Two Louis XVI 'Boulle' marquetry pedestals, last quarter 18th century, attributed to Etienne Levasseur

Acquired by Sr. Antenor Patiño for his house, Avenue Foch, Paris;

Thence by descent until sold by Miss Isabel Goldsmith, Christie's London, December 12, 1996, lot 148;

Gismondi, Paris;

The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen C. Hilbert;

Sotheby's New York, 24 November 2007, lot 52.

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Acquis par Sr Antenor Patiño pour sa maison, avenue Foch, Paris;

De là, par descendance jusqu'à la vente de Miss Isabel Goldsmith, Christie's Londres, 12 décembre 1996, lot 148 ;

Gismondi, Paris;

La collection de M. et Mme Stephen C. Hilbert;

Sotheby's New York, 24 novembre 2007, lot 52.

This celebrated model of pedestal was invented by André-Charles Boulle at the turn of the 18th century, the designs for which were engraved and published after 1707 by Mariette on the title page of his Nouveaux Desseins de Meubles et Ouvrages de Bronzes et de Marqueterie Inventes et Graves par Andre-Charles Boulle. This model would appear to have been in more or less continuous production throughout the 18th century inasmuch as it was highly prized and desirable for the display of sculpture. 

The present pair of pedestals belongs to a small group which is distinguished by the pewter and copper marquetry inlaid on the lambrequin-shaped apron, as opposed to a much larger group of well-documented examples which are veneered with either brass or pewter on a ground of blue stained horn. The only other recorded examples which incorporate pewter and copper aprons are those in the collection of the Duke of Wellington at Stratfield Saye, see, M. Aldrich, "A Setting for Boulle Furniture, The Duke of Wellington's Gallery at Stratfield Saye," Apollo, June 1998, pp.19-27, illustrated p. 26, pl. 11. Not only are they veneered in the same medium, they are also of identical design. It is of some interest to note that the present pair and the set of four in the Wellington Collection, have marquetry on the sides and lower parts of the pedestal more or less identical to all the other recorded examples with blue stained horn aprons, but the design of the marquetry on the lambrequin apron itself, is different which would tend to suggest that they were made in the same workshop. 

The four pedestals at Stratfield Saye are unstamped but are thought to be the work of Etienne Levasseur, datable to the 1770s, Aldrich points out that they are of very slightly different proportions to the examples thought to have been made in Boulle's workshop. She also points out that the Stratfield Saye examples are decorated with sunflowers only on the front of the frieze, whereas the earlier examples have sunflowers mounted on three sides. The present pair also have sunflowers mounted only on the front of the frieze. Levasseur's estampille appears on three of the Boulle marquetry pedestals conserved in the Louvre, two of them also bearing the estampille of Nicholas Sévérin, probably stamped in his capacity as a marchand-ébéniste. 

Etienne Levasseur who almost certainly apprenticed with one of Boulle's sons, was adept in the restoration of Boulle furniture. Not only did he restore Boulle furniture, but also he made furniture which re-interpreted Boulle's designs and which frequently incorporated authentic Boulle marquetry panels.

Examples recorded in the 18th century

As noted above, pedestals of this type and design were very much sought-after in the 18th century and never seem to have gone out of style. They appear regularly in the Paris auction catalogues from the middle of the century until the revolutionary period. The fact that so many were successfully re-sold demonstrates the need for such ébénistes as René Dubois, Etienne Levasseur and others, to re-fit, refurbish and restore these aging commodities. There are no fewer than six pedestals in the Musée du Louvre, two stamped by both Séverin and Levasseur, and one by Levasseur alone, in each instance, acting as restorers (D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tennenbaum and A. Lefébure, Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Dijon, 1993, I, no. 22, pp. 88-89). Some of the 18^th century sales

include:

The Jullienne collection, March 30-May 22, 1767, no. 1665

The Bonnemet collection, December 4-14, 1771, nos. 151, 152, 153 (three pairs)

The collection of Randon de Boisset, February 27-March 25, 1777, nos. 789, 790, 791, 792

The Lebrun collection, January 19, 1778, no. 199

The Dubois collection, November 20, 1785, nos. 214 and 216

The Boullongne collection, May 8, 1787, nos. 263 and 264

The Dubois collection, December 18, 1788, no. 153

The Lebrun collection April 11, 1791, nos. 767-768

The La Mure collection, April 19, 1791, nos. 207-208

The Choiseul-Praslin collection, April 3, 1793, no. 243

The Bezenval collection, August 10, 1795, no. 88

The Duclos-Defresnoy collection, August 18, 1795, no. 177-178.

Examples in English Country Houses

Collection of the Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth, Derbyshire, with four pedestals

Collection of the Duke of Wellington, Stratfield Saye, Hampshire (discusssed above)

Castle Howard, Yorkshire, a pair of pedestals

Examples recorded at recent auctions

A pair with blue-stained horn sold from the Godchaux Collection, Etude Loudmer, Paris, April 25, 1979, lot 99

A pair with blue-stained horn, sold by direction of the Executors of the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, removed from Highclere Castle, at Sotheby’s, London, June 24, 1988, lot 73 (now in a Swiss collection)

A pair with blue-stained horn sold anonymously, Christie’s, Monaco, June 18, 1989, lot 210

A pair with blue-stained horn sold from the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Howard B. Keck, Sotheby’s, New York, December 5-6, 1991, lot 26

A pair with tortoiseshell and pewter lambrequins, thought to have been in the collection of H.R.H. the Duke of York and sold at Christie's, London, April 5-6, 1827, lots 110, 111, were sold from the collection of Hubert de Givenchy, Christie's, Monaco, December 4, 1993, lot 67 [1,665,000 FF ($280,000)]

A pair with blue-stained horn, (also thought to have been in collection of H.R.H. the Duke of York sold at Christie’s, London, April 5-6, 1827, lots 86 and 88) sold by the order of Julian Byng, Christie’s, London, December 12, 1996, lot 148

A pair formerly in the collection of the Duc de Guiche, sold in Paris, October 16, 1996, lot 205

A pair with blue-stained horn from a European collection, sold, Christie’s, New York, May 20, 1998, lot 50

Two pairs in the Greenberg collection, Sotheby's, New York, May 21, 2004, lot 12-13

Two pairs in the Wildenstein Collection, one pair dated to circa 1750-60, thought to have been commissioned by Claude-François Julliot, sold, Christie's, London, December 14, 2005, lot 23; the second pair, lot 24, dated to circa 1775, possibly retailed by Julliot.