96. Emmanuel Alfred BEURDELEY (called Alfred... - Lot 96 - Farrando

Lot 96
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Estimation :
3000 - 5000 EUR
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Result : 6 000EUR
96. Emmanuel Alfred BEURDELEY (called Alfred... - Lot 96 - Farrando
96. Emmanuel Alfred BEURDELEY (called Alfred II) Happiness desk with inlaid decoration on the top of light wood objects on a tobacco background. The step inlaid with flowered vases and small vases balusters on the reverse, the fields veneered with rosewood. It opens with a large drawer in the waist revealing an adjustable shelf forming a desk, flanked by two flaps, with inlaid decoration of antique urns on a tobacco background in rosewood frames. Ornamentation in chased and gilded bronze such as gallery, falls, friezes of interlacing and sabots. After a model of Charles Topino. Stamped twice A. BEURDELEY IN PARIS. Transitional style Louis XV-Louis XVI, late 19th century. (Small cracks in the veneer, two small dents in the top). H : 92,5 cm - W : 68 cm - D : 45 cm. Provenance : Acquired by Mr Justin LECOULES in 1930. The desk bonheur-du-jour that we present is the one reproduced in L'Ameublement d'art français 1850-1900, Camille Mestdagh, Les éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2010, page 86 (fig. 80) and page 45 (fig. 34). And also in L'objet d'art et de luxe français en Russie (1881-1917), Wilfried Zeisler Editions Mare & Martin, Paris, 2014, page 173 (fig. 156). An identical desk was part of the Beurdeley collection (Sale A. Beurdeley, 6 to 9 May 1895, Etude Chevallier, Galerie Georges Petit, lot 292). This "bonheur-du-jour" is inspired by the famous creations of the cabinetmaker Charles Topino (see below), both by its shape and by its very particular inlaid decoration. by the cabinetmaker Charles Topino (received master in Paris in 1773). The presence of everyday objects in the marquetry of this piece of furniture, such as teapots, cups, writing paper, quill pens, inkwells and books, defines the ornamental vocabulary of Charles Topino. The book devoted to French art and luxury objects in Russia (see bibliography) seems to mention the desk we are presenting: "In a letter of November 21, 1887 addressed to the Grand Duke Wladimir's counter, Beurdeley mentions "a small piece of furniture, wood marquetry" that Polovtsov bought for the Grand Duke on November 12. In his Diary, on November 14, 1887, after his return from Paris, Polovtsov relates a reception at the Anitchkov Palace during which the empress exchanged a few words with him about the small table offered by Grand Duke Wladimir that he had brought, probably the piece of furniture mentioned in Beurdeley's letter. The description does not make it possible to establish with certainty the connection with the desk that we present, but the author nevertheless illustrated his remarks with this happiness of the day. Bibliography : - PAYNE, Christopher, Paris, the quintessence of furniture in the 19th century, Editions Monelle Hayot, 2018. - ZEISLER, Wilfried, The French art and luxury object in Russia (1881-1917), Editions Mare & Martin, Paris, 2014.
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