Early 18th Century Furniture

A beautiful Queen Anne walnut secretaire chest / escritoire, circa 1710 in date. The upper section features a moulded cornice above a secret bulge front frieze drawer, this is above a hinged fall front clad in burr walnut-figured book veneers framed in broad cross-banded borders edged with feather-banding. The interior housing three pairs of pigeon holes concealing secret compartments above a central cupboard flanked by three side drawers on each side with six further drawers below, all clad in burr figured veneers edged with feather banding and fitted with brass pendant handles. The rear of the central cupboard is a concealed panel that sildes away to reveal four further secret drawers. The base of the chest comprises two half-width drawers above two full width drawers, all fitted with pendant shaped brass drop handles, The cabinet is raised on bracket feet. The walnut secretaire is outlined throughout with decorative herringbone stringing. Complete with working locks and original keys. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 176 x Width 102 x Depth 59 Dimensions in inches: Height 5 foot, 9 inches x Width 3 foot, 4 inches x Depth 1 foot, 11 inches Anne was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 until 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. Anne continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714. The Queen Anne style of...

Period Louis XIV carved giltwood bow front door. The door is mounted on a piece of wood to preserve its original condition.

An Imposing Hand Painted Chinese Export Porcelain Twin Handle Enameled Soup Tureen or Centerpiece of large proportions and traditional form, made during last quarter of the Eighteent...

A very beautiful Regence period - early 18th century Mirror. Beautifully crafted in giltwood with its original mercury glass mirror. A st...

Fine Delftware dish painted in cobalt blue on tin-glazed faience, featuring central vases filled with blossoming branches, accompanied by a bird and insects. The border is divided in...

This whimsically charming 18th c. French messenger box is quite the unique find. The outside is covered in horse hide with a bit of the hair still intact. The leather is held in plac...

18th century Blue Delftware plate with elaborate chinoiserie decoration of three flower baskets. Beautiful border decoration of rich foliage, flowers an...

"Sculpted And Gilded Statue Of Saint Augustine, 18th Century" Southern Germany or Austria, circa 1700–1750 Carved oak, original water gilding and polychromy traces Height: 36.5 cm A...

Antique engraving of Thomas Cromwell by Nicolaes Pitau after van der Werff, c.1700 This finely executed portrait depicts Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (1485–1540), the powerful...

Primitive antique chair from ca. 1730-50s. Handcrafted from nature pine in Norway. Painted in black and rest of the gold decoration, beautiful patina. Perfect adding to farmhouse / c...

Pair of Early 18th Century Baroque Brass Candlesticks with Square Bases A rare and elegant pair of Baroque candlesticks from the early 1700s, crafted in solid brass. These striking...

A very fine and large Early 18th Century French Louis XV period corne verte (green horn) and ormolu mounted cartel or wall clock. The impressive cartel rests on its original socle - wall mounted base. Signed on the original white enamel dial with hand painted Roman numerals within a hand blown glass door with ormolu trim and decorated with ornate bronze. Impressively chiseled or ciselé work throughout. Original gilding throughout, exquisite patina. The wonderful gilt bronze case is signed by the highly respected maitre ebeniste and clockmaker, A. Gosselin from Paris. It is surrounded by flowers and foliage. Antoine Gosselin ‘A. Gosselin’ (Antoine Gosselin 1731-1794, Paris, master in 1752). Antoine Gosselin who worked actively under Louis XV until the Revolution and was established in rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, in Paris. He hand crafted magnificent pieces that were at the time only reserved for the King. Clock is in very good antique condition and functions, but may need to be serviced again after shipping just as all clocks do. The ormolu Chinoiserie...

This map, "Assyria vetus diuisa in Syriam, Messopotamiam, Babyloniam, et Assyriam", by Pierre Mortier, is a late 17th-century depiction of the historical Middle East. Title: Ancie...

This extraordinary cabinet is made of the finest oak in the tradition of the Dutch Renaissance during the “Dutch golden age” This cabinet is made in ...

Antique print titled 'Hercules cum Hesperide Beneuentanus'. Engraving with two scenes of Hercules in the Garden of Hesperides. This print originates from 'Nurnbergische Hesperides' b...

A Large Early 18th Century Framed Indenture Document. The document (deed) is written in lengthy hand-written detail. Issued in three parts, indentures were legal documents cut with w...

Antique Queen Anne fantastic quality burr walnut and featherbanded bureau bookcase having a shaped moulded top with three original turned finals above a pair of burr walnut bevelled ...

A Fantastic and Rare Pair of Kangxi Period (18th Century) Chinese Porcelain Wucai Decorated Wall Vases/Fountains. Of pear shape, brightly enam...

French fruitwood Parisian Regence marble-top commode, circa early 1700s. An exquisite red marble surface with slight bow across the front hangs over two small drawers featuring carve...

Edinburgh City Plan, Italy c.1700 – “Edenburgo Metropoli della Scozia” This is a charming hand-colored engraved plan of Edinburgh, titled in Italian Edenburgo, Metropoli della Scozi...

Temple of Jupiter in Thebes – Floor Plan and Gate Elevations, circa 1710 This precise architectural engraving, titled "Platte-Grond en Doorsnede des Tempels van Jupiter te Thebe, en...

Antique William and Mary style oak trunk, 18th century. With a two board oak top, the front with half round moldings, the sides with carrying handles, the inside with a metal liner, ...

Floor Plan of the Temple of Amun at Luxor – Ancient Thebes, c.1710 Description: This antique architectural engraving presents a detailed floor plan of the famous Temple of Amun in L...

An exquisite Italian Rococo carved wood and gilt console table with putto from the early 18th century, possibly 17th century. This period Rococo wall console from Italy features a three-dimensionally hand carved wood putto...

An outstanding 17th century oval shaped Center Table from the Piedmont region of Italy. Wonderfully constructed from beautiful walnut consisting of a pair of Demi Lunes and an extens...

Pierre Bayle's Dictionnaire Historique et Critique published in Rotterdam 1715, third edition. Measured as stacked: 15 ¼ inches wide by 10 ¾ inches deep by 9 ½ inches tall; each boo...

English William & Mary Period early 18th Century Walnut Double Gateleg Table, of refined design and beautiful warm color, made of walnut (not the usual oak) which gives it a more sop...

Antique Dutch Marquetry Grandfather Clock, Dial and Movement made by Pieter Paulus, Amsterdam, Circa 1720-1740.

The engraving titled "Pantheon nunc vulgo la Rotunda" is attributed to the publishing efforts of Joan Blaeu and was part of a series published around the ea...

An exceptionally executed oil on canvas Baroque painting depicting "lovebirds" Paolo Malatesta and Francesca Da Rimini whispering to one another. At the feet of Paoio there is a dog symbol...

Woven in the age of the third Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1722-35), this delicately coloured precious silk brocade is embellished by three parallel and offset rows of children holding a cornucopia of auspicious symbols. In the first horizontal row, the child is holding in one hand a closed lotus flower, symbol of honesty, goodness, beauty and purity, and in the other a stick which a pair of coins, an element belonging to the group of Eight Precious Things. The following row depicts the child holding on one hand the Paintings, one of the four symbols of literature and science, and a peach blossom on the other, a flower associated with Spring and rejuvenation. In between this main pattern we see an alternation of the bat motif (symbol of good luck), the plum blossom (symbolising the faithful, the resolute and the holy) and the butterfly (symbol of love, freedom, romance and beauty). The subtle polychromy of soft tones of green and peach is punctuated with touches of royal Chinese blue...

An exceptionally, rare 18th century, upholstered wing armchair with a scalloped back from Notley Priory & the collection of Vivien Leigh & Laurence Oliver...

Hand-Colored Dutch Map of Ancient Israel Divided by the Twelve Tribes – After Ezekiel, c.1730 This beautifully hand-colored antique map is titled "Ontwerp en Erfdeeling van’t Land K...

An 18th Century, George II Period, Mahogany Rectangular Tea Caddy Having Original Brass Swan Neck Handle To Hinged Top, Enclosing Three Interior Divisions And Elegant Canted Corners,...

Antique French Gobelins Tapestry Rug Size: 11'8" × 13'5" (355 × 408 cm) This magnificent 18th-century French Gobelins tapestry rug exemplifies the height of Louis XIV-era craftsmansh...

Title: 18th-Century Map of the Eastern Roman Empire by Henri Chatelain, c. 1719 Description: This intricately detailed map, titled *Nouvelle Carte pour Servir à l'Histoire de l'Empi...

This elegant French Carrara Marble Mantel is crafted from high-quality white Carrara marble renowned for its durability and timeless beauty. Boas...

This blue and white Delft jar was made in the Netherlands in the early 18th century, circa 1730. The jar is covered in a gorgeous light blue glaze traditional to much early 18th ce...

Very good early 18th Century English oak lidded box in the form of a chest of drawers, the hinged top over a configuration of false drawers having half round molded dividers with ori...

An elegant German cabinet from the early 18th century, circa 1720, crafted from a combination of fine woods including walnut, olive, ebony, and cherry. This piece exemplifies the cra...

Two images on one sheet. The first image shows the festivities of Canadian people while the deceased is carried to a Cabin. The second image shows a funeral procession. This print...

A Prospect of the Inside of St Peter’s in Westminster – Coronation Preparations, c. 1720 – Hand-Coloured Engraving Hand-coloured engraving showing the interior of the Collegiate Chu...

A fine pair of Italian, 18th century painted and parcel-gilt console tables. Very good original condition. Measurements: consoles Cm 80 x 50 x 95

The very scarce first edition of Samuel Croxall's translation of the fables of Aesop, illustrated throughout and in a handsome full calf binding. The very scarce first Croxall trans...

Japanese lacquer cabinet on Regence Giltwood stand. The stand - Circa 1725 and the lacquer cabinet - late 17th/early 18th Century. Decorated overall with figures in a landscape and d...

This hand-colored copperplate engraving titled “Manière dont les Prêtres Caribes soufflent le Courage” (The way Carib Priests blow courage) depicts a ceremonial ritual performed by t...

This magnificent and impressive antique Georgian sterling silver spirit kettle has a circular rounded form. The surface of the Georgian silver kettle is plain and embellished with a contemporary engraved coat of arms encompassed with a scrolling leaf decorated border/cartouche. This antique silver kettle is fitted with a plain flush hinged hallmarked cover; the flush hinge indicates the fine quality of this piece. The cover is surmounted with the original carved stained wood and sterling silver topped button style finial. This exceptional example of antique silver tea ware is fitted with the original hinged hand piece overlaid with interwoven wicker, strategically interlaced to produce a segmented braided design. The cast handle is further ornamented with scrolling decoration, in addition to substantial leaf sockets in junction with the body. The kettle is fitted with an impressive cast spout, accented with a scrolling design to the tip of the lip, in addition to moulded decoration to the lower portion. The kettle detaches from the original hallmarked sterling silver stand, supported by three impressive opposing scrolling legs. The upper portion of the cast silver stand features a band of oval motifs, with a flared shaped upper rim. The stand incorporates a plain scrolling frame which retains the original hallmarked detachable spirit burner with integrated hinged snuffer. This magnificent antique kettle...

Louis XIV Style Walnut Armoire. Moulded crown over two-door armoire, the doors with deep diamond coffered carving, diamond carved panels to sides, on large bun feet; the interior wit...

JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED Indo-Portuguese sculpture from the 18th Century in ivor..... The figure is represented in agony, with cendal draped around the waist. Cross in rosewood wood ...

Beautiful and large box with inlay of various fruit woods. Baroque, early 18th Century. Working lock and key. Interior with later fabric. Wear consistent with age and use

A lovely William and Mary one drawer blanket chest with unusually well laid out double arch molding design and especially elegant turned ball feet. New England, early 18th c.

The upper case with swept pediment and stepped molded edge fitted with 11 drawers and an arched door. The lower case with a slant front opening over a well above three long drawers e...

An Extremely Attractive And Very Good Quality Early 18th Century, George I Period, Oak Lowboy, Or Side Table, Having Superb Untouched Colour And Surface Throughout, The Well Figured ...

Alzata in Maiolica italiana dipinta in policromia agli inizi 1700 con piano perfettamente piatto con bordo rialzato decorato con l’assunzione della Madonna Incoronata raffigurata co...

18th century antique carved oak coffer having a lift up plank top lid with a moulded edge opening to reveal a storage compartment. It boasts ...

Marseille Faïence Chinoiserie Footed Tray (Bannette), Attributed to the Leroy Workshop, Circa 1730 The center with two vignettes of courting couples separated by a central flowering...

A fine example of a German Baroque tobacco jar with original pewter lid. The rich ocher salt glaze decorated with raised floral motifs. A handsome addition for the collector of pipes...

circa 1800 Large 19thC French Provincial Bleached Oak Armoire sku 1595 W144 x D45 x H190 cm

Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy. The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber Windsor Castle The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736) “and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7) A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity. Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success. The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther. The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated. An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography. The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess. Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues. He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience. Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737. Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738). De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet). The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”. The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France. 29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished. During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court. On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine. As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony). The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772. Literature: 1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later. 2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed. 3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale. 4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265. 5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103). 6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure. 7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55. 8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53). 9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54. 10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54). 11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269. 12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241. Catalogue The Esther at her Toilet Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.). Related Works: Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation. Summary Biography 1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle. 1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. 1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa. 1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July. 1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King). 1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy. 1720: He is appointed Professor. 1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...

Rectangular top with a design of cross section veneer from branches assembled to create a pattern. Rounded molded edge. The case with two over three drawers all with oyster patterns ...