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Lot Essay
Pierre Garnier (maître ébéniste in 1742) was an ardent advocate of the goût à la Grecque in its purest form. Alongside Joseph Baumhauer (d. 1772), René Dubois (d. 1755) and Philippe-Claude Montigny (d. 1800), this pioneering ébéniste produced furniture of an entirely novel idiom, bridging the Grand Siècle and Neo-Classicism. Garnier’s earliest recorded furniture in ebony dates from 1761, described as ‘dans le goût de Boulle’. These elegant cabinets, subtly inlaid with pewter and resting on scrolling feet, are apparently unique in his oeuvre, and may have belonged to the marquis de Marigny, Madame de Pompadour’s brother, who was his greatest client. They subsequently formed part of the collection of Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun (1748-1813), husband of the renowned portraitist Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, until sold in his sale in 1806.
PIERRE GARNIER AND THE GOÛT GREC
Pierre Garnier began his career producing furnishings made from the designs of the architect Charles de Wailly (d. 1798). Indeed, the pair presented a number of revolutionary pieces of furniture at the bi-annual Paris Salon, including a secrétaire belonging to Marie-Thérèse du Cluzel de la Chabrerie. Made by Garnier it was described in the Avant-Coureur as being `traité dans le meilleur goût de Boulle’, implying it was of severe outline, veneered with ebony and fitted with substantial gilt-bronze mounts (C. Huchet de Quénetain, op. cit., p. 29). This early and highly publicised collaboration with de Wailly may have brought Garnier to the attention of one of the most influential protagonists of the new style, Madame de Pompadour's brother, the Marquis de Marigny (d. 1781). Testified by a remarkable series of letters from Marigny to his cabinet-maker, Garnier was held in high esteem and entrusted with a variety of commissions for furniture in the ultra-fashionable gôut-grec, embodied in the present meubles d’appui. The letters reveal Marigny asking Garnier to design specific items of furniture, as well as mounts with which to enrich a piece of ebony-veneered furniture. The correspondence between Marigny and the ébéniste indicate that Garnier made and owned his own models for the gilt bronze mounts used on his furniture, an unusual practice and one that was contrary to strict guild regulations. Obviously, the cabinet-maker was himself active as a designer, which may explain the idiosyncratic nature of many of his most ambitious productions.
THE MARQUIS DE MARIGNY
This sophisticated pair of meubles d’appui were probably supplied to Marigny for his Parisian town house, the hôtel de Marigny, at no. 16 rue Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre (known in the period as the hôtel de la Direction des bâtiments du roi or simply, place du Louvre). In a letter written by Marigny to Garnier, dated 17 November 1779, he refers to ‘deux bas d’armoire en ébène que vous m’avez fait pour mon cabinet place du Louvre’, almost certainly identifying the present examples (C. Huchet de Quénetain, op. cit., p. 72). Abel François Poisson de Vandières, Marquis de Marigny et de Menars, was the younger brother and heir of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour, principal mistress to Louis XV from 1745 until her death in 1764. Eager to introduce her brother to court, Pompadour arranged for him to dine à trois with the king in her apartments at Versailles, and ultimately successfully saw him secure the position Directeur Général des Bâtiments, Jardins, Arts, Academies, et Manufactures du Roi, or, as styled by the painter, François Boucher, `Ministre des Arts’ (S. Eriksen, op. cit., p. 78) – an apt role given the Marquis’ celebrated art collection, which included a number of items with royal provenance, comprising gifts he received from Louis XV, as well as items inherited from the similarly remarkable collection of his sister. His extensive surviving correspondence and domestic records, which include an inventory with supporting legal documents, makes Marigny’s household one of the best documented of the 18th century (Gordon, op. cit., p. 1), providing a unique insight into his taste in furniture, which was noted for its restrained elegance, so beautifully exemplified by these cabinets.
His predilection for ebony furniture like the present cabinets is well-documented. In 1779, Marigny wrote to Garnier advising him that, `les meubles en ébène et bronze sont beaucoup plus nobles que les meubles en acajou’ (S. Eriksen, op. cit., p. 83), and on the 3rd November 1779, the ébéniste was instructed to change an original order for Library furniture in`acajou’ to `ébène` (Eriksen, op. cit., p. 82). The inventory drawn up after Marigny's death in 1781 lists in the billiards room: '232. Trois bas d’armoire de différentes grandeurs, couverts de bois d’ébène avec ornements de cuivre et à dessus de marbre, 144 L'. As mentioned before, the meubles are not mentioned in the sale after Marigny's death since they were, like most of the furnishings of the house, sold without a catalogue description.
THE HOTEL DE MARIGNY
The hôtel de Marigny was a gift from Louis XV to Marigny and became his principal residence from 1752 to early 1779 as well as the Parisian headquarters of the bâtiments administration (Gordon, op. cit., p. 26). Although the contents of the hôtel de Marigny were not included in the inventory it is known to have been very richly furnished. In 1768, Charles Axel Guillaumot wrote that Marigny was the first to introduce furniture of good taste into his home and to decorate wisely (Gordon, op. cit., p. 32). These meubles d’appui were probably intended for Marigny's cabinet de travail on the premier étage, a floor dedicated to his personal use as referred to in his letter as `mon cabinet’ (Eriksen, op. cit., p. 85). The cabinet de travail housed a number of high-quality Dutch pictures in addition to Jean Antoine Watteau’s Indifférent and Finette, and two small Vernet landscapes (op. cit., pp. 37-38). Alternatively, 'mon cabinet’ might have referred to another cabinet, adjacent to the new Library and part of a third reconfiguration of the hôtel by Jacques Germain Soufflot in 1767-69. This suite was depicted in thumbnail drawings in the margins of the invoice Marigny received from the painting and gilding contractor, Thibáult (op. cit., p. 33). In 1778-early 1779, the Marquis let the furnished hôtel de Marigny to Gustave Philippe, comte de Creutz, the Swedish ambassador to France, with a substantial amount of furniture remaining at the property (Gordon, op. cit., p. 38). This furniture was subsequently sold to Creutz in January 1780 for 3,000 livres. However, some pieces, possibly including the present meubles d’appui, were moved when Marigny vacated the hôtel de Marigny for his new Parisian residence, the hôtel de Menars, which had been remodeled on an even grander scale (op. cit., p. 25). Some furniture was certainly transferred to the hôtel de Menars; on 22 October 1778, Marigny instructed Garnier to move `2 grandes armoires de bois d’acajou’ from his `arriere cabinet place du Louvre’ to `le cabinet après ma bibliothècque place des victorires’ (Eriksen, op. cit., p. 79).
JEAN-BAPTISTE-PIERRE LEBRUN
While it is yet unknown when the cabinets were sold from the Marquis de Marigny's collection, they appear at auction some 24 years after his death, being offered as part collection of the Parisian painter dealer Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun (d. 1813). In the 29 September 1806 sale they were sold for 121 francs to Mr. Lafayence and described in the catalogue as lot 415, `Deux meubles ouvrant chacun à deux battants & à bascule, en bois d’ébène, à filets & moulures de cuivre, à encadrement rosace, & entre-pieds en visse en bronze doré; ils sont ornés de pilastres cannelés, en cuivre, & couverts de leur marbre à moulures & filets. Hauteur totale 30 pouces, largeur 36 pouces, profondeur 14 pouces`. Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun, a painter and art dealer, was the son of the art dealer, Pierre Le Brun and great-nephew of the painter, Charles Lebrun, who was also first Director of the French Academy under Louis XIV. Lebrun was one of the most celebrated dealers and collectors in Paris at the time, appointed Garde des tableaux du comte d’Artois et du duc d’Orléans. His exceptional collection was of similar scale and quality as those of Grimod de la Reynière or Nicolas Beaujon. In 1775 Lebrun married the renowned artist, Élisabeth Vigée Louis (d. 1842) official portrait painter of Queen Marie Antoinette and recognised in modern times as one of the foremost portrait painters of the 18th century.
PIERRE GARNIER AND THE GOÛT GREC
Pierre Garnier began his career producing furnishings made from the designs of the architect Charles de Wailly (d. 1798). Indeed, the pair presented a number of revolutionary pieces of furniture at the bi-annual Paris Salon, including a secrétaire belonging to Marie-Thérèse du Cluzel de la Chabrerie. Made by Garnier it was described in the Avant-Coureur as being `traité dans le meilleur goût de Boulle’, implying it was of severe outline, veneered with ebony and fitted with substantial gilt-bronze mounts (C. Huchet de Quénetain, op. cit., p. 29). This early and highly publicised collaboration with de Wailly may have brought Garnier to the attention of one of the most influential protagonists of the new style, Madame de Pompadour's brother, the Marquis de Marigny (d. 1781). Testified by a remarkable series of letters from Marigny to his cabinet-maker, Garnier was held in high esteem and entrusted with a variety of commissions for furniture in the ultra-fashionable gôut-grec, embodied in the present meubles d’appui. The letters reveal Marigny asking Garnier to design specific items of furniture, as well as mounts with which to enrich a piece of ebony-veneered furniture. The correspondence between Marigny and the ébéniste indicate that Garnier made and owned his own models for the gilt bronze mounts used on his furniture, an unusual practice and one that was contrary to strict guild regulations. Obviously, the cabinet-maker was himself active as a designer, which may explain the idiosyncratic nature of many of his most ambitious productions.
THE MARQUIS DE MARIGNY
This sophisticated pair of meubles d’appui were probably supplied to Marigny for his Parisian town house, the hôtel de Marigny, at no. 16 rue Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre (known in the period as the hôtel de la Direction des bâtiments du roi or simply, place du Louvre). In a letter written by Marigny to Garnier, dated 17 November 1779, he refers to ‘deux bas d’armoire en ébène que vous m’avez fait pour mon cabinet place du Louvre’, almost certainly identifying the present examples (C. Huchet de Quénetain, op. cit., p. 72). Abel François Poisson de Vandières, Marquis de Marigny et de Menars, was the younger brother and heir of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour, principal mistress to Louis XV from 1745 until her death in 1764. Eager to introduce her brother to court, Pompadour arranged for him to dine à trois with the king in her apartments at Versailles, and ultimately successfully saw him secure the position Directeur Général des Bâtiments, Jardins, Arts, Academies, et Manufactures du Roi, or, as styled by the painter, François Boucher, `Ministre des Arts’ (S. Eriksen, op. cit., p. 78) – an apt role given the Marquis’ celebrated art collection, which included a number of items with royal provenance, comprising gifts he received from Louis XV, as well as items inherited from the similarly remarkable collection of his sister. His extensive surviving correspondence and domestic records, which include an inventory with supporting legal documents, makes Marigny’s household one of the best documented of the 18th century (Gordon, op. cit., p. 1), providing a unique insight into his taste in furniture, which was noted for its restrained elegance, so beautifully exemplified by these cabinets.
His predilection for ebony furniture like the present cabinets is well-documented. In 1779, Marigny wrote to Garnier advising him that, `les meubles en ébène et bronze sont beaucoup plus nobles que les meubles en acajou’ (S. Eriksen, op. cit., p. 83), and on the 3rd November 1779, the ébéniste was instructed to change an original order for Library furniture in`acajou’ to `ébène` (Eriksen, op. cit., p. 82). The inventory drawn up after Marigny's death in 1781 lists in the billiards room: '232. Trois bas d’armoire de différentes grandeurs, couverts de bois d’ébène avec ornements de cuivre et à dessus de marbre, 144 L'. As mentioned before, the meubles are not mentioned in the sale after Marigny's death since they were, like most of the furnishings of the house, sold without a catalogue description.
THE HOTEL DE MARIGNY
The hôtel de Marigny was a gift from Louis XV to Marigny and became his principal residence from 1752 to early 1779 as well as the Parisian headquarters of the bâtiments administration (Gordon, op. cit., p. 26). Although the contents of the hôtel de Marigny were not included in the inventory it is known to have been very richly furnished. In 1768, Charles Axel Guillaumot wrote that Marigny was the first to introduce furniture of good taste into his home and to decorate wisely (Gordon, op. cit., p. 32). These meubles d’appui were probably intended for Marigny's cabinet de travail on the premier étage, a floor dedicated to his personal use as referred to in his letter as `mon cabinet’ (Eriksen, op. cit., p. 85). The cabinet de travail housed a number of high-quality Dutch pictures in addition to Jean Antoine Watteau’s Indifférent and Finette, and two small Vernet landscapes (op. cit., pp. 37-38). Alternatively, 'mon cabinet’ might have referred to another cabinet, adjacent to the new Library and part of a third reconfiguration of the hôtel by Jacques Germain Soufflot in 1767-69. This suite was depicted in thumbnail drawings in the margins of the invoice Marigny received from the painting and gilding contractor, Thibáult (op. cit., p. 33). In 1778-early 1779, the Marquis let the furnished hôtel de Marigny to Gustave Philippe, comte de Creutz, the Swedish ambassador to France, with a substantial amount of furniture remaining at the property (Gordon, op. cit., p. 38). This furniture was subsequently sold to Creutz in January 1780 for 3,000 livres. However, some pieces, possibly including the present meubles d’appui, were moved when Marigny vacated the hôtel de Marigny for his new Parisian residence, the hôtel de Menars, which had been remodeled on an even grander scale (op. cit., p. 25). Some furniture was certainly transferred to the hôtel de Menars; on 22 October 1778, Marigny instructed Garnier to move `2 grandes armoires de bois d’acajou’ from his `arriere cabinet place du Louvre’ to `le cabinet après ma bibliothècque place des victorires’ (Eriksen, op. cit., p. 79).
JEAN-BAPTISTE-PIERRE LEBRUN
While it is yet unknown when the cabinets were sold from the Marquis de Marigny's collection, they appear at auction some 24 years after his death, being offered as part collection of the Parisian painter dealer Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun (d. 1813). In the 29 September 1806 sale they were sold for 121 francs to Mr. Lafayence and described in the catalogue as lot 415, `Deux meubles ouvrant chacun à deux battants & à bascule, en bois d’ébène, à filets & moulures de cuivre, à encadrement rosace, & entre-pieds en visse en bronze doré; ils sont ornés de pilastres cannelés, en cuivre, & couverts de leur marbre à moulures & filets. Hauteur totale 30 pouces, largeur 36 pouces, profondeur 14 pouces`. Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun, a painter and art dealer, was the son of the art dealer, Pierre Le Brun and great-nephew of the painter, Charles Lebrun, who was also first Director of the French Academy under Louis XIV. Lebrun was one of the most celebrated dealers and collectors in Paris at the time, appointed Garde des tableaux du comte d’Artois et du duc d’Orléans. His exceptional collection was of similar scale and quality as those of Grimod de la Reynière or Nicolas Beaujon. In 1775 Lebrun married the renowned artist, Élisabeth Vigée Louis (d. 1842) official portrait painter of Queen Marie Antoinette and recognised in modern times as one of the foremost portrait painters of the 18th century.