A Near Pair of Louis XVI Mahogany Bibliothèques Basses by Guillaume Beneman, Late 18th Century

Sotheby's Paris, 18 June 2008, lot 92;

Where acquired by Aso O. Tavitian

Guillaume Beneman, who was received as maître just a few years before the French Revolution on 3 September 1785, produced fine neoclassical furniture with a pared-down, clean use of ornament that was highly popular in the final years of the ancien régime. His surname, also spelled ‘Benneman’, is a marker of his German origin, which was typical for important Parisian cabinetmakers of the era including the likes of Riesener, Oeben and Weisweiler. His work made prominent use of mahogany, displaying its richly expressive grain in panels that were unadorned with the marquetry and parquetry that had characterised case furniture of the preceding decades. Between the years of 1786 and 1792 the French royal family were regular patrons, including two famous commodes that were delivered to the château de Compiègne for Louis XVI’s cabinet du conseil and for Marie-Antoinette’s salon des Jeux de la Reine. His strongly architectural pieces of case furniture include commodes, secretaires, encoignures and consoles dessertes, but bookshelves like the present lot are rare among his documented output.