consisting of twenty double column units each comprising one base, one capital and two shafts, also with four corner piers each with base and capital, the column capitals carved with foliage including oak and acanthus leaves, berry clusters and with coats-of-arms, five capitals centered by armorial devices representing the Counts of Comminges, Gascony on one side and the Counts of Béarn, Béarn on the other, the piers with foliate motifs and beasts with human heads.

Benedictine Abbey of Saramon, Gers

Demotte, Inc., New York until 1923

W𝓡illiam Randolph Hears🦩t, San Simeon, California and New York

The Hearst Foundation until 1954

Eighty-Fifth Annual Report of the Trustees for the Fiscal Year 1954-1955, Metropolitan Museum of Art, p.14

Nouvelles Acquisitions de département des Sculptures, 1992-1995, Musée du Louvre, Paris, pp.30-32, illus.

 

RELATED LITERATURE

H. Jouglade Morenas, Grand armorial de France, vol. 2,ꩵ 1938, p. 25 (Béarn arms described); vol. 3, 1935, p. 30 (ill. and describes arms of Commingesꦉ)

P. Palliot, La vraye et parfaite science des armoiries..., 1895, rep🐓rint of original edition of 1660, vol. 1, p. 174 (Béarn arms ill. and described);🍷 vol. 2, p. 511 (ill. and describes arms of Comminges), p. 646 (Béarn arms described).

J. B. Rietstap, Armorial général, 2nd ed., 1884-1887, vol. 1, p. 452 (describes arms for ♏Comminges).

Please note the bold heading of this lot should read: A Group of Marble Cloister Elements, Southwest France, probably Midi Pyrenée. IMPORTANT NOTICE The four pier shafts in this lot are currently located at the consignor's warehouse in the Bronx, New York. The purchaser is responsible for arranging for the packing, handling and transporting of the purchased property from the consignor's premises in the Bronx. The property must be removed from the consignor's premises by the purchaser within 60 days of the date of the sale. Arrangements for the removal of the property must be scheduled directly with the consignor. Packing, handling and transporting of the purchased property, which may be fragile, is at the entire risk of the purchaser. The property will not be available from our premises nor will we make any packing or shipping arrangements for the property. If the purchased property is not picked up by the 60th day after the sale, the purchased property may be transferred to a third-party warehouse at the risk and expense of the purchaser. The purchaser shall be liable to such warehouse for the payment of all storage and insurance charges at the warehouse's standard rates. The purchaser will also be required to pay the combined New York State and local tax. CONDITION REPORT 4 cylindrical shafts (from the double columns) are currently located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art at 82nd street and 5th avenue in New York City and will need to be picked up by the purchaser along with the large shafts currently located in the Bronx. 2 small shafts are missing from the group and 3 are broken and can be repaired. Overall, there is weathering, as expected, and losses throughout the pieces. The large capitals for the pier shafts have some larger losses at the corners and one coat of arms has been removed. The pier bases have some losses as well. Some of the double column bases have losses around the tops (the circular section that joins with the shaft). Some of the individual elements are not drilled (but can be for installation purposes). The overall carved decoration on the capitals has been preserved.
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.

William Randolph Hearst purchased the present marble elements from the dealer Demotte in December 1923. Some of the pieces were sold in the Parke-Bernet sale of the Estate of William Randolph Hearst, December 7th and 8th, 1951, lots 233-244; a number of these are now in the Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery, South Carolina. The present  group was first shipped to Hearst Castle, San Simeon and was later gifted to the Museum.

The Benedictine Abbey of Saramon in Southwest France, dedicated to saints Peter, Paul and Victor, was located in the Duchy of Gascony which extended across South West France as far north as Bordeaux. Vassal to the French crown since the conquest of Clovis in the 5th Century, Gascony only briefly flirted with independence in the 8th Century when Duke Gaifre attempted to f🎃orm a separate Gascon state. A century after Gaifre's rebellion was crushed, the Duchy of Gascony was split into separate counties (including Chalosse, Arma൩gnac, Comminges and Bigorre) only for the Duchy to be reformed when the English royal family held possession of the territory from 1154 to 1450.

After 1450, the east of Gascony was under﷽ the control of the Armagnacs, 🌃who gave their name to the brandy of the area.  Armagnac then was confiscated by Louis XI thus becoming a crown province. The General Estates of Auch were created in 1716, identifying Gascony as the area currently known as Gers with Auch as its capital.

Please Note:  The four pier shafts in this lot are currently located at the consignor's warehouse in the Bronx, New York. The purchaser is responsible for arranging for the packing, handling and transporting of the purchased property from the consignor's premises in the Bronx. The property must be removed from the consignor's premises by the purchaser within 60 days of the date of the sale. Arrangements for the removal of the property must be scheduled directly with the consigner. Packing, handling and transporting of the purchased property, which may be fragile, is at the entire risk of the purchaser. The property will not be available from our premises nor will we make any packing or shipping arrangements for the property.

If the purchased property is not picked up by the 60th day after the sale, the purchased property may be transferred to a third-party warehouse at the risk and expense of the purchaser. The purchaser shall be liable to such warehouse for the payment of all storage and insurance charges at the warehouse's standard rates. The purchaser will also be required to pay the combined New York State and local tax.