A French giltwood and vernis Martin three-leaf screen, Louis Majorelle, Nancy Louis XV-style, circa 1886

depicting scenes after Watteau's L'embarquement pour Cynthère, stamped P.N. and H AAG; inv. no. PLV 193



 

Paleis Het Loo; Koning Emma; Paleis Lange Voorhout

J.M.W. van Voorst tot Voorst, Tussen Biedermeier en Berlage, Meubel en Interieur in Nederland 1835-1895, Amsterdam 1994, pp. 528, 748-749, afb LVI.
Paul Rem, Hofmeubilair, Negentiende-eeuwse meubelen uit de collectie van Paleis het Loo, Zwolle 2003, p. 160-163.

Overall in reasonably good condition with wear to the gilding. Overall slightly dirty. The painted surface with craquelé.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

King Willem III commissioned a large number of Louis XV-style pieces of furniture at the workshop of Louis Majorelle, cabinetmaker at Nancy, for the refurbishment of two drawing-rooms of Queen Emma in the Loo Palace roundabout 1887. Presumably the Royal couple had visited the Great Exhibition in Amsterdam a few of years before, in 1883, where they for the first time came into contact with Majorelles work.
In 1886 Majorelle supplied a Bureau and  three paravents. He visited the Loo in 1887 and in May of the following year a large shipment of twenty-four pieces seat-furniture, a commode, a table, a jardinière, a vitrine, a mirror and a screen were sent to the Loo. All the pieces were made out of carved, gilt and varnished mahogany in Louis XV-style, most of the pieces had incorporated panels of 'vernis Martin'.
This screen is one of the peices commissioned in May/June 1888 by Louis Majorelle, cabinetmaker at Nancy: 1 écran Louis XV 3 feuilles vernis martin bois sculpté et doré (composition de peinture) frs. 3200,-. (Royal Dutch Archives).