Press release: Paris
| 33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 | Sophie Dufresne | [email protected]
| 33 (0)1 53 05 52 32 | Chloé Brézet | [email protected]
‘Une collection pour l’histoire’
Important paintings, drawings, furniture and
historical memorabilia from the French royal family
Auction at Sotheby’s in Paris
on 29 September 2015
Three works classified as national treasures
Paris, June 2015 – Sotheby’s announces the sale of works from the collections of the late Comte de
Paris (1908-1999) and Comtesse de Paris (1911-2003). This collection contains exceptional works
and historical mementoes that have come down directly from the dynasty that reigned over France for
nearly a thousand years.
The lion's share of the 200-odd lots in this collection will be auctioned by Sotheby's in Paris on
29 September. Three important pieces have been classified as national treasures by a decree
of the Minister of Culture, because of their historical and artistic interest. This means that they
can no longer leave the national territory, and their sale will be privately negotiated between
buyers resident in France, although the State has the option of making an offer for the three
works. The incentive tax mechanisms of the French 2002 Museums of France act can be used
by companies wishing to buy these works or assist their entry into a public collection.
Sotheby’s wishes to thank the heirs of the late Comte and Comtesse de Paris for the honour of
overseeing these historical sales.
This collection, consisting of paintings, drawings, furniture and mementos, brings to life the most
illustrious members of the Royal family, including Marie-Amélie, Marie-Antoinette, Louis XIII, Louis
XIV, Louis-Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, Madame Adélaïde, sister of Louis Philippe, and other figures from
the Orléans family.
The entire collection will be exhibited before the sale between 18 and 28 September at
Sotheby's in Paris (Galerie Charpentier, 76 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré). Admission is free
to the public.
A selection of works from the collection will also be exhibited at Sotheby's in London from 4 to
7 July, and at the Hôtel Métropole in Monaco between 11 and 16 July.
Registration no: 2001 – 002 of 25 October 2001
Sale conducted by Pierre Mothes
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLLECTION
These works have been safely housed since 1974 by the Fondation Saint-Louis in the Château
d'Amboise. They were restored to the heirs of the Comte and Comtesse de Paris through a ruling by
the district court of Paris on 29 September 2013.
The 200 objects presented at this sale come from the various residences of the Orléans family, the
cadet branch, which later became the eldest branch of the Royal House of France. In previous times
they were kept at the Hôtel de Toulouse, at the Château de Neuilly and also at the Palais des
Tuileries. In 1848, during the July Revolution that ended the reign of Louis-Philippe, they went with the
royal family into exile, firstly to Claremont House in England, then to the Manoir d’Anjou in Belgium,
and then to Portugal. They returned to France in the 1950s when the exile act barring pretenders to
the French throne from French territory was repealed. They have always remained the private
property of the descendants of King Louis-Philippe.
The Orléans family descended from Louis XIII through his second son, Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, the
younger brother of Louis XIV. This branch of the royal family ascended the throne in 1830 in the
person of Louis-Philippe, the direct ancestor of all branches of the Orléans family existing today in
France, Spain and Brazil.
THREE WORKS CLASSIFIED AS "NATIONAL TEASURES"
The magnificent portraits of Louise-Marie-Adelaïde de Bourbon Penthièvre, Duchesse
d’Orléans, by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, and of Louis XIII by Philippe de Champaigne, together
with the manuscript of the accounts of the Château d'Amboise, have been classified as
"national treasures", and will be sold in private transactions with buyers in the private or
public sector resident in France*.
The French State has the option of making a purchase offer for these works within 30 months
of the classification ruling, which the owners and their agent Sotheby’s will study as a priority.
The tax incentive mechanisms of the 2002 Museums of France Act can be used by companies
wishing to buy these works or assist their entry into a public collection.
The portrait of Louise-Marie-Adelaïde de Bourbon
Penthièvre, Duchesse d’Orléans, by Elisabeth VigéeLebrun, was exhibited at the Salon of 1789, where it was
highly acclaimed by the critics. The work's success was due
not only to its considerable pictorial qualities, but also to the
popularity of the Orléans family. Placed below the imposing
portrait of Louis XVI, the ultimate symbol of a royal power in
its final days, the Duchesse d’Orléans won all hearts with her
tender melancholy, in contrast with the solemnity of a king
whose authority was on a dangerous downward path.
The model was painted from life, and was unable to entirely
conceal her sorrowful expression. She wears a simple
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"sheath" dress, much in vogue in the 18 century, its pleats
skilfully set off by richly coloured stripes. The last major
portrait produced by the artist in France, this painting, as well
as evincing the brilliant talent of an artist who revered Van
Dyck as an absolute master, symbolised a double loss – for
the aristocratic society depicted by Vigée-Lebrun would never
be quite the same after the Revolution, and in addition,
Vigée-Lebrun lost her Parisian aura forever. Though she returned to the capital in 1805, she never
regained her former glory.
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The masterly portrait of Louis XIII by Philippe de Champaigne,
c. 1639, was a private commission by the Secretary of State for the
Royal Finances, Louis Phélypeaux, lord of La Vrillère and Marquis
of Châteauneuf and Tanlay.
Painted in around 1639, it was displayed in his private mansion,
the Hôtel de Toulouse, which today houses the Banque de France.
At that time it formed the pendant to a portrait of Richelieu, also by
Philippe de Champaigne, and now in the Musée du Louvre. A
financier who was close to the King, Phélypeaux wished to
reproduce in his private mansion the last part of the celebrated
Gallery of Illustrious Men completed in 1635, for which
Champaigne executed seventeen of the twenty-five portraits
commissioned by Richelieu.
Louis XIII, with a deep, intense gaze, exhibits his sober armour of
unusual elegance, and stands in a dignified manner, revealing his
simple, almost austere breeches. His hand, delicately placed on a
helmet that still sports its plumes (where virtuosic play is made of
the feathers), is the only reminder of the recent battles of a king
who was not only just, but above all victorious.
Also classified as a national treasure, the manuscript of the Château d'Amboise accounts is a thick
register of over 300 vellum pages bound in calf on period wooden boards. It contains the accounts
kept in 1495 and 1496 by the finance intendants of Charles VIII for the building of his château at
Amboise, where the young king died two years later. Its extraordinary value lies in the detailed picture
it provides of the nature and costs of the materials needed for the construction and decoration of the
château, and the fact that the craftsmen involved in producing this jewel of France's heritage (painters,
tapestry-makers, sculptors and so on) were no longer anonymous.
OLD MASTER AND 19TH CENTURY PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS
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The collection contains some genuine masterpieces from the leading artists of the 17 , 18 and 19
centuries. It is also marked by the remarkable presence of a magnificent series of gouaches and
watercolours by Louis Carrogis, aka Carmontelle. A painter and interior designer attached to the
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house of Orléans in the 18 century, he became a privileged witness of the Sociéte du Palais-Royal,
at the time the wittiest and most brilliant salon in the capital. The artist produced around 600 portraits,
which constitute a genuine chronicle of the last fourteen years of the elegant lifestyle of this period,
including
this
spirited
gouache:
Les
gentilshommes du duc d’Orléans portant
l’habit de Saint-Cloud (estimate: €250,000350,000 / $279,000-390,000). Carmontelle
provides a collective portrait of this aristocracy
and its lifestyle. This work, of which the
celebrated large format copy in oils by Félix
Philippoteaux is now in the Musée Nissim de
Camondo, provides a pleasant and light-hearted
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snapshot of typical 18 century amusements.
The figures, seen from behind, in red frock coats
and black stockings, in the country dress of the
House of Orléans, form an elegant line in front of
the landscape, which illustrates the new way in
which nature was viewed at the time.
Accustomed to painting the children of the bourgeoisie and more
modest milieux, Nicolas Bernard Lépicié nonetheless left several
portraits of the French aristocracy. Louis-Philippe, duc de Valois,
au berceau, painted in 1774, is a marvellous example of the
"silvery tone and skilful touch" lauded by contemporary critics
(estimate: €150,000-200,000 / $167,000-223,000).
A similar taste for the joys of daily life can be seen in the ordinary
emotion of a parent – none other than "Philippe Egalité", Duc
d’Orléans (1747-1793) – raising the curtain to ensure that his young
baby is sleeping peacefully. The composition of the picture must
have been a new direction for the artist. He takes care to detail the
rich armchairs with palmette trimmings, the golden bed with its
frieze of scrolls and crimson velvets, the green silks covering the
porcelain-skinned baby, and the meticulously-painted lace with its
magnificent play on transparency. The portrait of the little black
servant in a turban with an oriental hat seems to have appealed to
the painter as well: he draws our attention to this figure, which he must have found exotic, giving him a
bristling cat to hold: the only aggressive note in this nursery scene.
We see a more intimate side to the Orléans family in a marvellous
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series of 19 century works showing the importance Louis-Philippe
gave to his private life, and his affection for his wife and their eight
children.
One of the most representative of these is a portrait of the Duc de
Chartres tenant un cerceau, painted by Horace Vernet in 1821,
evoking the desire of Louis-Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, to act as a
"citizen prince" (estimate: €50,000-70,000 / $55,000-78,000). He
gave his sons a liberal education, sending them to the lycée so
that they could mix with middle-class children. His eldest son, aged
eleven, poses in the courtyard of the Lycée Henri IV, as though
arrested in mid-play with his hoop, while his fellow pupils can be
seen gambolling in the background.
The quality, transparency and freshness of his painting are typical
of the early style of Horace Vernet, who went on to essentially
become the official painter to Louis-Philippe, and painted the most glorious episodes in the conquest
of Algeria for Versailles, which involved the King's eldest sons.
A very moving watercolour, executed in around 1860
by Joseph Nash, shows the Bedroom of Queen
Marie-Amélie at Claremont. The Queen's entire past
seems to be concentrated on the walls of her
bedchamber, where we can see two portraits of
Louis-Philippe, the posthumous portrait of the Duc
d’Orléans by Henri Scheffer, that of the Prince de
Joinville by Franz-Xaver Winterhalter, and portraits of
her grandchildren. The numerous announcements that
can be seen on the table perhaps symbolise the
Queen's successive bereavements, which darkened
the latter part of a life that ended in exile (estimate:
€25,000-35,000 / $28,000-39,000).
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Other intimate portraits in miniature form are of remarkable quality. The three portraits in watercolour
and gouache on ivory, executed by Jean-Baptiste Joseph Duchesne in 1830, show the daughters of
Louis Philippe, notably Marie Clémentine Léopoldine Caroline Clotilde d'Orléans, the future Princess
of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (estimate: €18,000-24,000 / $20,000-27,000). Seven other miniatures by
Friedrich Johan Gottlieb Lieder provide a portrait gallery of the highest-ranking members of the
Habsburg imperial family.
The watercolours of François d’Orléans, Prince de Joinville, son of King Louis-Philippe, were
used in the illustrated edition of his memoirs, Vieux Souvenirs (1808-1848) published by CalmannLévy in 1894, and are some of the most original works in the collection. Executed after 1870, these
intimate and historic snapshots bear moving witness, often full of humour, to significant events in the
prince's childhood and youth. The presentation of the Duc d’Orléans' children to King Louis XVIII,
Un bal aux Tuileries (estimate: €4,000-6,000 / $4,500-6,700) and the celebrated scene of L’arrivée
de la Viande du roi au Palais des Tuileries
(estimate: €6,000-8,000 / $6,700-8,900), which the
prince attended at the age of five, evoke court life
during the French Restoration.
Several watercolours depict historical events during
the reign of Louis-Philippe, in which the Prince de
Joinville participated as a naval officer in Mexico,
Morocco, Africa and Turkey, particularly his
courageous action at Constantinople, which saved
Pera and Galata from a terrible fire in 1839. The most
spectacular episode in his career was the one illustrated by the watercolour "La Belle Poule" dans la
baie de Terre Neuve. This was when the Prince de Joinville, commander of this frigate, was tasked
with bringing back Napoleon's ashes to France in 1840 (estimate: €15,000-20,000 /$17,000-22,000).
Jacques Guiaud also illustrated this important event in the Retour des cendres de Napoléon 1er le
15 décembre 1840: a replica of the picture commissioned by Louis-Philippe (Musée de Versailles).
This large painting, which belonged to the Prince de Joinville, shows the arrival of the cortège in the
Place de la Concorde. From there it moved on to the Invalides, where Louis-Philippe received the
Emperor's body in the name of France, thus fulfilling Napoleon's last wish (estimate: €30,000-40,000 /
$33,500-44,500).
I8TH AND 19TH CENTURY FURNITURE
The few items of furniture, executed by the leading cabinetmakers of the time, illustrate meticulous
craftsmanship, and some pieces are equipped with sophisticated mechanisms. A drawing table,
which is the perfect size for a child, is a masterpiece of refinement and mechanics by the
cabinetmaker David Roentgen. The latter made a similar table in 1784, now in the Hermitage
Museum in Saint Petersburg, for the much-loved grandsons of Catherine the Great: the future
Emperor Alexander I and his brother Constantine.
This table was probably a gift to the Duc de Chartres (the future Louis-Philippe) and his brothers and
sisters from their generous grandfather, the Duc de Penthièvre, a loyal customer of Roentgen. Brought
up in the Pavillon de Bellechasse by the vigilant Madame de Genlis, the Orléans children were given a
highly comprehensive education, which included drawing lessons with Carmontelle and David
(estimate: €150,000-250,000 / $167,000-279,000).
Stamps as prestigious as those of Georges Jacob turn up regularly in this sale: a rare sofa stands
out for its carved decoration and elegant line. It seems to have been intended for one of the Orléans
residences or for a member of their court. Here Jacob took inspiration from a model by his colleague
Louis-Charles Carpentier, who also worked for the Orléans family (estimate: €150,000-250,000 /
$167,000-223,000).
The lavish breakfast set in Sèvres porcelain, known as the "Chasses
Diverses", delivered to Queen Marie-Amélie on 21 May 1840, illustrates the
taste for the so-called "Gothic" period during the reign of Louis-Philippe: the
delicate paintings that ornament the various shaped pieces, executed by the
factory's most accomplished artists, were inspired by the Middle Ages and
hunting, both themes being beautifully represented in the scene of the
Conversion de Saint-Hubert decorating the breakfast tray. A real museum piece,
this set was exhibited at the famous exhibition entitled "Un Age d’or des Arts
décoratifs 1814-1848" in the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris in
1991 (estimate: €100,000-150,000 / $111,000-167,000).
EXCEPTIONAL HISTORICAL MEMENTOES
The sketchbook of 70 drawings attributed to the Dauphin Louis Dieudonné, son of Louis XIII,
occupies a very special place in this collection. Bound in red morocco with the arms of France, it
contains an inscription on the flyleaf indicating that according to family tradition, the drawings were
done by Louis XIV, who gave them to his son, the Comte de Toulouse (estimate on request).
It is accompanied by the finest royal decorations that have ever
appeared at auction in Paris. Collectors and museums are sure to show a
keen interest in these insignia, the most prestigious of the French Orders
of Chivalry. The most important piece is the enamelled gold chain of the
Royal Order of the Holy Spirit, consisting of 22 links, from which hangs
the Cross of the Order (estimate: €200,000-300,000 - $223,000-335,000).
In addition to this magnificent piece we find several crosses with their
cordons, together with plaques also belonging to the Order of the Holy
Spirit.
This Order, created by Henri III on 31 December 1578, was reserved for
the highest dignitaries of the kingdom. When they were admitted, all
Knights of the Holy Spirit were also made Knights of the Order of Saint
Michael, founded by Louis XI, and bore the title "Knights of the King". The
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collection also contains a jewel belonging to this Order dating from the 16
century, together with some later insignia.
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