Offered by Gallery de Potter d'Indoye
18th-century and Empire French furniture, works of art and pictures
A rectangular sofa with a slightly reversed backrest in cream and gold lacquered wood, adorned with palmettes, rosettes, console front legs, arched rear legs.
Two armchairs in cream and gold lacquered wood with slightly reversed backrest, decorated with palmettes, acanthus leaves, rosettes. The armrests ending in windings, they rest on front legs in console and rear arched legs.
Two chairs with slightly overturned backs in cream and gilded lacquered wood, decorated with palmettes, rosettes, acanthus leaves. They are based on anterior console feet and arched posterior feet.
A close model set stamped Jacob Desmalter is kept at the Château de Fontainebleau, in the bedroom of the Empress’s small apartments (1) and a similar one is in the Louvre Museum.
(1) “Fontainebleau“ Connaissance des Arts, special issue 1996 p. 55
Provenance: Former collection of Prince Achille Murat.
Osenat, Fontainebleau, June 14-15, 2003, lot 665.
Prince Achille Murat, was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte,
Achille Murat (1801-1847) was the son of Joachim Murat, King of Naples and Napoleon's brother-in-law. The young Crown Prince Achilles spent his childhood in Austria after the execution of his father following the fall of Napoleon. In 1821 Achilles immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Augustine, Florida. He returned to France in 1830 in the hope of recovering his family's fortune, but eventually returned to the Americas five years later.
Sofa H: 97 L: 193.5 P: 56 cm
Armchairs H: 97 W: 62.5 D: 53 cm
Chairs H: 92 W: 47.5 D: 47 cm