Osias Beert l'Ancien (1580-1624)

Poetic diversity combined a Bouquet by Osias Beert with advanced design by Line Vautrin and Roger Capron.

During a sale organized by Ader last Friday, a wood veneer chest of drawers with bronze flower detailing designed by Charles Cressent – of which barely a dozen examples are recorded – and a large armchair bearing the stamp of Georges Jacob doubled their high estimations, winning bids of €185,600 and €128,000.

Among the furniture in René Simeoni's collection, three top names in French furniture stand out: André-Charles Boulle, Bernard II Van Riesenburgh (B.V.B.R.) and Pierre Roussel.

At a sale in Savoy, a rediscovered lost painting by Louis Lagrenée (1725-1805) rivaled a sumptuous lotus bowl from the Qianlong period.

A fine result extolled this 15th century English Resurrection scene alongside French furniture from the Ancien Régime.

The highly anticipated sale of the contents hailing from the illustrious Franquetot Chateau in Coigny, Normandy, saw the triumph of imperial Chinese porcelain and a female figure from the Ancien Régime by Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

This past Friday, the French craftsmanship of the Ancien Régime took center stage. A rare cabinet in stained wood, attributed to André-Charles Boulle fetched €404,480, a chest of drawers in Coromandel lacquer stamped Pierre Roussel sold € 410, 800 and a folio cabinet by BVRB garnered for €1,264, 000.

As the Ancien Régime drew to its gruesome conclusion, French silk was in high demand and exported in great quantities. Lyon reigned supreme, but cotton mousseline soon replaced patterned silk and wallpaper replaced silk wall hangings. The silk industry had to adapt and innovate.

The Portrait of Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles, painted in 1794, has been acquired by the museum thanks to a voluntary sponsorship campaign. This first work of art by Labille-Guiard, to be shown in the museum, will be displayed in the rooms dedicated to end of the Ancien Régime and the French Revolution.

An exceptional piece recalls that the great 18th-century French illustrator was also a noteworthy inventor. He created this transparency featuring rustic scenes, a forerunner of cinema, under the Ancien Régime.