Locations
Paris
76, rue du
Faubourg Saint-Honoré
Paris,
France
+33 1 53 05 53 05
Exhibition
Times
Paris
Thursday,
11 May 2023
10:00 AM -
6:00 PM CEST
Friday, 12
May 2023
10:00 AM -
6:00 PM CEST
Saturday,
13 May 2023
11:00 AM -
7:00 PM CEST
Sunday, 14
May 2023
2:00 PM -
6:00 PM CEST
Monday, 15
May 2023
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM CEST
At Auction:
Jacques Garcia, Intemporel, Sale PF2361
Sotheby’s,
Paris, 16 May 2023 (works on view in Paris, 11–15 May 2023)
https://enfilade18thc.com/2023/02/04/at-sothebys-from-the-collection-of-jacques-garcia/
Enfilade at
Château du Champ-de-Bataille
“The power
of exceptional residences lies in the unforgettable feeling that stays with
those who have visited them. As with all of Jacques Garcia’s creations, Champ
de Bataille is one such memorable place. This setting leaves an indelible mark
from the first visit, from the initial shock of its beauty to the awe when you
realise the mammoth effort that has gone into its construction and renovation.
Nowhere is Garcia’s mastery of atmosphere more evident.” –Mario Tavella, Président of Sotheby’s
France, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe
On 16 May,
75 prestigious works of art—handpicked by French interior designer and
collector Jacques Garcia from the project of a lifetime—will be offered at
Sotheby’s in Paris. The proceeds will benefit Champ de Bataille, preserving its
legacy for future generations. Garcia is the creative force behind many of the
most lavish and opulent settings in the world—from the La Mamounia Hotel in
Marrakech and Hotel Costes in Paris, to painstakingly decorated rooms in the
Louvre and Versailles. Most recently in the limelight has been his Villa Elena
in Noto, a magnificent Sicilian villa featured in the US series The White
Lotus, a labour of love for Garcia who painstakingly restored the baroque
interiors, which were destroyed by an earthquake in 1693.
In 1992,
Garcia acquired the Château du Champ de Bataille, one of the most charming and
inventive buildings of its kind, designed by Louis le Vau (the architect behind
Versailles) and boasting the grandest private garden in Europe. By the late
twentieth century, only two of the rooms were in usable condition; and so,
began a titanic project of renovating the site spanning the next three decades
and then opening its doors to the public.
The
collection assembled by Jacques Garcia for the Champ de Bataille is a tribute
to the finest decorative arts of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, bringing
together exceptional furniture, porcelain, and sculpture. Among the many
masterworks are items that belonged to royalty and nobility—including Kings
Louis XV and Louis XVI, Queens Marie Leszczynska and Marie-Antoinette, King
William III and Queen Mary II, the Count of Provence, and the Dukes of
Penthièvre and Lorraine. The selection continues into the 19th century with
provenances including the Emperor Napoleon and dynastic collectors such as the
Rothschilds.
The sale’s
75 lots will mark Garcia’s 75th birthday. Many pieces within the collection
have a royal provenance, with Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI and Queens Marie
Leszczynska and Marie-Antoinette among the previous owners (Photo from
Sotheby’s).
The sale
will offer several pieces of Neoclassical furniture crafted by prominent
Parisian maker Georges Jacob and delivered for Queen Marie-Antoinette. These
include two pairs of armchairs and a canapé thought to have been ordered for
Marie-Antoinette’s Turkish Boudoir at Fontainebleau (each estimated at
€400,000–600,000).
Among the
most remarkable pieces is a console table by Parisian marchand-mercier and
ébéniste Adam Weisweiler (estimated €1–2 million). The magnificent piece of
furniture bears the hallmarks of the innovations towards the end of Louis XVI’s
reign, bringing together precious materials such as Japanese lacquer and
porcelain plates. The use of painted sheet metal, juxtaposed with the marble
top, is unique in Weisweiler’s corpus, whilst paying homage to the work of his
predecessor Martin Carlin.
A floral
marquetry commode from the Louis XV period, attributed to Antoine-Robert
Gaudreau (the principal supplier of furniture for the royal châteaux early in
the reign of Louis XV), bears the mark of Louis XIV’s grandson, the Duke of
Penthièvre (estimated at €400,000–700,000). Penthièvre was one of the
wealthiest men of his day, living in the Château de Bizy in Normandy, which he
partly decorated with furniture from the Marquise de Pompadour.
The sale
also offers a daybed likely made for the wedding of Napoleon Bonaparte to
Empress Marie-Louise in 1810 (estimated €100,000–200,000). Attributed to Jacob
Desmalter, it follows the design from a drawing by French architects Percier
and Fontaine and decorated with a medallion by Bertrand Andrieu (created to
commemorate the marriage and associated Napoleon with a centuries-old dynasty).
A pair of
cabinets, decorated with remarkable finesse with Japanese laquer and silver
mounts from the Edo period (ca. 1640–80), hail from the collection of King
William III and Queen Mary II of England (estimated €800,000–1,200,000). The
decor reflects the strong Flemish and Dutch influences during their reign, as
well as a penchant for East Asian elements.
The table
service featured in the sale is decorated with images of 400 different birds
after drawings by Buffon (Photo from Sotheby’s).
The sale
will present the most important group of Sèvres ever to appear on the market.
Among them is a pair of vases with Turkish-inspired decor from 1773, the
compositions inspired by painter Jean-Baptiste Le Prince (estimated
€200,000–300,000)—reflecting the contemporary craze of transposing fashionable
artworks onto vases intended for the royal court. The collection also includes
part of a table service with the Suddell family coat of arms, decorated with
more than 400 different birds after the natural history drawings by Georges-Louis
Le Clerc de Buffon, keeper of the Royal Garden in Paris (estimated €600,000–
1,000,000). Among the most spectacular of all is a pair of large ‘Lagrenée’
vases, with a vibrant purple background, dated 1797 (estimated €800,000–
1,200,000). Over its long history, this pair has belonged to a number of the
most prestigious European collections: purchased at the Sèvres factory in
December 1799 before being presented to King Charles IV of Spain in about 1800,
acquired by Alexander Hamilton (the 10th Duke of Hamilton) in 1807–08, and
passed on by descent to the 12th Duke of Hamilton, William Alexander Louis
Stephen Douglas-Hamilton.
Recognised
the world-over, Jacques Garcia has long been one of the most sought-after
interior designers, reinventing himself with each project and dedicated to
innovation through the bringing together of the classic and the modern. His
influence is multi-faceted, spanning interior design, patronage of the arts,
and technical and artistic advisor. Garcia was awarded the Legion of Honour in
1997, before being made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2002,
as well as the Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit.
From the
1990s, Garcia has worked for major international hoteliers, from
Barrière-Desseigne to Costes; his standout achievements include La Réserve in
Paris (a 5-star palace voted as the best hotel in the world in 2017) and the
mythic La Mamounia in Marrakech. His innate talent for matching styles and his
perfect knowledge of history is treasured by some of the greatest museums and
institutions, many of which have entrusted him with their spaces. These include
the Musée de la Vie Romantique in Paris, the grand apartments of Versailles,
and the rooms of François I at the Château de Chambord. He has also played the
rôle of scenographer for several exhibitions, the most spectacular of which was
a recreation of the throne room in Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors in 2007.
An art
lover from his childhood, Garcia is also an eminent collector, buying his first
works at the age of 25. His erudition, curiosity, and encyclopedic knowledge of
inventories, as well as an overriding quest for excellence, has enabled him to
assemble the finest examples of art and antiques. In 1992, Garcia acquired the
Château de Champ de Bataille and set about on the project of a lifetime,
renovating the residence in the image of the Grand Siècle. Inspired by the
Universal Exhibitions, he also populated the garden with multiple follies, bringing
together influences from China and India.
Built in
the 17th century, the Château du Champ de Bataille is one of the most beautiful
estates in France. Its first proprietor, Count Alexandre de Créqui, was exiled
from court and placed under house arrest by Cardinal Mazarin during the Fronde
(a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653). De Créqui set upon
building this home on his land in Normandy to remind himself of the splendour
of the French court.
The castle
then passed through the hands of a number of different families, including several
cousins of the noble Harcourt family, each of whom made profound changes. In
the 19th century, the almost derelict castle even became a hospital and then a
prison.
At the time
that Jacques Garcia acquired the property, only two of the rooms had retained
their original decor. Remaining true to the grand spirit of the 17th and 18th
centuries, Garcia redesigned and restored all of the other rooms, acquiring a
wealth of furniture, paintings, and works of art from great collections to
furnish and bring the space to life.
Alongside
the interiors, Garcia also completely recreated the gardens, with the
assistance of master landscaper Patrick Pottier. The result is a marriage of a
historic garden and a contemporary vision, drawing inspiration from ancient and
philosophical themes. The garden presents several architectural follies,
including the ‘Temple of Leda’ and the ancient theatre or ‘Pavillion of Dreams’
(inspired by Mughal India and furnished with original pieces from Indian
palaces). Today, the Champ de Bataille estate—covering an area of 45
hectares—is the largest private park in Europe, its gardens recognised for
their wonder by the French government.
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