side by gilt bronze wrapped columns above a rectangular base Paris, date circa 1810 Height 92 cm, width 127 cm, depth 57 cm. The overall style of this magnificent commode with its elaborate gilt bronze figural mounts compares closely with a bonheur-du-jour by Charles-Joseph Lemarchand (1759-1826) of circa 1805. The latter once stood in the apartments of the gouverneur des Invalides and is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, (illus. Marie-Noelle de Grandry, “Le Mobilier Français, Directoire Consulat Empire”, 1996, p. 81). Like many of Lemarchand’s pieces from the period the present work is distinguished by its purity of form and simple lines. Likewise at this date Lemarchand often made his furniture from solid mahogany with a mahogany veneer, though occasionally he used rare woods such as bois de citronnier. On the whole Lemarchand tended to complement his work with relatively restrained gilt bronze mounts, though occasionally pieces such as the bonheur-du-jour (cited above) were adorned with very elaborate figural mounts. Other important, comparable pieces include a large mahogany bureau of 1810-14, (known as the bureau ‘de Murat’ though originally destined for the Emperor Napoleon) which has elaborate gilt mounts in addition to a mechanical lid (illus. Denise Ledoux-Lebard, “Le Mobilier Français du XIXe Siècle”, 2000, p. 413). Considered one of the last ébénistes of the ancien régime, Charles-Joseph Lemarchand continued to prospered during the Empire and Restauration, supplying a number of pieces to the Garde-Meuble, to Château de Saint-Cloud and des Tuileries. His work is now housed in a number of French Châteaux including Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Malmaison and can also be seen in the Parisian Musées des Arts Décoratifs, Carnavalet and Mobilier National, as well as the Banque de France, Hôtel de Toulouse. Lemarchand was born in Dieppe, where his father acted as postmaster. Interestingly one of his three sisters married a menuisier and another the ébéniste Pierre-Michel Roussel (1743-1822), son of the celebrated ébéniste Pierre Roussel (1723-82). From 1785 Lemarchand lived in Paris, in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré close to the house of Roussel and may have served his apprenticeship under his brother-in-law before he was received as a maître-ébéniste in 1789. The same year he was recorded at rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, where he remained until 1807 at which date he moved to rue du Pas-de-la-Mule. At the time of his marriage to Radegonde Fouquet in 1795 his capital was valued at 80,000 livres while his furniture and chattels amounted to 40,000 livres, indicating the importance and the extent his workshop had grown in the past few years. In 1791, just before the Revolution, Lemarchand received an important commission from the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne to supply 18 mahogany commodes for King Louis XVI’s palace at St. Cloud. Likewise he continued to distinguish himself as an ébéniste under Napoleon’s rule; though he no longer worked directly for the Garde-Meuble during the Empire he supplied several pieces to the Imperial palaces and to other important clients such as the influential statesman Talleyrand. Like most of his colleagues he supplied the tapissiers and marchands de meuble, such as Antoine Bonnichon to whom he sold ‘several pieces of fine quality’ in 1803. By 1817 Lemarchand was ready for retirement and thus approached the Garde-Meuble with the aim of selling a quantity of previously made items in mahogany and bois de citronnier, for the sum of 70,734 francs. Though the attendant judged the pieces to be of high quality he also considered them expensive. In contrast the ébéniste Felix Rémond thought the price justified since they were so well made. After much discussion, in 1822 Lemarchand managed to sell a few of the very finest pieces for the reduced sum of 8,000 francs. In 1825 Lemarchand sold his house to his two sons, Emile and Louis-Edouard (1795-1872). The latter, who had been working with his father since 1815 continued the workshop thereafter. Like his father Louis-Edouard excelled at his trade and had the honour of making the ebony coffin in which Napoleon’s remains were taken from St. Helena to the Invalides, Paris in 1840. It is uncertain who supplied Lemarchand with gilt-bronze mounts, which were always of the highest quality. Likewise the present mounts are of exceptional merit and thus deserve mention. The central figures represent Psyche and her lover Cupid, whose story in continued in miniature on the frieze above. Psyche, whose Greek name means soul, was the youngest and most beautiful daughter of a king who had lost all hope of seeing her marry. Here she is endowed with small butterfly wings, as also portrayed on ancient Pompeian paintings and Roman sarcophagi, since the butterfly and Psyche herself were associated with the soul. A dog on the other hand, accompanies Cupid; although the dog was not one of his usual attributes it sometimes appeared with Cupid on ancient pottery, for instance on a 470 BC amphora, now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. The story of Cupid and Psyche was told by Lucius Apuleius in the ‘Golden Ass’, 2nd century AD. According to the narrative Venus was so jealous of Psyche’s beauty that she sent her son Cupid to persecute her, but instead he fell passionately in love. Cupid then flew with Psyche in his arms to his palace, where he visited her nightly so that she could not see who he was. However her jealous sisters persuaded Psyche that Cupid was monstrous and should be killed. The most frequently represented part of the story is continued on the frieze mount: encouraged by her sisters, Psyche approached her lover as he slept. She held a dagger in one hand and a lamp in the other, so that she could see who he was. However hot oil from the lamp accidentally dropped onto him and he awoke. The story then continued to describe how Cupid fled from Psyche, who in turn relentlessly searched for her lover and had to accomplish endless tasks set by Venus, which Cupid secretly helped Mercury carried her to heaven and there she finally married Cupid. her with. Jupiter finally took pity on her; |