A 'VERNIS MARTIN' BONBONNIERE, FRENCH, CIRCA 1750-60 | A 'vernis Martin' bonbonniere, French, circa 1750-60

circular, the lid painted with a pastoral subject in the manner of François Boucher, the sides with swagged garlands of flowers, the base with a bouquet of summer flowers, on a foiled ground impressed with wavy concentric rings MN 4263PNB 1101

Princess Mathilde (1820-1904); 

Prince Napoléon Louis Joseph (1864-1932) sole legatee of Princess Mathilde;

Prince Louis Napoléon (1914-1997)      

Related literature

Exhibition catalogue, A. Forray-Carlier & M. Kopplin, Les secrets de la laque française, musée des Arts Décoratifs, 2014, p. 130, and nos. 103 and 107, for very similar examples

Has been damaged, revarnished and new varnish is crackled. Very minor chipping to rims and restoration around rims.
"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."

In the eighteenth century, the name ‘vernis Martin’ became synonymous with the French art of imitating lacquer, frequently used to decorate furniture, or even carriages, as it could be applied to curved surfaces, unlike real Japanese and Chinese lacquer, which was much more prone to brittleness. It was also used for smaller items, such as caskets, brisé fans, and snuff boxes such as the present lot. The name comes from that of the four Martin brothers - Guillaume, Etienne-Simon, Robert and Julien - who owned the leading studio for this technique in Paris from around 1728 until 1770. They were vernisseurs du roi, a title which reflects the high appreciation for this technique in France - Voltaire once referred to French japanned cabinets as ‘ces cabinets où Martin a surpassé les arts de la Chine’ (Michael Sonnenscher, Work and Wages: Natural Law, Politics and the Eighteenth-Century French Trades, Cambridge, 1989, p. 211).