ATTRIBUTED TO BERNARD MOLITOR, CIRCA 1815

General Nicolas-Antoine-Xavier de Castella de Berlens, like many of his Swiss compatriots, came from a professional military family which fought for various regimes throughout Europe. His father, Rodolphe de Castella, had distinguished himself in the war of the Austrian succession and was personally commended by Louis XV, who promoted him from Captain to Brigadier-General. He died in the service of the Ancien Régime soon after the defense of the Tuileries. Nicolas-Antoine-Xavier demonstrated the pragmatic political flexibility of many Swiss professional soldiers by serving in turn under Napoleon in a series of campaigns. He was seriously wounded in the heroic defense of the town of Polotzka during the retreat from Russia in November 1812, after which he returned to Paris to convalesce from his wounds in the hôtel he maintained there. Like his father before him, he set about acquiring a collection of furniture and decorations à la mode from the most fashionable Parisian ateliers to embellish the family château at Wallenried. These included, notably, Bernard Molitor, almost certainly the craftsman responsible for these canapés and a wider suite of seat furniture with lion monopodia supports, purchased for his newly constructed Grand Salon in the east wing of the château. The suite includes fauteuils, chaises and a pair of marquises, as well as a pair of classical herm consoles, all of which was photographed in the Grand Salon in the mid-20th century (Diesbach, op. cit., p. 64), below the set of nine allegorical paintings commissioned from Charles Meynier especially for that room. In addition, Castella de Berlens purchased a pair of ormolu-mounted lits de repos à l'Antique, also attributable to Molitor (sold Christie's, New York, 19 May 1988, lots 196 & 197), as well as papier peints, silk hangings, chandeliers and a pair of winged victory candelabra by Thomire.