Philippe-Claude Montigny, maître in 1766.
With its elegant yet striking 'Etruscan' decoration and delicate employment of ormolu mounts, it is unsurprising that this bureau plat formed part of one of the most important Parisian collections of the 20th century, that of the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. A renowned and highly sought-after model, the bureau plat reflects the earliest development of neo-classicism in the form of the goût grec style that swept to popularity in France from the mid-1750s with the celebrated suite of furniture supplied to the collector and financier Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully.
Veneered in amaranth and tulipwood and decorated with rosette and laurel swag mounts, this bureau relates to a well-documented group of bureaux à la grecque executed by both Montigny and René Dubois. Executed in either amaranth and tulipwood or in ebony, often displaying the same distinctive ormolu mounts and of very similar proportions and design, this group reflects the close collaboration that existed between these two ébénistes.
The 'bureaux à la Grecque' executed by Montigny tend to be characterized by their slightly larger size and a unified veneer. Montigny was well-known for restoring and producing Boulle furniture and the rosette mounts on these bureaux derive from Boulle’s repertoire. Almost identical bureaux include one stamped by Montigny sold The Wildenstein Collection, Christie's, London, 14-15 December 2005, lot 178, a second stamped by Montigny with abbreviated Greek-key decoration across the three frieze-drawers in a private collection (illustrated A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 306, fig. 344) and a third stamped by Montigny with variation to the leg mounts, sold from the The Collection of Mr. & Mrs. John H. Gutfreund 834 Fifth Ave, Christie's, New York, 26-27 January, 2021, lot 147. A closely related bureau by Dubois with a slight variation to the frieze and spirally-fluted sabots, sold Christie's Paris, 23rd June 2005, lot 467 and a further related model by Montigny with variations to the Greek-key frieze and mounts was sold Collection of Lord and Lady Weinstock, Christie's, London, 22 November 2022, lot 40.
Given that the posthumous inventory of Jacques Dubois in 1763 recorded ‘une table de bois d'amaranthe à la Grecque’ and that Montigny himself was not elected maître until 1766, it seems likely that Dubois devised this model which was continued by his son and successor René (who continued to use his father’s stamp). Montigny and Dubois, who were first cousins and closely acquainted, collaborated together as evidenced by a number of pieces stamped by both ébénistes at Waddesdon Manor and in the Wallace Collection. It is possible that in his capacity of a marchand-ébéniste, Dubois initially subcontracted Montigny to supply bureaux of this form, who then further developed the model according to his own designs.
The sale of the Lagerfeld Collection in spring 2000 was a celebration of one of the most passionate collectors of 18th century French decorative arts in modern times. A Francophile since childhood, the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld resided in the hôtel Pozzo di Borgo on the rue de l'Universite on Paris's left bank and furnished it with a distinguished collection of 18th century furniture by the best ébénistes, many of them with royal provenances. This bureau plat was pictured in an intimate and contemplative spot of the residence, positioned before an open window giving onto the courtyard.
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