Jean Antoine Bruns - Mahogany Princely Secretary Desk - Delivered To Chantilly In 1816

Jean-Antoine Bruns for the Condé furniture repository
Mahogany cabinet secretary desk
Bearing multiple marks from the furniture repository and the hot-branded inventory from 1845
Dimensions at the marble top: H. 142.5 W. 97.5 D. 42 (cm.)
Paris, 1816

Although very simple in design, this secretary desk is a perfect example of the meticulous craftsmanship of Parisian artisans. It is a piece of furniture with an impeccable oak frame. In addition, the mahogany veneer has been tastefully chosen. This secretary desk rests on cubic molded legs. It opens with two doors and a drop-front and has very light pilaster decoration. Finally, it is topped with Belgian granite marble.

The Condé family's productions and their traceability
This secretary desk meets a very specific need for furniture at the Château de Chantilly. The aim was to refurnish a residence that had been stripped bare during the revolutionary looting. The secretary desk was therefore commissioned from the cabinetmaker for the bedroom of the Count of Rully in 1816. His rank as first gentleman to the Duke of Bourbon, as well as his military career, explain the quality and sobriety of the commission. It was originally paired with a chest of drawers. This piece of furniture was later assigned to a residence of the princely court in Saint-Firmin, as recorded in the 1845 inventories. This residence was used by Mr. Delafontaine, deputy forest inspector. This piece of furniture, along with other objects, was given to him as a gratuity upon his retirement in 1851

The marks present provide valuable information:
-the blue stamp is the crown of the Sons of France
-the monogram under the crown, branded with a hot iron, is from the 1845 inventory
-the monogram under the crown, stenciled, can be dated to around 1830
-Finally, the number 12 provides crucial information: Chantilly had 17 different mahogany secretaries in 1845. This one is the twelfth listed in the inventory: its description matches that of its delivery in 1816 and also tells us that it still has its original marble top.

The Count of Rully and his wife, Princess Adélaïde de Bourbon
Patrice-Gabriel Bernard de Mon-Tessus, Count of), deputy in 1789 and peer of France, born in Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire) on August 10, 1761, died in Paris on February 25, 1831, joined the king's army at a very young age; he was colonel of the Maine regiment at the time of the Revolution. Elected on April 5, 1789, as deputy representative of the nobility to the Estates General by the bailiwick of Chalon-sur-Saône, he was admitted to sit on November 10, 1789, replacing Mr. Bernard de Sassenay, who had resigned. He did not attract much attention there and wrote a letter to the Assembly defending the memory of his brother, who had been killed in a riot in Corsica. Mr. de Rully emigrated in 1791, served in the army of Condé, and campaigned against the Republic until 1796. Appointed field marshal in 1803 by the Count of Provence, and confirmed in this rank on September 12, 1814, after the return of the Bourbons, he was promoted to lieutenant general on July 1, 1815, and called to the Chamber of Peers on August 17 of that year. He voted for death in the trial of Marshal Ney and left the Upper House during the revolution of 1830 so as not to take the oath. He had been aide-de-camp and first gentleman to the Duke of Bourbon. He was married to Adélaïde de Bourbon, the legitimized daughter of the Prince of Condé and Marguerite Michelot, an opera singer. They were married during their exile in London in 1803.

Jean-Antoine Bruns: awarded the title of master craftsman in 1782, he was a subcontractor for Riesener and thus supplied the Royal Crown. His talent and the quality of his work ensured him a stable position throughout the Revolution and the Empire. He carried out commissions for the Bourbons on their return from exile and even became a certified supplier to Louis XVIII in 1824.

Provenance: Delivered for the bedroom of the Count of Rully, first gentleman of the Duke of Bourbon, on the ground floor of the Château de Chantilly in 1816, then to the princely house in Saint-Firmin, and finally to the Delafontaine family by descent.

Condition report: Furniture in excellent condition, with a beautiful French polish. Original marble. Superb gilt morocco leather with small iron stamp.

References: inventories kept at Chantilly, references ZR and 4PA.

My sincere thanks to the team at the Chantilly Castle library for their warm welcome.