Jean Antoine Bruns - mahogany secrétaire Princier delivered for Chantilly in 1816

Jean-Antoine Bruns for the Condé furniture repository
Mahogany secrétaire en armoire
Bearing multiple marks of the Garde-Meuble and the hot-iron inventory of 1845.
Marble dimensions: H. 142.5 W. 97.5 D. 42 (cm.)
Paris, 1816

Although a very simple model, this secretary is a perfect example of the meticulous craftsmanship of Parisian artisans. Its oak frame is beyond reproach. The mahogany veneer is tastefully selected. The desk rests on cubic feet with moldings. It opens to two leaves and a flap, and features a very light pilaster decoration. It is topped with Belgian granite marble.

Condé production and traceability
This secretary corresponds to a very specific furnishing need at the Château de Chantilly. The aim was to refurnish a residence where everything was lacking following the revolutionary looting. So, in 1816, the cabinetmaker was commissioned to make this secretary for the bedroom of the Comte de Rully. His rank as 1st gentleman to the Duc de Bourbon, as well as his military career, explain the quality and sobriety of the commission. It was originally made to match a chest of drawers. This piece of furniture was later assigned to a residence of the princely crown, located in Saint-Firmin, which is mentioned in the 1845 inventories. This residence was used by Mr. Delafontaine, forestry sub-inspector. This piece of furniture and other objects were given to him as a gratuity on his retirement in 1851.
The marks on it provide valuable information:
-the blue seal with the crown of the sons of France
the monogram under a hot-iron crown is that of the 1845 inventory
-the stencilled monogram under the crown can be dated to around 1830
-the numbering 12 provides crucial information: Chantilly had 17 heterogeneous mahogany secretaires in 1845. This is the twelfth to be inventoried: its description matches that of its delivery in 1816, and also informs us that it still possesses its original marble.

The Comte de Rully and his wife, Princess Adélaïde de Bourbon

Patrice-Gabriel Bernard de Mon-Tessus, Comte de), deputy in 1789, and peer of France, born in Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire) on August 10, 1761, died in Paris on February 25, 1831, entered the king's armies at an early age; he was colonel of the Maine regiment at the time of the Revolution. On April 5, 1789, he was elected deputy of the nobility to the Estates-General by the bailliage of Chalon-sur-Saône, and on November 10, 1789, he was elected to replace Bernard de Sassenay, who had resigned. He made little impression and wrote a letter to the Assembly in defense of the memory of his brother, who had been killed in Corsica during a riot. M. de Rully emigrated in 1791, served in Condé's army and campaigned against the Republic until 1796. Appointed maréchal de camp in 1803 by the Comte de Provence, and confirmed in this rank on September 12, 1814, after the return of the Bourbons, he was promoted to lieutenant-general on July 1, 1815, and called to the Chamber of Peers on the following August 17. He voted for death in the trial of Marshal Ney, and left the Upper House during the revolution of 1830, not to take the oath. He had been aide-de-camp and first gentleman to the Duc de Bourbon. He was married to Adélaïde de Bourbon, legitimate daughter of the Prince de Condé senior and Marguerite Michelot, a singer. They married in exile in London in 1803.

Jean-Antoine Bruns: awarded a master's degree in 1782, he worked as a subcontractor to Riesener, supplying the Royal Crown. His talent and the quality of his work ensured a stable situation throughout the Revolution and Empire. He carried out commissions for the Bourbons on their return from exile, and even became a supplier to Louis XVIII in 1824.

Provenance: Delivered for the bedroom of the Comte de Rully, first gentleman of the Duc de Bourbon, on the first floor of the Château de Chantilly, in 1816, then to the princely house in Saint-Firmin and finally to the Delafontaine family by descent.

Condition report: piece of furniture in excellent cabinetmaking condition, with fine pad varnish. Original marble. Superb gilded morocco.

References: Chantilly inventories, ZR and 4PA.

My sincere thanks to the team at the Chantilly castle library for their warm welcome.