- Lot 304

Lot n° 304
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Estimation :
15000 - 20000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 23 750EUR
- Lot 304
RARE PAIR OF PLOYANTS IN X in green relacquered wood, the amounts formed by two swords in X, surmounted on one side by rooster heads and on the other by lion heads. They are joined by two columns with rings and a double turned baluster. Consulate period. (small restorations) H : 49,5 - W : 92 - D : 38,5 cm Provenance : Descendants of the Duke of Treviso Son of a draper and of French-English descent, Mortier studied in Douai at the time of the Revolution. He joined the ranks of the National Guard of Dunkirk in 1789 and in early 1804 became colonel-general of the artillerymen and sailors of the Consular Guard. Mortier was included in the first list of marshals in May 1804 and in 1805 took command of the infantry of the Imperial Guard. He distinguished himself in many military events: in 1805 at Austerlitz, at the battle of Friedland (1807), and became duke of Treviso a year later. From October 1808, he took command of the 5th army corps in Spain and fought at Somo Sierra and at the siege of Saragossa. Later, under Soult's orders, he fought at Arzobispo and Ocaña where he was wounded. He then served in Andalusia, notably at the siege of Badajoz, and was recalled to France in May 1811. Appointed commander of the Young Guard in 1812, he fought at Moskowa, became governor of Moscow and refused to blow up what remained of the city when the retreat began. After the return from Elba, he escorted the king from Lille to the border and sided with Napoleon, but played no active role in the Waterloo campaign. He reluctantly accepted to be part of the court martial responsible for judging Ney and fell into disgrace when it declared itself incompetent. He was given a command in January 1816. Years later, he was sent to St Petersburg as ambassador (1830 and 1832), became Minister of War and then President of the Council. He died on 28 July 1835, injured in an explosion targeting King Louis-Philippe1. This ployant corresponds stylistically to the furniture in fashion around 1796 and until the very beginning of the 19th century, whose decorative repertoire is similar to that commissioned by Josephine from the Jacob brothers for her small hotel on rue Chantereine (rue de la Victoire today): such as the bed such as the bed with a canopy simulating a tent in tricolour tones and the drum-shaped stools. The bed of Marshal Soult, the chairs of the national assembly inserting swords on an openwork back or the pair of stools from the Hammel collection 2 collection also demonstrate this same choice. The influence of N-X.Willemin's collection is certainly not foreign to this evolution, even if Charles Percier and Léonard Fontaine are most often cited. We find in the album of Pierre de La Mésangère, "Meubles et Objets de goût" 1802-1818, plates 41 and 53, two ployants that bear strong similarities to those we present. 1- Napoleon's dictionary1999 Fayard Ed, notice : Jacques Garnier 2- Sale in Paris, December 18, 2001, n°137.
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