REGENCY PERIOD DUCHESS IN BOAT In molded and... Lot 22

REGENCY PERIOD DUCHESS IN BOAT In molded and carved walnut, formerly painted, decorated with pomegranates exploded among foliage cartridges and scales, resting on six cambered legs ending in a foliage scroll, upholstered with fabric decorated in pink on a cream background; small accident to the left ear of the back H. 96 cm (37 ¾ in.) l. : 72 cm (28 ¼ in.) L.: 163 cm (64 ¼ in.) Comparative Bibliography: F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1966, Vol. I, No. 44. A Regence carved walnut duchess in boat This extraordinary duchess, with its rich carved decoration of pomegranates and leafy cartouches, is one of the most sophisticated examples of the first quarter of the 18th century. It represents a testimony of the evolution of the "day bed" of the XVIIth century which is transformed into a long seat, equipped with two bedsides, which sometimes bears in the inventories of the furniture of the Crown, the significant name of "commode" (cfr. G. Janneau, Les Sièges, les éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1993, p. 65). Among the very few examples that have appeared on the market in recent years, let us recall the one from the former Bruni Tedeschi collection, sold at Sotheby's London, March 21, 2007, lot 79, or the one from the Wrightsman collection (cf. Christie's Paris, November 17, 2011, lot 163A).