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Lot Essay
These superb wall lights, an elegant expression of the fashionable goût étrusque of the 1780's, can be attributed to François Rémond on the basis of two pairs of this model delivered by Rémond in 1784 to the Comte d'Artois for the Palais du Temple, now in the Petit Trianon. They were invoiced originally for the large sum of 1800 livres, which was later adjusted to 1500 livres, and described as '...deux paires de bras trois branches arabesque sur un vase fond lapis enrichi de frise, tête de satire et de femme...'. The reference to the 'vase fond lapis' indicates that the vase-form backplates of the wall lights offered here may originally also have been blued, although it could also of course be a variant for a different client (see P. Verlet, Les Bronzes Dorés Français, Paris, 1987, p. 45, fig. 38).
Further pairs of the model include two in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, one with three lights and one also with the rare and sumptuous feature of having five lights as on this model (illustrated in D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tennenbaum and G. Mabille, Gilt Bronzes in the Louvre, Dijon, 2004, pp. 164-5), and a pair at Pavlovsk Palace, St. Petersburg (illustrated in E. Ducamp ed., Pavlovsk The Collections, Paris, 1993, p. 195, fig. 58).
THE INVENTORY MARKS
If the inventory marks are read as 'SL' (as they were in the 1992 Sotheby's catalogue when these wall lights were last offered), they probably refer to the château de Saint-Leu, on the edge of the Fôret de Montmorency. In 1774, the late 17th century château belonged to the enormously wealthy banker to the court Jean-Jacques de Laborde, who carried out many improvements, particularly to the gardens. In 1777, the property passed to another well-known banker Nicolas Beaujon, who sold it in 1780 to the duchesse de Chartres, wife of Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc de Chartres (1747-1793). The duc de Chartres, Philippe-Egalité, succeeded his father as duc d'Orléans in 1785; his wife was the daughter of the duc de Penthièvre and granddaughter of the comte de Toulouse. The château was purchased by her in order to escape the notice of the duc de Chartres' many creditors. It was at Saint-Leu that Madame de Genlis, their governess, educated the duc de Chartres' five children, and it is possible that the wall lights were ordered by the Orléans during this time. On his succession in 1785, the duc d'Orléans sold the château de Saint-Cloud, another Orléans property, to Louis XVI. In 1792, the duc d'Orléans handed over the château de Saint-Leu to the marquis de Giac. In 1804, Saint-Leu was bought by Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland from 1806-1810, who became comte de Saint-Leu after his resignation in 1810, and from 1810-1815 the château was the home of his wife, Queen Hortense, daughter of Empress Joséphine, who is known to have furnished her Parisian hôtel with sumptuous Louis XVI furniture, including a celebrated lacquer suite by Riesener. She became Duchesse de Saint-Leu in 1814 and it is also possible that the marks were applied during this time. Following the Cent Jours (June 1815) the château was bought by the last Prince de Condé and after his death in 1830 it was demolished.
FRANCOIS REMOND
The ciseleur-doreur François Rémond (1747-1812) was considered one of the foremost doreurs sur metaux of the Louis XVI period. He succeeded in attracting prestigious (and demanding) clients including Marie-Antoinette (through the ébéniste Jean-Henri Riesener), the Princess Kinsky (whose commissions for the Hôtel Kinsky in Paris are discussed by C. Baulez in 'Le Luminaire de la Princesse Kinsky', L'Objet d'Art, May 1991, pp. 84-99), the duc de Penthièvre, and the comte d'Artois to whom he supplied a garniture for his Boudoir turc, including the famous ostrich candelabra, now in Versailles (inv. V4776 et V4777) and of course the pair of wall lights of the same model as those offered here, supplied to the Palais du Temple. He also collaborated extensively with the celebrated marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre, to whom he supplied work between 1778 and 1792 valued at the staggering sum of 920,000 livres.
Further pairs of the model include two in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, one with three lights and one also with the rare and sumptuous feature of having five lights as on this model (illustrated in D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tennenbaum and G. Mabille, Gilt Bronzes in the Louvre, Dijon, 2004, pp. 164-5), and a pair at Pavlovsk Palace, St. Petersburg (illustrated in E. Ducamp ed., Pavlovsk The Collections, Paris, 1993, p. 195, fig. 58).
THE INVENTORY MARKS
If the inventory marks are read as 'SL' (as they were in the 1992 Sotheby's catalogue when these wall lights were last offered), they probably refer to the château de Saint-Leu, on the edge of the Fôret de Montmorency. In 1774, the late 17th century château belonged to the enormously wealthy banker to the court Jean-Jacques de Laborde, who carried out many improvements, particularly to the gardens. In 1777, the property passed to another well-known banker Nicolas Beaujon, who sold it in 1780 to the duchesse de Chartres, wife of Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc de Chartres (1747-1793). The duc de Chartres, Philippe-Egalité, succeeded his father as duc d'Orléans in 1785; his wife was the daughter of the duc de Penthièvre and granddaughter of the comte de Toulouse. The château was purchased by her in order to escape the notice of the duc de Chartres' many creditors. It was at Saint-Leu that Madame de Genlis, their governess, educated the duc de Chartres' five children, and it is possible that the wall lights were ordered by the Orléans during this time. On his succession in 1785, the duc d'Orléans sold the château de Saint-Cloud, another Orléans property, to Louis XVI. In 1792, the duc d'Orléans handed over the château de Saint-Leu to the marquis de Giac. In 1804, Saint-Leu was bought by Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland from 1806-1810, who became comte de Saint-Leu after his resignation in 1810, and from 1810-1815 the château was the home of his wife, Queen Hortense, daughter of Empress Joséphine, who is known to have furnished her Parisian hôtel with sumptuous Louis XVI furniture, including a celebrated lacquer suite by Riesener. She became Duchesse de Saint-Leu in 1814 and it is also possible that the marks were applied during this time. Following the Cent Jours (June 1815) the château was bought by the last Prince de Condé and after his death in 1830 it was demolished.
FRANCOIS REMOND
The ciseleur-doreur François Rémond (1747-1812) was considered one of the foremost doreurs sur metaux of the Louis XVI period. He succeeded in attracting prestigious (and demanding) clients including Marie-Antoinette (through the ébéniste Jean-Henri Riesener), the Princess Kinsky (whose commissions for the Hôtel Kinsky in Paris are discussed by C. Baulez in 'Le Luminaire de la Princesse Kinsky', L'Objet d'Art, May 1991, pp. 84-99), the duc de Penthièvre, and the comte d'Artois to whom he supplied a garniture for his Boudoir turc, including the famous ostrich candelabra, now in Versailles (inv. V4776 et V4777) and of course the pair of wall lights of the same model as those offered here, supplied to the Palais du Temple. He also collaborated extensively with the celebrated marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre, to whom he supplied work between 1778 and 1792 valued at the staggering sum of 920,000 livres.