This pair of royal armchairs was commissioned by the duc de Penthièvre from his favoured menuisier, the celebrated Georges Jacob. Bearing the duke's inventory marks and with an exceptional quality of carving recognisable from other seat furniture made by Jacob for the French Royal family, these armchairs are evidence of the great heights reached by French furniture making in the late 18th century.

A related pair of chaises by Georges Jacob and bearing the inventory mark of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, possibly from the same suite, was in the Wildenstein Collection; sold Christie's, London 14-15 December 2005, lot 336, and a pair of bergeres also by Jacob and commissioned for Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, with slightly simpler carving than the present lot, was sold Christie's, Paris, 14 December 2004, lot 152. Other seat furniture by Jacob for Châteauneuf include a bergère sold in Paris, 18 March 1981, lot 231, as well as a pair of tabourets sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 22-23 October 2003, lot 519.

DUC DE PENTHIEVRE

The only son of Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, and Marie Victoire de Noailles, Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre (1725-1793), was an illegitimate grandson of Louis XIV (d.1715) and his celebrated maîtresse-en-tître the Marquise de Montespan (d.1707).
Upon his father’s death in 1737, the twelve-year old duke inherited many military titles and posts, including those of Admiral of France, Marshal of France and Grand Huntsman (‘Grand Veneur’) an important position in the Royal Household. He served under his maternal uncle the Maréchal de Noailles and fought with distinction at Dettingen in 1743 and at Fontenoy in 1745. On 2 July 1743 he was promoted to Maréchal de Camp (Field Marshal) and the following year to Lieutenant Général. He was a member of both the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of the Holy Spirit.

Through his paternal uncle, the duc du Maine - another naturalized son of Louis XIV - Penthièvre inherited the châteaux at Sceaux, Anet, Aumale, Dreux, and Gisors. From his father, the Comte de Toulouse, he inherited the Hôtel de Toulouse - his Paris residence - and the château de Rambouillet with its surrounding game-rich forests. Other châteaux that came into his possession were Chanteloup, Amboise, Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, and La Ferté-Vidame.

Penthièvre's position as sole heir to Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan allowed -indeed required- him to live in grand style, both privately and in his appartements at the Royal residences of Versailles, Fontainebleau, Marly and Compiègne. As the possessor of one of the largest fortunes in Europe, Louis-Jean-Marie was a very attractive marriage candidate, especially considering his close links with the French Royal family. In 1744, Louis married Marie-Thérèse Félicité d'Este, Princesse de Modena (1726-1754), the daughter of Francesco III d'Este, sovereign Duke of Modena and of Reggio. The young couple occupied a suite of apartments at Versailles until the reign of Louis XVI. They had seven children, only two of whom survived infancy; whilst his wife died in childbirth in 1754. Deeply hurt by his loss, the duke never re-married and began to withdraw from court life, preferring the company of men of letters and spending the majority of his time at Sceaux and Rambouillet.

Known for his generosity, he built charitable hospitals at Crécy, Les Andelys, and Rambouillet, and gave over 200,000 livres annually to the poor at the end of his life. It was his popularity as a philanthropist that spared him -unlike his cousin Louis XVI and his daughter-in-law the princesse de Lamballe -from the revolutionary murders taking place around him at the time of his death on March 4, 1793, at the château de Bizy.
Only his daughter Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre, duchesse d’Orléans (1753-1821) survived him and through her marriage to Louis-Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans, known to history as 'Philippe-Égalité', the vast fortune passed into the house of Orléans. One of her three sons was Louis Philippe, duc d'Orléans (1773-1850), later King of the French between 1830 and 1848.

CHATEAUNEUF-SUR-LOIRE

The château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire was originally built by the architect Mansart at the end of the 17th century. Initially owned by the Philippeaux de la Vrillière family, it was later purchased from the Rohan-Guiminée family by the duc de Penthièvre. He also purchased the contents of the château for the considerable sum of 50,000 livres. As for his other residences, Penthièvre ordered ébénisterie from his preferred craftsmen including Jean-François Oeben and Roger Vandercruse, dit Lacroix, and menuiserie from Georges Jacob. The furnishings of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire were seized at the Revolution. Initially sent to Tours, they were subsequently sent to Paris where they were sold without reserve, as was the case for a commode now in the Musée du Louvre.