July 2018 Decorative Arts
« La Fayette » Dressing Table
Fascinating by the virtuosity and fragility of its straw marquetry veneer, this small dressing table is also remarkable by its presumed link with the Marquis de La Fayette (1757-1834), major actor of the American Independence and the French Revolution. Rich in symbolic allusions, whose interpretation cannot be exhausted, this complex and subtle decor invites us to explore the life of Gilbert de La Fayette, from his native Auvergne to the United States of America.
See the artwork in the collection« La Fayette » Dressing Table
France, circa 1790
Polychromed straw marquetry veneer, brass, gilt bronze and mercury mirror
80.8 x 66.1 x 50.4 cm
FGA-AD-MOBI-0066
PROVENANCE
Collection Marquis de La Fayette and his descendants, Chavaniac castle
Antique dealer Mercier, Paris, circa 1921
Collection Marie Bonthoux, Algeria and France
Collection Moreau family, descendant of Mme Bonthoux
Aponem-Deburaux, Paris, 20 May 2011, lot n° 347
