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Lot Essay
A veritable technical tour de force, this impressive commode represents a landmark in the history of French decorative arts, both royal and stylistic. Despite later alterations to its ormolu mounts, the commanding strength of its design, combined with its extraordinary dimensions, firmly places this piece among the most luxurious furnishings supplied to the French Crown during the eighteenth century.
The maker of two of the most celebrated masterpieces in the history of French furniture, Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus presents here a breathtaking commode measuring nearly two metres in length. With its outward-sweeping form accentuated by the flanking corner cupboards (encoignures), Gaudreaus refined and modernized the prevailing silhouette, moving beyond the symmetrical Rococo vocabulary of an earlier generation. A testament to the sumptuous luxury that prevailed in the apartments of the Dauphin of France, its subsequent history indicates its enduring importance and appreciation by the royal family. In 1770 it served in the bedroom of Marie Antoinette when on her arrival in France and still Dauphine, she temporarily inhabited the Appartement du Dauphin. When she moved into the Grand Appartement de la Reine in 1771 the commode was moved to the Salon des Nobles adjacent to her bedroom and where she would hold formal audiences; it remained for over a decade until 1786 when the Queen installed neoclassical furniture by Riesener.
A Royal Commission
The Journal du Garde-Meuble Royal records its delivery on 14 December 1745:
« Livré par le sr Gaudreaus, ébéniste, pour servir dans la chambre de Mgr le Dauphin à Versailles. N°1380. Une grande commode de bois violet à placages, à dessus de marbre griotte d’Italie, bombée et chantournée, aiant par devant deux grands tiroirs et sur le côté deux armoires. Le tout fermant à clef. Enrichie d’ornemens, mains et entrées de serrures de bronze doré et portée sur quatre pieds à roulots. Longue de 5 pieds 10 pouces, sur 2 pieds de profondeur et 34 pouces de haut [Larg.189,5 x Prof. 65 x Haut.92cm]»
(Delivered by Sieur Gaudreaus, cabinetmaker, for use in the chamber of Monseigneur the Dauphin at Versailles. No. 1380. A large commode of kingwood veneer with an Italian griotte marble top, bombe and serpentine in form, fitted at the front with two large drawers and with two cupboards at the sides, all lockable. Enriched with gilt-bronze ornaments, handles and escutcheons, and raised on four feet with castors. Measuring 5 pieds 10 pouces in length, 2 pieds in depth and 34 pouces in height [L. 189.5 x D. 65 x H. 92 cm].)
(Archives Nationales, O1 3313)
This delivery followed a series of furnishings supplied for the apartments of the Dauphin (1729–1765), son of Louis XV, not in the ground-floor rooms of the central corps de logis at Versailles, but in the grand apartment on the first floor of the South Wing, formerly occupied by the Grand Dauphin between 1682 and 1684. The furnishing of these rooms began in early 1745, shortly after the marriage of the young prince to the Infanta María Teresa Rafaela of Spain (1726–1746). A surviving plan of the apartment records the location of the commode in the bedchamber, positioned opposite the chimney-piece pier glass.
While the Dauphin's furnishings were supplied by the Crown cabinetmaker Gaudreaus, those of the Dauphine were acquired through the fashionable Parisian marchands-merciers. In January 1745, Thomas-Joachim Hébert delivered for her bedchamber a Japanese lacquer commode by BVRB (no. 1343, now at Versailles), followed by a floral marquetry secrétaire (no. 1344) and a writing table (no. 1345) for her private cabinet. In March 1745, Hébert supplied a pair of Chinese black-ground lacquer corner cupboards decorated with flowers and birds (no. 1353), a coffee table en bois de Cayenne (no. 1352), and a clock for her bedchamber (no. 44). Gaudreaus, meanwhile, furnished seven gaming tables in kingwood and three firescreens (nos. 3105–3106) for the Dauphin's cabinet.
From January 1745 onward, Gaudreaus supplied the Dauphin with two large veneered commodes, one in rosewood (no. 1338) and another in kingwood (no. 1341), together with two bedside tables, two kingwood corner cupboards (nos. 1339–1340), and an amaranth secrétaire (no. 1342). All were described as veneered pieces. While an earlier bureau had been supplied by Gaudreaus in March 1744 (no. 1323), the next two bureaux were acquired from Parisian marchands-merciers: a floral marquetry bureau for the library purchased from Le Brun (no. 1346), and another, also in floral marquetry and executed by BVRB, delivered by Hébert for the grand cabinet (no. 1347; see P. Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal, vol. II, Paris, 1992, p. 50).
The form of the present commode, with its projecting apron and flanking corner cupboards, recalls four of Gaudreaus's greatest achievements from the same period: the commode supplied in April 1739 for Louis XV's bedchamber at Versailles, mounted with gilt-bronzes by Jacques Caffieri (Wallace Collection, inv. F86); its counterpart delivered in May 1739 for the King's bedchamber at Compiègne (no. 1167, presently unidentified); the celebrated medal cabinet delivered to Louis XV in April 1738 (Château de Versailles, inv. V 5054), mounted with bronzes by the Slodtz brothers; as well as the Selle commode (Wallace Collection, London, inv. F85) and the commode formerly in the Victor Rothschild Collection (Sotheby's, London, 19 April 1937, lot 294), the latter likely partially re-veneered.
Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus (c. 1682–1746)
Although admitted as a master cabinetmaker in 1708, Gaudreaus had been active since completing his apprenticeship in 1702. He established himself on the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and served as accountant-juror of the guild of menuisiers-ébénistes around 1720–1721. As his business prospered, he moved closer to the centre of Paris, taking over the premises of the late François Guillemard under the sign Au Cabinet d'Italie.
It was during these years, around 1725–1726, that Gaudreaus began supplying furniture to the Garde-Meuble Royal, a role he retained until his death in 1746. Having already reached his forties, he succeeded Hecquet as Cabinetmaker to the Crown. Over the course of twenty years he delivered more than 850 pieces of furniture, with the bulk of his production concentrated between 1730 and 1745. To fulfil these numerous royal commissions, he naturally collaborated with fellow craftsmen, among them the talented Doirat, whose posthumous inventory records a debt of 600 livres owed by Gaudreaus.
The medal cabinet and commode executed for Louis XV rank among the defining masterpieces in the history of French furniture. The designs and gilt-bronze mounts of the medal cabinet were created by the Slodtz brothers, and the piece was delivered in January 1739 for the King's private cabinet at Versailles. In April of the same year, Gaudreaus delivered for the King's bedchamber the celebrated commode mounted with bronzes by Jacques Caffieri and executed after a design by Slodtz.
Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765)The fourth child of Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczyńska, Louis, Dauphin of France, never ascended the throne, having predeceased his father. He received an excellent education and displayed a particular aptitude for music and languages, notably Latin and, more unusually for the period, English.
At the age of sixteen, on 23 February 1745, he married the Infanta María Teresa Rafaela of Spain (1726–1746), first cousin of Louis XV and second daughter of Philip V. It was for the celebrations surrounding this marriage that Rameau's Platée was first performed. The Dauphine struggled to establish herself at court and died in childbirth in 1746. In February 1747 the Dauphin married Marie-Josèphe of Saxony, daughter of the King of Poland.
Throughout his life, and from childhood onward, he demonstrated a profound devotion to his mother. He disapproved equally of the estrangement between the King and Queen and of his father's numerous affairs. Stricken with tuberculosis, he died prematurely at the age of thirty-six before he could inherit the throne.
A devoted father, Louis took particular care in the education of his children, among whom were the future Kings Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. He is remembered for teaching them humility, expressing a sentiment that became famous:
"We are all equal before God in birth and in death. Only our actions distinguish us from one another. One day you will be greater than these children in the esteem of the people; yet they may be greater before God if they are more virtuous."
The authors are grateful to Alexandre Pradère for his assistance in the preparation of this catalogue entry.
The maker of two of the most celebrated masterpieces in the history of French furniture, Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus presents here a breathtaking commode measuring nearly two metres in length. With its outward-sweeping form accentuated by the flanking corner cupboards (encoignures), Gaudreaus refined and modernized the prevailing silhouette, moving beyond the symmetrical Rococo vocabulary of an earlier generation. A testament to the sumptuous luxury that prevailed in the apartments of the Dauphin of France, its subsequent history indicates its enduring importance and appreciation by the royal family. In 1770 it served in the bedroom of Marie Antoinette when on her arrival in France and still Dauphine, she temporarily inhabited the Appartement du Dauphin. When she moved into the Grand Appartement de la Reine in 1771 the commode was moved to the Salon des Nobles adjacent to her bedroom and where she would hold formal audiences; it remained for over a decade until 1786 when the Queen installed neoclassical furniture by Riesener.
A Royal Commission
The Journal du Garde-Meuble Royal records its delivery on 14 December 1745:
« Livré par le sr Gaudreaus, ébéniste, pour servir dans la chambre de Mgr le Dauphin à Versailles. N°1380. Une grande commode de bois violet à placages, à dessus de marbre griotte d’Italie, bombée et chantournée, aiant par devant deux grands tiroirs et sur le côté deux armoires. Le tout fermant à clef. Enrichie d’ornemens, mains et entrées de serrures de bronze doré et portée sur quatre pieds à roulots. Longue de 5 pieds 10 pouces, sur 2 pieds de profondeur et 34 pouces de haut [Larg.189,5 x Prof. 65 x Haut.92cm]»
(Delivered by Sieur Gaudreaus, cabinetmaker, for use in the chamber of Monseigneur the Dauphin at Versailles. No. 1380. A large commode of kingwood veneer with an Italian griotte marble top, bombe and serpentine in form, fitted at the front with two large drawers and with two cupboards at the sides, all lockable. Enriched with gilt-bronze ornaments, handles and escutcheons, and raised on four feet with castors. Measuring 5 pieds 10 pouces in length, 2 pieds in depth and 34 pouces in height [L. 189.5 x D. 65 x H. 92 cm].)
(Archives Nationales, O1 3313)
This delivery followed a series of furnishings supplied for the apartments of the Dauphin (1729–1765), son of Louis XV, not in the ground-floor rooms of the central corps de logis at Versailles, but in the grand apartment on the first floor of the South Wing, formerly occupied by the Grand Dauphin between 1682 and 1684. The furnishing of these rooms began in early 1745, shortly after the marriage of the young prince to the Infanta María Teresa Rafaela of Spain (1726–1746). A surviving plan of the apartment records the location of the commode in the bedchamber, positioned opposite the chimney-piece pier glass.
While the Dauphin's furnishings were supplied by the Crown cabinetmaker Gaudreaus, those of the Dauphine were acquired through the fashionable Parisian marchands-merciers. In January 1745, Thomas-Joachim Hébert delivered for her bedchamber a Japanese lacquer commode by BVRB (no. 1343, now at Versailles), followed by a floral marquetry secrétaire (no. 1344) and a writing table (no. 1345) for her private cabinet. In March 1745, Hébert supplied a pair of Chinese black-ground lacquer corner cupboards decorated with flowers and birds (no. 1353), a coffee table en bois de Cayenne (no. 1352), and a clock for her bedchamber (no. 44). Gaudreaus, meanwhile, furnished seven gaming tables in kingwood and three firescreens (nos. 3105–3106) for the Dauphin's cabinet.
From January 1745 onward, Gaudreaus supplied the Dauphin with two large veneered commodes, one in rosewood (no. 1338) and another in kingwood (no. 1341), together with two bedside tables, two kingwood corner cupboards (nos. 1339–1340), and an amaranth secrétaire (no. 1342). All were described as veneered pieces. While an earlier bureau had been supplied by Gaudreaus in March 1744 (no. 1323), the next two bureaux were acquired from Parisian marchands-merciers: a floral marquetry bureau for the library purchased from Le Brun (no. 1346), and another, also in floral marquetry and executed by BVRB, delivered by Hébert for the grand cabinet (no. 1347; see P. Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal, vol. II, Paris, 1992, p. 50).
The form of the present commode, with its projecting apron and flanking corner cupboards, recalls four of Gaudreaus's greatest achievements from the same period: the commode supplied in April 1739 for Louis XV's bedchamber at Versailles, mounted with gilt-bronzes by Jacques Caffieri (Wallace Collection, inv. F86); its counterpart delivered in May 1739 for the King's bedchamber at Compiègne (no. 1167, presently unidentified); the celebrated medal cabinet delivered to Louis XV in April 1738 (Château de Versailles, inv. V 5054), mounted with bronzes by the Slodtz brothers; as well as the Selle commode (Wallace Collection, London, inv. F85) and the commode formerly in the Victor Rothschild Collection (Sotheby's, London, 19 April 1937, lot 294), the latter likely partially re-veneered.
Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus (c. 1682–1746)
Although admitted as a master cabinetmaker in 1708, Gaudreaus had been active since completing his apprenticeship in 1702. He established himself on the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and served as accountant-juror of the guild of menuisiers-ébénistes around 1720–1721. As his business prospered, he moved closer to the centre of Paris, taking over the premises of the late François Guillemard under the sign Au Cabinet d'Italie.
It was during these years, around 1725–1726, that Gaudreaus began supplying furniture to the Garde-Meuble Royal, a role he retained until his death in 1746. Having already reached his forties, he succeeded Hecquet as Cabinetmaker to the Crown. Over the course of twenty years he delivered more than 850 pieces of furniture, with the bulk of his production concentrated between 1730 and 1745. To fulfil these numerous royal commissions, he naturally collaborated with fellow craftsmen, among them the talented Doirat, whose posthumous inventory records a debt of 600 livres owed by Gaudreaus.
The medal cabinet and commode executed for Louis XV rank among the defining masterpieces in the history of French furniture. The designs and gilt-bronze mounts of the medal cabinet were created by the Slodtz brothers, and the piece was delivered in January 1739 for the King's private cabinet at Versailles. In April of the same year, Gaudreaus delivered for the King's bedchamber the celebrated commode mounted with bronzes by Jacques Caffieri and executed after a design by Slodtz.
Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765)The fourth child of Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczyńska, Louis, Dauphin of France, never ascended the throne, having predeceased his father. He received an excellent education and displayed a particular aptitude for music and languages, notably Latin and, more unusually for the period, English.
At the age of sixteen, on 23 February 1745, he married the Infanta María Teresa Rafaela of Spain (1726–1746), first cousin of Louis XV and second daughter of Philip V. It was for the celebrations surrounding this marriage that Rameau's Platée was first performed. The Dauphine struggled to establish herself at court and died in childbirth in 1746. In February 1747 the Dauphin married Marie-Josèphe of Saxony, daughter of the King of Poland.
Throughout his life, and from childhood onward, he demonstrated a profound devotion to his mother. He disapproved equally of the estrangement between the King and Queen and of his father's numerous affairs. Stricken with tuberculosis, he died prematurely at the age of thirty-six before he could inherit the throne.
A devoted father, Louis took particular care in the education of his children, among whom were the future Kings Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. He is remembered for teaching them humility, expressing a sentiment that became famous:
"We are all equal before God in birth and in death. Only our actions distinguish us from one another. One day you will be greater than these children in the esteem of the people; yet they may be greater before God if they are more virtuous."
The authors are grateful to Alexandre Pradère for his assistance in the preparation of this catalogue entry.