The auctions on June 16th and 17th will showcase the very best of 18th-century European decorative arts. A rich selection of Italian Settecento furniture, including an exceptional Piedmontese secretaire a abattant by Ignazio Ravelli, will be offered on the market for the first time.

A significant collection of 18th-century Sèvres porcelain will echo current interest in the eponymous manufactory, while a major section of silverware and tableware will feature historic pieces such as an armorialed fruit cup with the cypher of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovitch of Russia.

Then, on July 10th, Artcurial will auction L’œil d’un érudit, Une collection européenne (“The Eye of a Scholar: A European Collection”), a Swiss and German-influenced collection featuring furniture by leading cabinetmakers, art objects, sculptures, silverware, and both old and modern paintings. These pieces, divided between a sale in Paris and an online auction, reflect the discerning eye of a demanding collector with a well-defined taste. 

The elegance of the Settecento & The excellence of 18th-century European decorative arts

The auctions on June 16th and 17th will showcase 18th-century European decorative arts through a rich and varied collection of furniture, porcelain and art objects. The selection of 18th-century Italian furniture will feature a Piedmontese secretaire a abattant by Ignazio Ravelli, offered on the market for the first time (est.: €20,000–30,000), carved Venetian mirrors, Roman console tables and exquisite decorations in scagliola and semi-precious stones.

A number of Sèvres porcelain pieces will also be offered for sale, some of which come from famous services such as those belonging to the Countess of Artois, the Baron de Breteuil and Prince Yusupov.

Hailing from a Brussels setting and bearing witness to a certain French way of life that has since vanished, the Countess of Monceau’s collection will take you on a journey through time.

In the section dedicated to silverware and tableware, of particular note is part of King George III of England’s table service (est.: €10,000–15,000) as well as a service from the Bernardaud manufactory produced for Queen Elizabeth II’s state visit to the Élysée Palace (est.: €3,000–5,000). 

Reflecting a passion and erudition shared across generations, the chapter Une collection particulière française : le goût en héritage (“A Distinctive French Collection: Taste as a Legacy”) showcases a skilful blend of 17th- and 18th-century European ceramics and earthenware, with a marked preference for fine English cabinetry. In this section, of particular note are these four 18th-century Strasbourg earthenware statuettes from the commedia dell’arte, attributed to Paul Hannong and from the collections of the Princes of Oettingen-Wallerstein (est.: €30,000–50,000) and a large Nevers earthenware dish, likely bearing the Souchet family coat of arms (est.: €15,000–20,000).

This collection features some of the finest examples of German and Swiss cabinetmaking. It includes a considerable number of pieces – unprecedented on the market – that are the work of the talented Funk family, the most famous dynasty of Swiss cabinetmakers, who were active in Bern throughout the 18th century.  In this regard, we should mention the commode attributed to Mathaus Funk, which is the best-known example of his work (est. €15,000–20,000).

Several pieces also illustrate the collector’s passion for marble and the spirit of the Grand Tour, such as a precious tazza attributed to Benedetto Boschetti (est. €6,000–8,000), a men's toilet table whose lines are directly inspired by the columns of Paestum and Corinth (est.: €2,500–4,000) and a pair of Italian chests of drawers adorned with precious Derbyshire rosewood marble (est.: €6,000–8,000).

The precision and excellence of German cabinetmaking are evident in this collection through numerous pieces from the workshop of the renowned cabinetmaker Roentgen and other cabinetmakers working in his circle, whilst the opulence of the crystal and gilded bronze is showcased in two major candlesticks and a pair of candelabra by Werner & Mieth. Finally, the collection of old and modern paintings reflects the collector’s taste for Swiss painters. Thus, the pair of portraits by Daniel and Hans Jakob Jenner is representative of 17th-century Swiss portraiture (est.: €5,000–7,000). The sale takes us on a journey through the entire production of Swiss artist Albrecht Schnider (born 1958): it features imposing compositions on canvas, acrylics and bronzes.