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拍品专文
This sumptuous canapé reflects the 'antique' influence of the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum in the late 18th century. These ancient cities famously fell victim to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, frozen in time due to the immensely hot volcanic gas, ash and mud. These unique circumstances preserved not only stone, but wood, textiles, food and books. Written records of their existence and fate exited for centuries, but they remained largely untouched until the digging of a well unearthed a few items from Herculaneum in 1709. Overseen first by Henri de Lorraine, Duke of Elbeuf (1661-1748), who sought mostly to keep the findings for his own home, it was later spearheaded by King Charles VII of Naples and Sicily, later King Charles III of Spain (1716-1788). King Charles ordering the start of more systematic excavations in 1738, resulting in the discovery and removal of vast amounts of art and items from both sites. As these sites grew in the public consciousness and were added as stops on the Grand Tour of Europe, they inspired a new vocabulary of embellishment swiftly adopted by ornamentistes such as Charles Percier and Pierre-Frangois-Léonard Fontaine, architects and designers to Napoleon I, who issued their legendary Recueil de Décorations Intérieures in Paris in 1801.
The curvature of this canapé envelops its sitters while the classical figures on either side stand on guard, much in the same way as ancient Roman throne chairs. The Throne of Ceres at the Louvre is one such example, painstakingly carved from marble and with protective sphinxes posed to either side of its occupant (Louvre Museum, room 406). This regal seat proved inspirational for many visitors, including English architect Charles Heathcote Tatham (1771-1842), whose sketch of it from circa 1795 sits at The Victoria & Albert Museum (D.1545-1898). Tatham’s studies of the classical objects he saw were published in 1800 and were also widely influential.
For the likely pair to this piece, see the Collection of Molly de Balkany, Piguet, Geneva, 6 May 2017, lot 284.
The curvature of this canapé envelops its sitters while the classical figures on either side stand on guard, much in the same way as ancient Roman throne chairs. The Throne of Ceres at the Louvre is one such example, painstakingly carved from marble and with protective sphinxes posed to either side of its occupant (Louvre Museum, room 406). This regal seat proved inspirational for many visitors, including English architect Charles Heathcote Tatham (1771-1842), whose sketch of it from circa 1795 sits at The Victoria & Albert Museum (D.1545-1898). Tatham’s studies of the classical objects he saw were published in 1800 and were also widely influential.
For the likely pair to this piece, see the Collection of Molly de Balkany, Piguet, Geneva, 6 May 2017, lot 284.