A PAIR OF LOUIS XV BEECHWOOD BERGÈRES À OREILLES BY TILLIARD, MID-18TH CENTURY |

stamped TILLIARDJean-Baptiste I Tilliard (1685-1766), maître in 1717, or Jacques Jean-Baptiste Tilliard (1723-1797), maître in 1752

Galerie Charpentier, Paris, Collection of the Baronne Cassel van Doorn, May 30, 1956, lot 98
Sotheby's New York, Collection of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, May 3, 1986, lot 126

F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection (New York 1966), Vol.I, no.30

In good condition, with repaired age splits to joints of back rails with uprights, and scattered marks, scuffs and minor losses consistent with age. One with plugged old holes to legs. Probably originally gilded or polychrome or grey lacquered. Upholstery in good condition with virtually no wear or staining. Sturdy construction and ready to place.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Tilliard family was one of the most important and oldest dynasties of chairmakers in Paris, based in the Rue de Cléry in what is now the second arrondissement. Jean-Baptiste’s father and brothers, as well as his son, were all in this business. After the death of his father in 1728, he became Maître Menuisier du Garde-Meuble du Roi and a regular supplier to Versailles and other royal palaces. His distinguished clientele included the prince de Soubise, the ducs d’Aiguillon, d’Antin, Sully, the duchesse de Mazarin, Louise-Élisabeth de Parme as well as the comte d’Évreux and M. d’Argenson.  His son Jacques Jean-Baptiste, also referred to as Jean-Baptiste II, worked closely with his father and although received master in 1752, he did not officially register with the guild until 1764, when he took over the workshop upon his father's retirement.  He continued to use the same stamp as his father's, so in many instances it is impossible to determine authorship of signed works with certainty, though by the late 1750s, Jean-Baptiste II began incorporating decorative elements of the nascent Neoclassical style which he would assimilate fully during the reign of Louis XVI.
A similar bergère à oreilles by Tilliard is illustrated in Jean Nicolay, L'Art et la manière des maîtres ébénistes français au XVIIIe siècle (Paris 1976), p.459 fig.Q.