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2 December 09
By columnist Paul Paradis,
Art Historian, Specialist Consultant in French Furniture and Decorative Arts.
A Rewind
I was so carried away last week with writing about the Yves Saint Laurent sale that I neglected to report on other art market happenings that week. For example, a highly important collection of arms and military souvenirs from the First Empire period was offered by auctioneer Thierry de Maigret. The private collection was amassed since 1945 by a Belgian couple offering only their initials of “RVN & GC”. The presale viewing attracted me immediately while I strolled through the Hôtel Drouot, with its feathered cavalry helmets, gilt and damasked swords, silver epaulettes, molded armory chest plates and other Imperial garb. Rooms 1 and 7 were adjoined to accommodate the huge group of prestigious lots with the walls covered in a chic steel-blue grey fabric as a backdrop. The expert for the sale seemed extremely polite and willing to open glass cases for clients so I was able to discreetly glance at some of the swords up close. The usual frustrating practice at Drouot is to show up from 11:00 to noon the day of the auction and fight for the attention of a representative who opens the case for you, if you’re lucky.
Although I am not a specialist in this area, it is not difficult to recognize the rich artistry of the craftsmen who lovingly created the ceremonial weapons, providing a lesson in ornament and a myriad of silversmith, goldsmith and damasking techniques. A ceremonial sword created by the director of the manufacture impériale de Versailles, Nicolas-Noël Boutet that probably belonged to Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1778-1846), third brother of Napoleon and King of Holland from 1806-1810 (pictured above), was a spectacular example.
Imperial Sword by N. Boutet, sold for €240, 000. (Photo: Thierry de Maigret)
The sword was likely given to the newly appointed king by his brother, although no documents were found to substantiate this. The presence of the lion holding a sword in his right paw and lightening in the other on the cross bar of the silver-gilt handle (the coat of arms of Holland) provides strong evidence as to its provenance, although two other possibilities are mentioned by the expert. The sword attained €240,000.
A sumptuous officer’s coat in deep
blue fabric decorated with richly embroidered oak leaves in gold thread woven
with sequins dominated the centre of the room, glimmering in its glass
case. The Imperial outfit belonged
to a certain maréchal Davout, Duc d'Auerstaedt, Prince d'Eckmühl (1770-1823), a highly decorated general appointed maréchal (one of just fourteen after a decree in 1804) under
Napoleon.
Ceremonial Imperial Marshal’s Coat, embroidered in gold thread and sequins, sold for €297,743. (Photo: Thierry de Maigret)
The design of the costume was strictly regimented by Imperial decree, down to the number of buttons and the choice of oak leaf motif for the embroidery. Ironically, nine of the buttons have staves with the Imperial eagle while others have the fleur de lys, a sign that the maréchal wore the costume after the fall of the Empire (1804-1814) into the Restoration period. The rarity of the costume and the excellent state of conservation explain the high price achieved at the auction: €297, 743.
A Curiosity
A few days later, I entered the adjoined
salerooms 5 and 6 for the presale viewing organized by a relatively new house called AuctionArt, created by legendary
couturier and businessman Pierre Cardin and the French commissaire priseur (auctioneer) Remy le Fur. The far wall was decorated with a large bucolic scene of
washerwomen at a river by the great French painter of ruins, Hubert
Robert (1733-1808) and a pair of landscapes representing evening and
morning by equally famous marine painter Joseph Vernet
(1714-1789) , not bad start to a casual Saturday afternoon stroll at
Drouot.
Lavandières au bord d’une
rivière, Hubert
Robert. (Photo : AuctionArt)
A black pedestal with a top-lit
glass case towards the center of the room immediately grabbed my
attention. An exquisite
miniature architectural monument in the form of a dome or cupola in engraved
crystal, gilt-bronze and semi-precious stones gleamed beneath the halogen
lamps. The monument is reminiscent
of the Tempietto by Bramante at the church
of San
Pietro in Montorio in Rome (1502), but its
Corinthian columns topped by c-scroll consoles around the drum of the dome are
resolutely baroque. I surmised
even without reading the catalogue that the piece was probably Italian, the
generous gilding and architectural reference providing the main clues. The use
of lapis lazuli and amethyst as bases to each column is a particularly
luxurious detail, also harking back to Italy where the art of pietra
dura (hard stone) creations was brought to
new heights in the 17th century.
A miniature cupola in crystal,
gilt-bronze and semi-precious stones, Italy 17th century.
The more time I spent staring at the unusual object, the more I noticed others hovering around me doing the same. The expert for the sale eagerly opened the glass case for Mr. Kugel (breaking the 11:00 AM day-of-sale rule), an important Paris dealer with deep pockets for precious and rare objects. I tried not to gawk but couldn’t resist leaning into get a closer look, benefitting from the probing flashlight of the client. The dome portion was taken off and the expert turned the entire lower portion of the piece over allowing Mr. Kugel to examine it. At one point the expert playfully lodged the crystal dome on his head in the manner of an imperial crown to amuse his audience. (I made a mental note that 17th century engraved crystal is not as fragile as I had imagined.)
Feeling that I had overstayed my not-so-discreet intrusion, I turned away and saw Pierre Rosenberg (former Director of the Louvre and famous expert in French painting) glide by with his trademark bright red scarf flowing behind. The Hubert Robert and Vernet paintings had obviously drawn him there, perhaps for a client or perhaps for reasons of pure scholarship? One thing was for certain, this auction was attracting some heavy hitters.
I swiftly moved to a larger glass case displaying Chinese export porcelain, pretending not to observe through the rear view provided by the mirrored back of the cabinet, and heard the auctioneer speaking to another obviously important person of a distinguished age. The latter made a joke saying that “it is now possible to preempt everything these days”, referring to the practice I described in earlier articles of museums acquiring works of art at auction just when the hammer comes down. I could not identify him but can only assume that he was a curator from a major museum. Another man clad in a gaudy chartreuse and black loose-weave woolen blazer à la Chanel seemed to also capture the attention of the auctioneer. I guess that good fashion sense and a budget for art don’t necessarily go together? The cupola would be presented the following Monday, the same day as a rare books sale that came on to my radar screen through the Gazette.
Precious Leather and Parchment
The library of the vicomte Couppel du Lude would be auctioned at the Hôtel du Louvre by the specialized auctioneer Alde. An important and well preserved collection of 260 rare books spanning the 15th to the 20th centuries which, the catalogue explains, was actually amassed by the vicomte’s father from 1920-1965, but that the latter had faithfully conserved and cherished it until his death last December. After a failed attempt to locate the pre-sale viewing at the Hôtel du Louvre on Saturday (which ended with a resigned drink at the bar) my friend Mario and I returned the next day to discover the rare wonders.
The Hôtel’s Salon Rohan was rented for the occasion, a stylish room with vaulted ceilings bearing allegorical white bas-reliefs on a terra cotta-colored ground and walls covered in panoramic wallpaper landscapes reminiscent of those by Joseph Dufour et Cie (created 1797). The books were displayed in glass cases, the fronts facing forward, to reveal the beauty of their workmanship. I have been fascinated by 16th century books as they offer a study in decorative ornament of the time. For example, an original edition by Jean Chaumeau, Histoire de Berry, published in Lyon in 1566, offered a richly embossed and gilt cover with multi-colored interlace work and grotesques. The bands in the interlace are created with layers of colored wax, a specialty of Lyon book makers, and griffon heads emerging from the central losange motif are a clever reference to the book’s presumed creator, Gryphe.
Histoire de Berry by Jean Chaumeau, Lyon 1566, sold for €60,000 (Photo: Alde)
The gilt speckled background is achieved using little iron tools of different sizes, each designed specifically for a precise effect, sometimes for one specific book. The overall achievement is breathtaking. One need not even read the contents to recognize that this is an extraordinary and rare work of art. And to think that something with wax could survive 450 years.
Feeling emboldened and inspired by
the beauty of the books, we asked the young auctioneer if we could handle a
precious Livre d’heures à l’usage de Paris
(illuminated Book of Hours) from the circle of maître François, a master illuminator from Paris who enjoyed quite
considerable commercial success in the last part of the 15th century. He immediately went to open the glass
case and brought us the fragile but precious little book covered in faded green
velvet and a tattered binding. I
asked whether gloves were required and he said no, placing the book in front of
us on a long table covered in red fabric with chairs lined up for this very
purpose. Afraid to damage the
precious manuscript, I let Mario open the book and flip the
five-hundred-year-old parchment pages.
The decapitated saints, crucifixion scenes and angels depicted with deep
blues, greens and reds, framed by intense gilding dazzle the eye and are
awe-inspiring by their artistry alone.
Heures à
l’usage de Paris, Cercle du maître
François, c. 1470, sold for €60,000 (Photo : Alde)
The day of the sale, the room at the Hôtel du Louvre was packed, standing room only. Bibliophiles are also a passionate (borderline maniacal) bunch as I came to witness when the young auctioneer started the bidding. The rapid speed at which the early lots were sold at very high prices made me realize that this sale meant serious business. A bald gentleman in a pin-striped suit standing conspicuously at the door loudly bid on many lots, making a fuss to ensure that the room recognized him, an important book dealer. A young German in a smart suit and his older colleague were leaning against the wall glued next to me, nervously discussing the item they were hoping to bid on. I didn’t bother to take out my catalogue fearing that I might damage it in the crowded quarters, and I could easily glance at those around me. The Histoire de Berry rapidly sold for €60 000 as did the Book of Hours. The show-off bald dealer was having it out with a telephone bidder over a third edition of the works of Virgile from 1541 and gave up at €75,000 when I realized it was time to run back to Drouot for the auction of the miniature monument. I vowed to keep abreast of the auctions at this young house (est. 2006) which is specialized in books and manuscripts and is not part of the Drouot network.
I arrived at the Cardin-Le Fur auction out of breath only to find a room much less electrified than that of the book sale. I cursed myself realizing that the cupola had already been sold: I had arrived too late. Oh the dangers of spreading oneself too thinly. Although I rarely stoop so low in auction etiquette, I forced myself to ask a slightly familiar (although unfriendly) face what the item had sold for and he curtly replied €67 000. No news on who purchased it, but something tells me that it might have been Mr. Kugel. Now we’ll just have to be patient and wait for it to be restored and then pop up in his sumptuous gallery located in the historic Hôtel Colot on the Seine by architect Louis Visconti (1791-1853). Perhaps they will agree to let me do an entire feature on their spectacular locale and collection? I can always dream…..
Hôtel Colot, Paris
(Image: Galerie Kugel)
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