17. 17Y Ф An exceptional Louis XIV gilt-bronze and silver-mounted tortoiseshell and ivory inlaid marquetry mirror frame attributed to Jean Armand, circa 1650-55 Of rectangular form, the moulded double frame with extensive foliate and floral scrolling marquetry, the angle gilt-bronze and silver clasps depicting acanthus and flowering scenes with putti, animals and figural motifs, with further foliate mounts to the centre of the borders, with inner and outer tortoiseshell banding, the bevelled mirror probably replaced, 72cm wide, 82cm high (28in wide, 32in high). Provenance Acquired in Paris in the 1970s EF, Private Collection, Paris, from the 1970s Comparative Literature C. Demetrescu, Les ébénistes de la Couronne sous le règne de Louis XIV, Lausanne, 2021, p.220. C. Demetrescu, Jean Armand, un ébéniste redécouvert du temps de Louis XIV, 2021, pp.49-83. Until the extensive and fascinating research done by the scholar Calin Demetrescu, and the publishing of his 'Les Ebénistes de la Couronne sous le règne de Louis XIV' in 2021 and his article on Jean Armand, such exceptional marquetry work would have been most of the time attributed to the master Pierre Gole (circa 1620-1684), one of the most skilled early ébéniste, highlighted by Lusingh Scheurleer, because of the similarity in the treatment of exotic materials as precious veneers, ivory and tortoiseshell. Only recent academic research has highlighted more precisely a much more intricate network of exceptional craftsmanship active in this specific field of the middle of the 17th century. Thanks to the discovery of important archival documentation by Demetrescu, a talented cabinet maker was identified and his biography was made possible. The German or Flemish Jan Ghermaens, dit Jean Armand, whose name was only known from the mentions in the 'Comptes des Bâtiments du Roi' published by Jules Guiffy, was known to be in Paris from 1630-35, and due to his talent, was soon appointed menuysier du Roy en ébeine, the king's cabinetmaker in ebony, in 1640. He was subsequently appointed cabinet maker to Gaston d'Orléans (1608-1660), third son of king Henri IV. Talented and very prolific, Armand turns out to be one of the best paid craftsmen of the 'administration des Bâtiments du Roi' from 1661 and for almost a decade, producing an incredible quantity of works as flooring, balusters, furniture, mirror frames, objects and pietre dure inlaid cabinets among other luxuries. Demetrescu identified a corpus of several works from this Louis XIV production, most of them beautifully inlaid with ivory and tortoiseshell, in première and contre-partie, that can now be firmly attributed to Jean Armand. The inventory after death of Jean Armand (Arch. Nat, M.C., CII, 69) tells us the importance of his workshop, filled with luxurious materials, precious veneers as ebony, Brazilian rosewood, and other exotic and materials such as ivory and tortoiseshell, among part or completely finished cabinets and other works of art. Demetrescu illustrates Armand's environment and prestigious clientele. The inventory after death and its documents describe with precision some of the important furniture pieces made in the years 1645-1670, some of these -as earlier said- previously attributed to the production of Pierre Gole (circa 1620-1685). A closely related pair of mirrors of smaller size to our mirror frame, (datable to 1650-55), attributed to Jean Armand, are interestingly inlaid respectively in première-partie and in contre-partie. They share not only the same type of design but equally the gilt-bronze corner mounts set with repoussé silver decorated reserves. (see C.Demetrescu, op.cit fig.14, p.68). These were sold Paris, Mes Beaussant-Lefèvre, 20 juin 2009, n° 139 ; and successively in the Collections of Hubert de Givenchy, sold Christie's Hubert de Givenchy, Collectionneur: Hôtel d'Orrouer I-II et Manoir du Jonchet, 17 June 2022, lot 324, (€56,700 incl. Buyers premium). A few similarly inlaid caskets have as well appeared on the market in the last few years, including one inlaid in ivory with birds and scrolling foliage against a red tortoiseshell ground, offered at Christie's London, 11 December 2003, lot 58 (see C.Demetrescu, op.cit fig.13, p.68), and another -with Galerie Steinitz, Paris- conformingly inlaid but bearing the arms of Gaston d'Orléans, for who Armand was working for from 1649. (see C.Demetrescu, op.cit, fig.15a-b16, p.69). Finally, the same type of inlay is equally observed on the façade of a cabinet attributed to Jean Armand, circa 1655, inlaid in ebony, rosewood and première-partie marquetry of tortoiseshell and ivory, conserved in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, in Saint-Denis (non.) (see C.Demetrescu, op.cit fig.12, p.67). This lot is accompanied by a CIC. This lot is subject to CITES regulations. It is the buyer's responsibility to investigate such regulations and to obtain any necessary import or export certificates for export outside the European Union. Please contact the department for further details. Veuillez noter qu'un petit morceau d’écaille dans la partie en bas du miroir est manquant Please note that a piece of tortoiseshell on the lower side of the mirror is missing