A FRENCH ORMOLU MOUNTED MEISSEN PORCELAIN BOWL

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 2… Read more

The superb collections of Old Master and Impressionist pictures, French furniture, porcelain, silver and objets d'art assembled by M and Mme Francois are a testimony of a lifetime of collecting. In the homes they shared in Geneva, Monaco and Paris these works of art were carefully arranged in a beautifully-decorated rooms created by Mme Francois herself. M. Francois interest in art started in his twenties, and was initially drawn to the great 19th Century Impressionist artists, notably Renoir. Soon his taste evolved to 20th Century art with Vuillard and Picasso among his favourites. Following his marriage in 1952 to the exquisite Pari Riahi, an Iranian beauty, his taste took a new course and together, they embarked on a 'journey' of passionate collecting which would last their entire lives. Mme Francois had studied at the Beaux-Arts in Brussels and had developed considerable knowledge and a discerning eye. An admirer of the aesthetic of the Ancien Regime, her passion for Old Masters, 18th Century French furniture and objets d'art was soon shared by her husband. The collections they soon formed demonstrate a beautiful mix of old and new, with works of art of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries living harmoniously side by side. The collection was perfectly arranged by Mme Francois, who had a genuine talent for, and knowledge of, 18th Century decoration. As a subtle and sophisticated background for the works of art she chose superb boiseries painted in blues, yellows and off-whites. Alongside were silk curtains embellished with the finest passementeries, silk velvet upholsteries, tapestries and carpets. Among the furniture were pieces decorated in various types of intricate marquetry, including Boulle, but also items in giltwood or restrained bois satine, mahogany, tulipwood and amaranth. Many pieces are stamped by great Parisian ebenistes of the 18th Century. On these items of furniture, they placed a myriad of objets d'art, many with ormolu mounts but also the finest Sevres porcelain. The pictures in the Francois collection range from the 16th to the 20th Century, from Breughel, Boucher, Rubens, Goya to Vuillard, Bonnard, Sisley, Renoir and Picasso, the list of artist names is endless. Each item was studied, considered and carefully chosen, each purchase a mutual decision and testimony to a passionate lifetime of collecting.

A FRENCH ORMOLU MOUNTED MEISSEN PORCELAIN BOWL

THE PORCELAIN CIRCA 1740-5, THE ORMOLU POSSIBLY MID-18TH CENTURY, THE BOWL WITH BLUE CROSSED SWORDS MARK, GILDER'S AB AND PRESSNUMMER 3

Details

A FRENCH ORMOLU MOUNTED MEISSEN PORCELAIN BOWL
THE PORCELAIN CIRCA 1740-5, THE ORMOLU POSSIBLY MID-18TH CENTURY, THE BOWL WITH BLUE CROSSED SWORDS MARK, GILDER'S AB AND PRESSNUMMER 3
The bowl painted with vignettes of a stag and boar hunt after Johann Elias Ridinger, on a pierced scrolling base cast with rocaille
5½ in. (14 cm.) high; 7 in. (18 cm.) diameter

Special Notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 20% on the buyer's premium.

Brought to you by

Victoria von Westenholz

vvonwestenholz@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2343

More from Monsieur and Madame François-A Lifetime of Collecting

View All