Small Table, Possibly A Dressing Table From Château De Chanteloup

Small table, possibly a satin-veneer dressing table resting on four slightly arched legs. The table is surmounted by a wooden top molded on three sides. It opens with two belt drawers on each side of the cabinet. They are adorned with two pull buttons in gilt and chiseled bronze.<br /> Oak frame<br /> The table has two fire marks from the Château de Chanteloup<br /> Late Louis XV period<br / > Usual restorations<br /> H. 72 x W. 83 x D. 52 cm<br /> <br /> Our little table can be compared to the work of Simon Oeben. Indeed, we know that he delivered to the Duke of Choiseul about fifty small pieces of furniture for his residence in Paris and Chanteloup in 1769. The complexity of the stamp between the brothers Simon and Jean-François explains an absence of stamp on our furniture. The confusion of dates of the late accession to mastery between the two brothers, the fact that they worked together as cabinetmaker to the King reinforce this confusion in their work.<br /> Moreover, the catalog of the he exhibition "A monument of grace around the Duke of Choiseul" at the Museum of Fine Arts in Tours in 2007 presents a table similar to ours and mentions an inventory evoking that a satin table was present in a room in Chanteloup above. above Madame de Brionne&#39;s apartment.<br /> <br /> The Château de Chanteloup was built in 1713 at the request of the Princess of Ursins by Jean d&#39;Aubigny. In 1761, the castle was bought by the Duke of Choiseul who decided to enlarge and embellish it considerably. The latter, launched into politics thanks to Madame de Pompadour, became Secretary of State for War and the Navy. In 1758, Louis XV entrusted him with the government of Touraine and therefore bought a hotel in Tours and then the Château de Chanteloup. However, he fell into disgrace in 1770 after having supported Parliament, displeased Madame du Barry, been attacked by the devout party who accused him of ruining the coffers of the state with his armament policy. He was then exiled to Chanteloup with his wife, his sister (Madame de Gramont) and his mistress (the Comtesse de Brionne). They then organized big parties there, whether in the gardens, through hunts or indoor games. Despite the prohibition by Louis XV at court to come and visit the Duke of Choiseul except his relatives, a large crowd rushed to Touraine to assert their independence from the king. Overwhelmed with debts, on the death of the Duc de Choiseul in 1785, his widow sold him Chanteloup. It was then bought by the Duke of Penthièvre, then by Jean-Antoine Chaptal, Napoleon&#39;s Minister of the Interior. The castle was destroyed in the 19th century and the furniture dispersed. Not to mention the gardens and the impressive pagoda, only the furniture bearing the fire mark such as our small table remains from this period.