The Braquenié Collection at Sotheby's Paris

Wednesday, 20 July 2005 11:29

PARIS, FRANCE.- At the Galerie Charpentier, Sotheby's will offer a number of tapestries, gouache and watercolour plans, sketches of tapestries, chair upholstery, rugs and furniture from Braquenié. Around 300 lots, to be sold without reserve, will illustrate the history of French décor and attest to the richness of taste and comfort in the late 19th century adopted by châteaux and large residences throughout the world. La Maison Braquenié - Founded at the beginning of the 19th century, a period during which France had established itself in the domain of the decorative arts, Braquenié was able to create a universe of matching rugs and fabrics for the most prestigious décors. In 1821, Pierre-Antoine Demy and his wife took over the family business and set up in rue Vivienne in Paris where they assembled the most beautiful collections of rugs and tapestries in the capital. The business was successful from the start and in 1830, was named by King Louis-Philippe as "silk fabric merchant to the King". Ten years later, it acquired the "atelier de Paris" in Aubusson and then implemented a policy of creating exclusive models which was to make it famous. Right from the very beginning, Braquenié always blended tradition and innovation, associating reproductions of forgotten designs with orders from a number of new designers. It has regularly worked in partnership with contemporary artists, the most famous of which were Picart-Le-Doux, Saint-Saëns and Lurçat. The Braquenie Collection - The collection brings together examples of tapestries made or acquired by La Maison Braquenié (petit point, gros point, flat weave, canvas and tapestry) since the 17th century. Some, accompanied by the initial plans, illustrate the different stages in the creation of a design, from the sketch to the textile version via the planned placing of a design within a particular décor. Allégorie des douze mois de l'année after Claude II Audran, Antoine Watteau and Alexandre-François Desportes is a marvellous example. Among the tapestry sketches are a pair of 20th century French school canvases offering an elegant composition of weapons trophies and garlands of flowers (estimate: 600 / 800 €).

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