Galerie Kugel, Paris.

RELATED LITERATURE

P. Verlet, Les meubles francais du XVIII siècle, Paris, 1956.

F. J. Bagott Watson, Le meuble Louis XVI, Paris, 1963.

F. De Salverte, Les ébénistes du XVIII siècle, leurs œuvres et leurs marques, Paris, 1985.

G. Wannenes, Mobili francesi del Settecento, Milan, 1991.

This rare pair of guéridon porte-torchères were made to imitate the brightness of patinated gilt-bronze. A collaboration between different craftsmen such as a menuisier, a sculptor and a doreur-lacqueur was undertaken to achieve this fantastic result. The name of Geoges Jacob, who in particular developed the goût arabesque in menuiserie is proposed to have conducted the commission.

The originality of the design and the richness of the composition is impressive. A few earlier pedestal tables made in the Greek style have come down to us, such as the pair from the former collection of Count Duchâtel, sold by Sotheby's New York on 3 June 2008, lot 131, or the suite of four which formerly belonged to the collector Arturo Lopez-Willshaw and sold in the Hôtel Lambert Collection, Sotheby's Paris, on 13 October 2022, lot 403. The pair we are presenting is typical of the arabesque taste and can be dated stylistically to the period of 1780-1785. The Petit Trianon, a masterpiece of ‘Greek-style’ architecture built by Gabriel, remains the place where Queen Marie-Antoinette's intimate tastes can best be seen, and in particular the arabesque style she inspired and represented. On our pair of guéridons, the lines are more sinuous, giving a more decorative than structural appearance. Particular attention is paid to the finest ornamentation, with references to the Orient in motifs such as sphinxes. Although they are not marked, the name of Georges Jacob can be put forward. Indeed, this carpenter, who was one of the most brilliant of his generation, designed numerous pieces of furniture that evoke the decor of these monumental sculptures. The seated sphinxes can be found on fire screens and numerous chairs, including those made for the cabinet de la Méridienne in Versailles (inv. V5183-84). In addition, a pair of guéridons porte-torchères stamped by Georges Jacob is in the collections of the Residenz in Munich (inv. Ny. M 60/61); they have a similar structure with three uprights framing the central shaft. Another pair of torchères with an openwork base and three bracket-shaped uprights is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and is illustrated in G. Jeanneau, Le meuble léger en France, Paris, 1952, ill. 201. 

The proportions and size of this model are impressive, the extreme finesse of the sculpture and the blue lacquer treatment combined with the gilding confirm the desire to give the illusion of metal. The mix of steel and blued bronze contrasts with the brilliance 🦋of the gilding, the result of compositions by the great bronziers of the period, as can be seen on candelabras with vases by Gouthière or Feuchère. These imposing lights, like those in the Petit Trianon attributed to Gouthière (inv. T495) or those sold by Sotheby's in Paris, Hôtel Lambert Collection on 11 October 2022, lot 76, are characteristic of this aesthetic. Here, the carpenter, sculptor and gilder have treated the wood and its decoration to imitate metal, with extremely detailed carving and a central shaft painted to imitate blued steel.