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Lot Essay
Marc du Plantier was one of the leading French decorator-designers of the 20th century, acclaimed by leading contemporary society clients for the subtle luxurious modernism of his designs. After a period studying architecture, in 1929 du Plantier focused on interior design for a highly select group of private clients. The refined Neo-Classical simplicity of his designs of this period appealed to many notable patrons, including Henry de Rothschild, Juan March, the Comte and Comtesse de Elda and the Marquise de Morbecq, amongst many others.
This exceptionally rare gilded-metal and marble console was designed by du Plantier around 1939 and placed in the Parisian apartment of his friends and neighbours, Bob and Didi Philippe, who lived directly above du Plantier's spectacular apartment at rue du Belvédère, Boulogne-Billancourt. A noted couple, whose home featured briefly in the film ‘Julietta’ in 1953, they also asked the designer to furnish their summer home in Corsica, for which du Plantier also completed a wall fresco at the property. A key period in the designer’s creativity, in 1939 du Plantier also exhibited a ladies writing desk incorporating the same stylized lotus flower motif in his stand at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, before leaving France with Jacques Heim and relocating to Spain, where he carried out his notable interiors for the Casa Valdes.
It was in Spain in 1940 that he produced only the second known example of this specific model, with a black marble top, for the dining room of Comte and Comtesse de Elda in Madrid. For the same room he also produced a much smaller pair of consoles featuring the lotus motif, each with a single support. These few works, comprising the present large-scale white marble surmounted 1939 console and the black-topped Elda version of 1940, together with the two small consoles and the aforementioned desk, are the only known ‘Lotus’ pieces ever produced. Of these five pieces, the current whereabouts of four is not recorded, making the present console the sole known example of this important series. As such, it’s appearance at auction for the first time, benefitting from full provenance, must be considered as a unique opportunity. The striking impact of the high-status work is underscored by its timeless elegance, its refinement exemplifying the Neo-Classical / Modernist fusion for which the designer was so celebrated at this seminal moment of his career.
Christie's would like to thank Yves Badetz, author of the Marc du Plantier monograph, for his assistance with the cataloguing of the present lot.
This exceptionally rare gilded-metal and marble console was designed by du Plantier around 1939 and placed in the Parisian apartment of his friends and neighbours, Bob and Didi Philippe, who lived directly above du Plantier's spectacular apartment at rue du Belvédère, Boulogne-Billancourt. A noted couple, whose home featured briefly in the film ‘Julietta’ in 1953, they also asked the designer to furnish their summer home in Corsica, for which du Plantier also completed a wall fresco at the property. A key period in the designer’s creativity, in 1939 du Plantier also exhibited a ladies writing desk incorporating the same stylized lotus flower motif in his stand at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, before leaving France with Jacques Heim and relocating to Spain, where he carried out his notable interiors for the Casa Valdes.
It was in Spain in 1940 that he produced only the second known example of this specific model, with a black marble top, for the dining room of Comte and Comtesse de Elda in Madrid. For the same room he also produced a much smaller pair of consoles featuring the lotus motif, each with a single support. These few works, comprising the present large-scale white marble surmounted 1939 console and the black-topped Elda version of 1940, together with the two small consoles and the aforementioned desk, are the only known ‘Lotus’ pieces ever produced. Of these five pieces, the current whereabouts of four is not recorded, making the present console the sole known example of this important series. As such, it’s appearance at auction for the first time, benefitting from full provenance, must be considered as a unique opportunity. The striking impact of the high-status work is underscored by its timeless elegance, its refinement exemplifying the Neo-Classical / Modernist fusion for which the designer was so celebrated at this seminal moment of his career.
Christie's would like to thank Yves Badetz, author of the Marc du Plantier monograph, for his assistance with the cataloguing of the present lot.