SOTHEBY’S SALES IN PARIS
Galerie Charpentier
MAY & JUNE 2002
16 May FURNITURE, WORKS OF ART AND CURIOSITY
The sale includes furniture and works of art from various owners, with a strong group of oak or
Chinese-style pieces from the 1880's by Fourdinois and Viardot ; two important 19th Century
cabinet, one in the Renaissance style, inlaid with marbles and pietra dura and gilt mounted
(photo), the second, German with Meissen porcelain plaques ; interesting 18th Century
furniture and chairs and 19th Century bronzes by Dalou, Barye and other French sculptors.24
MaySale at Sotheby's Paris in association with Poulain Le Fur20TH CENTURY
DECORATIVE ART Sotheby's will sell in Paris a very homogenous group of furniture and
works of art which represents the evolution of styles throughout the last century. The sale
opens with an important French private collection, comprising a beautiful Majorelle and Gallé
furniture ensemble with a 'water lilies' ladies desk by Majorelle (estimate : € 50 - 60,000) and
a folding screen with a Symbolist decor by Charles Spindler of Nancy (estimate : €30 40,000). Appliques, chandeliers, several lamps and glass pieces by Gallé, Daum, ArgyRousseau, Walter, Lalique, all from the same period, will be offered, as well as a very rare, small cup in gold and
translucent enamel by André-Ferdinand Thesmar (estimate : € 18 - 20,000), and some bronzes, including an
elephant by Rembrandt Bugatti.
This will be followed by Art Deco works: a superb armchair and matching stool by
Rulhmann (estimate : € 22 - 28,000); four armchairs and two tables by MalletStevens which were originally at the Villa Noailles in Hyères in the South of France
(estimate :€ 22 - 28,000); two sumptuous bronze easels made by Raymond Subes
for his own dining room in Paris, a stand (estimate : € 12 - 14,000 each) and a
curule chair by Marc du Plantier; two Giacometti floor lamps designed at the
request of Jean-Michel Franck and two lamps by Franck from a French private
collection, and some vases by Dunand and Linossier. The sale will continue with
several pieces by Royère, including a pair of armchairs Ours Polaire (Polar Bear)
one rare applique liane of 3.5 meters in length (estimate : € 23 - 28,000) and an exceptional console table by Gilbert
Poillerat, 1946 (estimate : € 40 - 50,000 - photo).
Also included are beautiful furniture by Charlotte Perriand, made in 1948-49 (photo)
for chalets in Méribel, Courchevel and Les Arcs.A very precious barometer in black
and coral enamel on silver and crystal by Louis Cartier, circa 1925, will be offered as
well as a rare collection of silver pieces by Christian Fjerdingstad, the talented Danish
silversmith who settled in Paris and worked for Christofle, and which originally comes
from the artist's family.
14 June
SILVER AND JEWELS
This sale consists of approximately 180 lots of silver and 150 lots of jewels. Among these
are several exemplary works of French and Italian household silver, as well as some
religious pieces. The sale will present an important soup tureen and its liner made by
Joseph-Gabriel Genu, the stand and cover by Jean-Nicolas Boulanger, Paris 1798-1809.
Each piece was restamped between 1819 and 1938. The allegorical handles in the form of
winged victories emerging from leaves, and the cover representing Bacchus seated on a
stag and supported by a faun are astounding and of precious value (estimate : € 6080,000). A rare candlestickfrom the end of the 17th century features a base in the form of a
rounded crown and carries the mark of the Portuguese silversmith MR, Lisbon circa 1690.
This is surmounted by a triton, probably Italian; with two, candle-holding arms (estimate € 30-50,000).
A precious, small table clock in silver-gilt, in the form of a bee-hive surrounded by flowers
and shrubs in enamelled silver-gilt and in which the pendulum is a small enamel bee, is the
work of the Parisian silversmith André Falize, circa 1905 (estimation € 75-100,000 € photo). Among the other French pieces are a rare wine cooler in silver-gilt that was once
part of Nicolas Pavlovitch, the future Tsar Nicolas I, that carries the mark of Biennais, 18091819; approximately thirty wine glasses from the collection of a French doctor; a pair of
candle snuffers with the mark of Christophe Cordé, Lorient, Brittany, 1740; and a basin from
the epoch of Louis XIV by Jean Vassière, Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon circa
1703.Several Italian pieces will attract enthusiasts, including a beautiful coffee pot from
Turin circa 1780, a handsome pair of candlesticks from Genoa circa 1753, a foot-warmer
circa 1780 bearing the coat of arms of the Counts of Sternberg, and one lamp from the Library of Rome circa 1800
(photo).
The second part of the sale will be dedicated to jewels - the first sale of this kind at the Galerie
Charpentier - most of which are signed by important jewellers including Van Cleef & Arpels,
Cartier, Boucheron, Chaumet, Bulgari, Verdura and Lalaounis. Several exquisite diamond and
ruby pieces include a bracelet signed Boucheron - Paris (estimate: € 35- 40,000), a beautiful,
invisibly-set 'leaf' brooch (estimate: € 9-12,000), a fine geometric band (estimate: € 6-8,000),
and an impressive necklace (estimate : € 23-30,000). A superb ensemble in moonstone,
rubies, diamonds, and gold, by Van Cleef & Arples dating from 1937, comprising of a brooch
in the form of a spray of flowers (estimate: € 10-20,000 - photo), and a matching rigid, semiopen bracelet (estimate: € 15-25,000) should excite the covetous, as well as a ravishing ribbon
bracelet articulated in diamonds and platinum by Chaumet, circa 1920 (estimate: €16-20,000),
and other beautiful, more accessible examples ranging in styles from the 1940s to today.
18 June
BEL AMEUBLEMENT ET OBJETS D'ART - FINE FRENCH FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART
This sale contains approximately 200 lots coming from various owners including private Parisian and European
collections, including a certain number of pieces of prestigious provenance. A beautiful Second Empire jewel casket
(estimate: € 180 - 280,000) from imperial origin, features inlaid Sèvres porcelain painted by Guérou. Signed Charon
et Frères, it was made circa 1855-1860 and accompanied the Empress Eugenie during her exile in England,
furnishing her residence at Farnborough Hill. It was sold at auction in 1927 with the contents of her properties.
Two lots of royal provenance will undoubtedly attract collectors: an inlaid commode from
the transition periond of Louis XV - Louis XVI, stamped Deloose, executed for the
Count and Countess of Provence at the Château de Marly in 1771 (estimate: € 200 300,000 - photo). This work originally was one of a pair; the other was recently returned
to Marly. A pair of giltwood side chairs, made for the game room of king Louis XVI at
Versailles will complete the ensemble of prestigious furniture.
The turn of the 18th century is particularly well
represented by several pieces of Boulle
marquetry and other inlaid furniture from a private collection. Several other
beautiful pieces of furniture and tortoiseshell and brass wall clocks will surely
delight lovers of Louis XIV furniture. A marquetry Louis XVI writing table, having
conserved all of its vibrant freshness, will also prove to be a major lot in the
sale (estimate: € 150 - 250,000 -photo/detail).
A very similar table is conserved in the collections of James Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor. Several magnificent
objects in porcelain, mounted in gild bronze, from the period of Louis XV illustrate the refined tastes of the middle of
the 18th century: an imposing Meissen porcelain fontaine à parfum, trimmed with seated pug dogs (estimate: € 90 120,000), as well as two pairs of candelabras, one pair of partridges, and the second representing the elements fire
and water testify to the complicity that united the porcelain factories of Saxony and the French bronziers.
Among the rare and curious objects in this sale, one of the major lots is an exceptional bronze
mortar, executed in 1697 in Strasbourg for the apothecary Johan Jacob Spielmann, signed by
the founder Zacharias Rohr, dated and decorated with Spielmann's coat of arms (estimate: € 38
- 50,000). Also, the automaton - table center-piece - representing a gilt bronze Turkish rider on
his horse, made in southern Germany, probably in Augsburg around 1580 (estimate € 7090,000) would deserve a prominent place in any collector's cabinet. European works of art will
be offered in the sale, including a beautiful marble head of an angel (estimate: : € 30-50,000)
This marble is attributed to Pietro Paolo Naldini (1615-1691), one of the sculptors of the 17th
century who worked in the cercle of Bernini for the decoration of the Chigi chapel in Rome.
Amongst the highlights of 18th century French sculpture we should mention an important plaster
bust of the actress Adélaïde de Grandménil, executed around 1800 by Jean-Antoine Houdon
(1741-1828) (estimate: € 10-15,000 -photo).
26 June
THE LITERARY COLLECTION OF PIERRE LEROY
MAJOR SURREALIST AND POST-WAR AUTHORS
Pierre Leroy, Secrétaire Général of the Lagardère group, acquired his first book in 1978
from the book shop of Jean Hughes, as he was wandering through an area of SaintGermain-des-Prés, Paris, crammed with small booshops. This chance purchase
introduced him to the world of books, bookdealers stores and auctions. Leading a very
busy life, this discreet man considers his collection of precious books and manuscripts as a
concrete expression of his taste for literature. His has formed an exceptional collection (307
lots) which includes the major Surrealist and post-war authors such as André Breton (33
lots), Paul Eluard (24 lots), Louis Aragon (14 lots), René Char, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert
Camus (43 lots) and others. The collection of Pierre Leroy (307 lots) is estimated at € 2,5
to 3,5 million ($ 2,2 to 3 million)Separate press release available
7 June
OLD MASTER AND 19TH CENTURY PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS :
FRENCH ART FROM 1600 TO 1850
This will be the first sale of Old Master and 19th century Paintings and Drawings
of Sotheby's in Paris. For this important event, Sotheby's has focused on French
art from the 17th to the 19th cent, with a strong neoclassic section. The 17th and
18th century section will offer an excellent selection of works by major artists,
such as Lajoue, Greuze, Danloux or Boilly ; a rare and interesting view of The
cathedral at Saint Denis by Hubert Robert (estimate : € 80 - 120,000), two
delightful genre scenes by Marguerite Gérard, Fragonard's favorite student, one
titled Le Bouquet (estimate : € 100 - 150.000) ; and a pair of remarkable and
ambitious pastoral landscapes by Jean Baptiste Leprince, masterpieces of the
artist (estimate for the pair : € 300 - 400,000 -photo of one)
The Drawing section will include an outstanding gouache by Vanvitelli, View of Castel San Angelo and San Giovanni
dei Fiorentini, dated 1683 (estimate : € 120 - 150.000) as well as two Fragonard, View of a canal, and Landscape at
Velletri. (estimates : € 100-150,000 and € 50 - 70,000). The portraits will be also beautifully illustrated with a
masterwork of the pastel painter Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, The Man with three Roses, (€ 200 - 300,000) and Vigée
Lebrun' s charming image of her daughter Julie as a child (€ 40 - 60,000).
The masterpiece of the 19th century section is undoubtedly the wonderful Portrait of
Countess de Latour-Maubourg by Théodore Chassériau, executed in 1841, when the
artist was pursuing perfection in the art of the portrait, in evidence in the other two
magnificent works he painted in the same years, the Portrait of Dominique Lacordaire
(1840; musée du Louvre, Paris) and the Portrait of the artist's two sisters (1843;
musée du Louvre, Paris), both masterpieces of French 19th century art. The Portrait of
Countess de Latour-Maubourg, wife of the French ambassador in Rome, strikes us
with its quiet simplicity, the classical purity of the lines and above all, Chassériau's
deep understanding of the sitters' feelings and emotions. (estimate : € 1,200,000 1,500,000 photo).The sale also includes an important painting of Napoleon on
horseback by Horace Vernet (estimate : € 100 - 150,000, and of Olivier Bro de
Comères on horseback by Henri-Emmanuel-Félix Philippoteaux (estimate : € 90 120,000).
Other artists such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Théodore Géricault, Eugène
Delacroix, Théodore Rousseau, Jean-François Millet are also represented in the sale.
For any further information, please contact :
Sotheby's France - Galerie Charpentier
76 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré - 75008 Paris
Marie-Odile Deutsch et Sophie Dufresne
tél. 33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 - fax 33 (0)1 53 05 52 08
marieodile.deutsch@sothebys.com
sophie.dufresne@sothebys.com
www.sothebys.com
Agrément N°2001- 002 du 25 octobre 2001
Ventes dirigées par Alain Renner