Jacob Desmalter, Percier Fontaine - Pair Of Ceremonial Armchairs Delivered

Pair of ceremonial armchairs
Gilt walnut and beech
Stamped on the front rail “JACOB D. / R. MESLEE” and bearing a delivery label reading “Prince Louis / Grand Salon / de Réception”
Dimensions: H. 96; seat H. 35; W. 69; D. 74 cm
Paris, circa 1804

Provenance:

- Delivered circa 1804 for the grand reception salon on the ground floor of the hôtel particulier of Prince Louis Bonaparte and his wife Hortense
- Jean Torlonia, Duke of Bracciano, in the same residence, following the sale of the hôtel particulier on 4 September 1815
- Ibid., when the residence was leased to the Ministry of Commerce, between 1818 and 1832, and owned by the Swedish financier Hagerman
- Possibly the same provenance when Salomon de Rothschild purchased the entire property in 1835
- Cecil Everley; posthumous sale, part of lot no. 163, Ribeyre auction house, 30 May 1990



A Model That Became Iconic
This type of armchair was most likely designed by the Percier and Fontaine studio and delivered for the Council Chamber at Malmaison before the beginning of 1801, when the estate reverted to Bonaparte in his capacity as First Consul. No fewer than 169 councils were held there over a period of just over a year and a half. Of the ten armchairs recorded in the inventory drawn up following Joséphine’s death in 1814, one deserves particular mention: the example now preserved at the New-York Historical Society, Museum & Library, in remarkable condition, complete with its original wool covering.

From this Consulate-period delivery, it is possible to establish a broad corpus of analogous models produced under the Empire. Chronologically, and without claiming to be exhaustive, examples include:

- a suite delivered for the Emperor at Saint-Cloud, circa 1802
- the present seats, from the hôtel particulier on Rue Cerutti, circa 1804
- a suite delivered circa 1806 for the fifth salon of Prince Murat at the Élysée Palace
- the suite delivered in 1808 for the Emperor’s Aides-de-Camp salon at the Tuileries
- another suite, circa 1808, for Arch-Chancellor Cambacérès at his hôtel particulier
- the suite delivered in 1809 for the Empress’s music room at Compiègne

A Documented Provenance
Built circa 1776 for the Receiver-General of the Clergy, the Hôtel de Saint-Julien experienced turbulent times during the Revolution. After passing through the hands of several merchants whose fortunes fluctuated, it ultimately became the residence exchanged for the former home of the Emperor’s brother. An ideal setting in which to display the Bonapartes’ success, it was genuinely a winter residence, with the summer months spent at Saint-Leu. A family home until 1806, Louis’s departure for Holland precipitated a change in its use. Some rooms in his apartments were, for instance, allocated to his children. Hortense would even give birth there in 1808 to the future Napoleon III.

A town residence much appreciated by the Queen of Holland, Hortense retained the use of the property until the end of the Empire, when the residence was sold to Jean Torlonia, Duke of Bracciano, on 4 September 1815. It is likely that the Torlonia family retained a large part of the furnishings in situ. It is also noteworthy that the hôtel particulier soon passed into the hands of the Swedish banker and financier Jonas-Philip Hagerman, who was himself well known in Napoleonic circles for his purchase of the Malmaison estate in 1828.

The former residence of Queen Hortense underwent radical changes when it was purchased by Salomon de Rothschild, one of the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the Frankfurt merchant. He undertook extensive renovations, as did his brother James, who owned the adjoining property.

The Furnishings of the Grand Salon
Our pair of armchairs formed part of the sumptuous furnishings of the Grand Salon overlooking the garden, which was entirely redecorated by Prud’hon. According to an inventory dated 15 July 1809 [A.N., AF IV 1878], the room contained three sofas, fourteen armchairs, eighteen chairs, eight stools and a screen, all upholstered in green silk.

Other pieces from the same ensemble are known, including a sofa and another pair of armchairs, sold at Christie’s New York on 22 October 2024, lot 40 ($69,400); a suite of twelve chairs from the ensemble; and two of the four bergères, one of which is illustrated in the Malmaison exhibition catalogue [non-exhaustive].

Bibliography
La Reine Hortense, une femme artiste, Malmaison exhibition catalogue, 1993, pp. 84–97

Seat of Empire, edited by Margaret Hofer, 2002

Jean-Pierre Samoyault, Mobilier français Consulat, Empire, 2009, p. 60

Condition report: The chairs retain a very substantial proportion of their original gilding. Traditionally reupholstered in accordance with the example now preserved in New York.