BY PIERRE BELLANGE, FIRST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

The set of six Empire giltwood chairs: a set of four chaises (lot 14) and a pair of fauteuils (lot 17) offered in this sale are said to have formed part of a larger set originally purchased by Ricardo Espírito Santo from Henri d’Orléans, 2nd Comte de Paris (1908-1999), the Orléans proclaimant to the French throne from 1940 and who consequently lived in exile close to the Espírito Santo family at Quinta do Anjinho, Sintra from 1947 until his death. A canapé from the same suite, retained in the Espírito Santo collection, is stamped with a crowned ‘LB’ within a circle. Historically this stamp was thought to be the mark of Louis, Duc du Bourbon and Prince du Conde (1756-1830); however in 2017 Mathieu Caron argued convincingly that in fact this brand refers to the property of Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans, Duchesse de Bourbon (1750-1822)  (M. Caron, ‘‘LB'. The Furniture Legacy of Louise Bathilde d'Orléans, Duchesse de Bourbon (1750–1822)’, Journal of the Furniture History Society, 2017, pp. 123-160).
Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans was the daughter of Louis Philippe, duc d’Orléans, Premier Prince de Sang (1725-85), sister to Philippe Égalité (1747-93) and aunt to Louis-Philippe I, the last King of France. In 1770 she married Louis, Duc de Bourbon and Prince de Condé (1756-1830) who was at the time just fourteen but the marriage did not last and they separated in 1780. As a result she was dismissed from Court and led a more solitary, independent life. In 1787 she purchased Hôtel d’Evreux (later known as the ÉlyséePalace) from Louis XVI. Despite being a fierce supporter of the Revolution she was exiled and did not return to Paris until after the Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1814. Upon her return she negotiated the exchange of the Élysée with her cousin Louis XVIII for the Hôtel Matignon, then known as the Hôtel de Monaco, which was previously home to the diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838). Caron suggests that Louise Bathilde added the LB brand to her collection at some point between her return to Paris in 1815 and her death in 1822 to distinguish her own items from items already furnishing the Hôtel de Monaco, which would have included pieces belonging to the Garde-Meuble and possibly to Talleyrand as well.
Inventories drawn up at the time of the exchange list numerous giltwood suites of furniture but with frustratingly little detail to help identify them. One very distinctive Empire suite with embroidered Bourbon monograms to the seat backs, previously in the collection of Comte de Paris, was offered at Christie’s, New York, 27 May 1999, lot 297. Upon the Duchesse’s death in 1822 her estate was inherited by her nephew Louis-Philippe and her niece known as Madame Adelaide (1777-1847) and thence passed by descent to the comte de Paris, who thereafter offered numerous pieces with this provenance to the market. A related Empire giltwood suite also with the 'LB' stamp by Jacob Desmalter with the Comte de Paris provenance was sold Christie's, Paris, 27 November 2019, lot 218 (€47,500).
Pierre-Antoine Bellangé was one of the most important fournisseurs to the court of Emperor Napoleon, supplying important suites of mobilier for many of the Imperial palaces, including Saint Cloud and the Tuileries. Following the Restoration of the monarchy his work continued to be in demand and he was made ébéniste brevetédu Garde-Meuble de la Couronne. In 1821 his work was praised for 'La qualité, la richesseet la grâce des objets d’ébénisterie', while one of his most important commissions from that period was for the château de Saint-Ouen for the Comtesse de Cayla, maîtresse en titre of Louis XVIII.