The European Lifestyle | The Parlor

Evoking the storied walls of English estates and the gilded halls of French chateaux, our July 21 European Lifestyle auction gathers together the decorative and intellectual traditions of Britain and the Continent with a selection of fine art, furniture, decorative arts, and ephemera that recall the luxury and leisure of the country house.

Featuring themes relating to philosophical, equestrian, pastoral, and leisurely pursuits, this sale includes fine porcelain and ceramics, furniture from the Baroque through Neoclassical periods; landscape pictures, portraits and Old Master drawings; sculpture; historical and literary volumes; and refined objects and accessories for entertaining and embellishing home and garden.

Allow us to lead you through a wandering, wistful tour of the erstwhile halls and sumptuous rooms of a bygone era.

The Parlor

"The cup of tea on arrival at a country house is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured cosiness"

—P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters, 1938

The parlor could be considered the heart of the home, where one luxuriates in the comfort of upholstered furniture and soft carpets warmed by a roaring fire.  Well suited to enjoying witty repartee over a game of cards or a cup of tea, a lady might spend her afternoon in the parlor sketching portraits or writing letters, her fine penmanship illuminated by the soft glint of candlelight reflected from the polished wood and gilt surfaces of her secirétaire.

Lot 73 | Jan Frans van Dael (Flemish, 1764-1840) A Still Life of Roses, Peonies, and Other Flowers on a Ledge, oil on panel, $25,000-40,000

Jan Frans van Dael was one of the most highly regarded still life painters in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Originally from Antwerp, the artist moved to Paris in 1786, and by 1793 he was appointed the official painter to the Court. Louis XVIII, Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais and Marie Louise were among his greatest patrons, each owning several of his works. The present painting is a magnificent example of Van Dael’s mastery at capturing fresh flowers in a bright but soft light against a characteristic dark background, a manner he inherited from fellow countryman  Gerard van Spaendonck (1746–1822), and that remains oblivious to the more scientific concerns of his generation.

Lot 78 | A Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted marquetry and parquetry mahogany and kingwood cabinet, François Linke (French, 1955-1946), Paris, circa 1900, $4,000-6,000

This Louis XV style kingwood and mahogany cabinet by François Linke, circa 1900, demonstrates the full artistry of the master ébéniste's lavish work in marquetry and gilt-bronze, so emblematic of the opulence of the Belle Époque.  An original drawing by Linke relating to this model is illustrated in Christopher Payne, François Linke, 1955-1946, The Belle Époque of French Furniture.