Furnishings from the Paris Apartment of Suzy and Pierre Delbee

The Entrance Hall of the Delbee apartment, avenue Foch, Paris.

It is no secret that The Devoted Classicist is a big fan of Maison Jansen, the most influential decorators of the 20th century.  So it would come as no surprise that this writer would appreciate the apartment of one of the firm's directors Pierre Delbee and his wife Suzy.  As his reserved predecessor Stephane Boudin merged into retirement, the flamboyant Pierre Delbee, who had joined the firm about thirty years previous and had perhaps become a partner after World War II, led Maison Jansen to include more eclectic approaches to design, embracing modern as well as historical styles.  Delbee was a collector of antique objects and greatly appreciated luxurious materials and finishes;  these characteristics were apparent in the work of the firm as well as in Delbee's own avenue Foch apartment.

Although there were only four main rooms - a hall, a library, and two bedrooms - the apartment in a contemporary building had an almost palatial feeling because of the architectural detailing and furnishings.  The apartment had been featured in numerous blogs, such as The Peak of Chic which provides some additional photos, and the highly recommended book JANSEN by James Archer Abbott which includes a chapter devoted to this apartment.  But a closer look at some of the furnishings are presented here, taken from the catalog of the 1999 Christie's sale in Monaco;  the U.S. dollar amounts given are the hammer prices realized, not including buyer's fees, etc.

The entrance hall in the first image also sometimes functioned as the dining room.  The Jansen workshops produced transitional Louis XV/XVI style panelling painted in three shades of blue with glazed antique cream trim for the walls and the ceiling as well.  But the most memorable feature was the doors, also made in the Jansen workshops over a period of twenty months, inlaid with designs of an architectural theme of temples and follies with geometric trophies presented as a Surrealist ideal.

Set of five doors, designed by Pierre Delbee and made in the Ateliers Jansen, about 1957.
Ebony inlaid with ivory and bronze.
$179,434.

A pair of lacquered wooden corner cabinets, "paire d'encoignures",
with ormolu mounts and breche d'Alep marble tops.
$26,759.

Pair of Italian marble medallions, Lot 500, 16th century.
$34,992.

A pair of silvered chandeliers.
(In typical Jansen fashion, they hold candles but are wired for electricity
with tiny bulbs concealed in the bobeches).
$24,700.

A pair of Regence wall lights, gilt bronze and mirrored glass.
$15,438.

A gateleg table "Royal", 1960, of gunmetal steel, gold plating, and black Formica.
This model was originally designed for the actress Jacqueline Delubac.
$30,875.

The Library of the Delbee apartment.

The library, serving as the only sitting room, was lined with bookcases of Brazilian red-oil wood (Myroxylon balsamum as we learned from the chapter in JANSEN) with passage doors upholstered in olive green suede detailed with strips of gilt bronze.  Suzy Lazard Delbee (reportedly a member of the family that owned the French investment firm Lazard Freres et Cie, again according to JANSEN) had a passion for antique books that was expressed here, with a collection of globes, busts, and architectural models displayed amoung the rare volumes.  But the most outstanding furnishings of this space were the almost throne-like chairs that were constantly rearranged to transform the room.

An ormolu gueridon, mid-19th century.
$71,147.

A pair of Empire period fauteuils of mahogany, stamped Georges Jacob.
Probably made for the Salle de la Convention.
$159,746.

A fauteuil with harp and eagle motifs, early 19th century.
$47,342.

An Empire period bergere of mahogany featuring terminal sphinxes.
A similar chair appears in the painting "Les Licteurs rapport Brutus lses corps ses fils" by David, 1789.
$189,279.

Pierre Delbee's Bedroom

Pierre Delbee's bedroom was an intimate jewel box with the walls upholstered in dark green silk velvet trimmed with a specially woven decorative tape.  (A variation of this scheme was used in the White House Treaty Room during the Jansen decoration for the Kennedys).  The headboard of the bed was covered in a fragment of an antique allegorical tapestry.  The walls were decorated with an array of crucifixes, bas-reliefs, and portrait miniatures.  Here, the stand-out piece was a red lacquer secretaire a abattant signed by Francois Rubestuck dating to circa 1766.  The decorative, fragile piece was not usable, however, because of the narrowness of the room (as noted in JANSEN) but placed there as a work of art.

A Louis XV period secretaire a abattant, lacquer with ormolu mounts.
Stamped F. RUBESTUCK et JME.
$39,109.

A bed with a headboard covered with a tapestry fragment of peiti and gros point
and a cover of antique needlework.
$22,642.

A Louis XV red and cream painted chaise.
$865.

The Corridor to Suzy Delbee's Bedroom.

The corridor leading to Suzy Delbee's bedroom was lined with framed panels of sheet music, not included in the auction, that appear to cover concealed doors to storage.  The simple furnishings of the bedroom centered around a George I bureau-cabinet.


The Terrace of the Delbee apartment.

The famous Jansen 'coral' garden furniture on the terrace was not included in the sale.  The egg-shaped vase was manufactured by Sevres in 1969. 

After Pierre Delbee's death, his widow sold the furnished apartment and their country home to one of Jansen's best clients, Bartolome March-Servera.  After March's death 15 years later, the furnishings were dispursed at this 1999 auction.

All the photos in this post are from Christie's publications.

La Fiorentina Furnishings, Part II

As the fourth consectutive post with the common link of decorating legend Billy Baldwin, The Devoted Classicist continues with a presentation of the furnishings of the Cap Ferrat villa La Fiorentina.  Rebuilt and furnished by Roderick "Rory" Cameron and his mother Enid, Lady Kenmare, following World War II, the notable home was sold to Mary Wells and Harding Lawrence in 1970 with the Billy Baldwin interiors incorporating some of the Cameron-Kenmare decoration and furnishings.  Following the 1999 sale of the furnished villa, the interior was gutted and the furnishings sold at a celebrated 2001 auction at Sotheby's New York.  The following are selections from the catalog, Sale 7638, with the prices being the Hammer Price plus the Buyer's Premium.

A marble sculpture by Andrea Cascella, 1920-1990, UNTITLED, in three parts, 24.25" high, $10,800.

A brown lacquer center table top, now without a base. 5 ft by 30.5 in, $1,080.

The Front Hall has walls that appear to be painted to resemble marble.  No detailed photo is given for the Regency style tole peinte and glass hurricane lamp, but it is listed in the catalog, with a height of 30 inches and sold for $2,160.

A Louis XV style marble and composition console, 33.5" high, 7ft 3in wide, 23.5in deep.  $69,750.

A marble bust of Cardinal Fesch, 19th century, attributed to the workshop of Antonio Canova (1757-1822), 29" high, $21,450.







A Louis XV style rusted bronze cut-glass eight light chandelier, 5ft 3in by 42 in.  It appears that some of the crystal drops are missing in the catalog image, but note the bell-like covers for the concealed lights within the cage. $9,000.





The Master of the Liverpool Madonna (the name given to the anonymous painter active in Rome during the late 1490s), THE BIRTH OF THE VIRGIN, 62.5" by 45.5", $64,000.









The Dining Room as it appeared with the Billy Baldwin decoration for the Lawrences.  The Devoted Classicist does not think the white curtains were a successful treatment in this case, and was thrilled, as chance would have it, that Toby Worthington submitted the photo below from the days of occupancy by Rory Cameron and Lady Kenmare.



From Les Resussites de la Decoration Francaise 1950-60, Mr. Worthington tells us that the murals in this room date from the 18th century, but note the curtain in the center of this photo painted to match the mural.  Lady Kenmare was once a scenic painter in Hollywood, and it is said that she painted the curtain, herself.  Also of note is the sisal rug; Rory Cameron is often credited as introducing this humble material, formerly reserved for wet areas (such as around a swimming pool), for use in combination with fine furnishings.



A Venetian Twelve-light glass chandelier, modern, 4ft 4in high by 4ft 9in diameter, $9,600.




A Louis XVI cream painted console desserte, late 18th century, together with a later copy, each with a white marble top.  Painting refreshed.  32.5in high by 4ft 1.5in wide by 18.5in deep.  $43,875.

 

A faux marble center table, modern, with a glass top.  There were three.  All of the Dining Room furnishings date from the Cameron-Kenmare decoration except for the cloths below.



Three cream painted tables, modern, two with green and ivory silk fern pattern table cloths with an ivory placementre edge, together with a green damask lined table cloth. $3,600.

The Devoted Classicist can understand editing out the lesser pieces if the replacements are much more interesting.  However, he would probably have found a place for at least three items that were included in the sale.  The locations that they held in La Fiorentina are not known.



A tree-formed painted and parcel-gult side table, 30in high by 20.5in wide by 30.5in deep, $11,400.



A watercolor of a hawk by Van Day Truex, $6,000.

A Louis XVI white painted and black lacquer-mounted chaise.  $10,800.

This last chair is much appreciated among bloggers.  The author of What Is James Wearing? revealed that he was the successful bidder of this chair and shows two similar chairs reproduced by the noted company Frederick P. Victoria & Son that were recently in a Christies auction.   Dean Farris Style and The Peak of Chic have also featured this model, known as the Cole Porter chair, in posts on their blogs.  More on remarkable chairs from Frederick P. Victoria & Son will be featured in upcoming posts of The Devoted Classicist.

Except as noted, all photos are from the Sotheby's sale catalog THE COLLECTION OF VILLA FIORENTINA with vintage copies available here.

La Fiorentina Furnishings

This essay is the third of a consecutive series of The Devoted Classicist with the common link being decorating legend Billy Baldwin. His scheme to revitalize the internationally renown Saint Jean Cap Ferrat villa La Fiorentina became an iconic example of interior design with popularity that endures to this day. The 1999 buyer of La Fiorentina purchased it fully furnished, but sold all the contents in a celebrated 2001 auction at Sotheby's New York. The lots consisted mostly of the furnishings selected by Billy Baldwin for Mary and Harding Lawrence, but also some items from the previous owners Roderick "Rory" Cameron and his mother Enid, Lady Kenmare, and even some items included by the new owner.

While the primary sitting room was undoubtedly a glorious space, with a beautiful courtyard on one side and a view down stepped turf steps to the pool and sea beyond, some might be surprised at the number of architectural inconsistencies from what one might expect in a classical room.  The space, which is called the Main Drawing Room in the Sotheby's catalog, was not a classic rectangle in plan, and the French doors had arched transoms on one side and flat head transoms on the other.

In this view from the courtyard towards the Main Drawing Room, one can see the line in the stucco where two floors were added in the rebuilding by Roderick Cameron and his mother Enid, Lady Kenmare.  It is presumed that the interpretation of the checkerboard parterre was the work of noted garden designer Russell Page.

In the descriptions of furnishings from the 2001 Sotheby's catalog, Sale 7638, that follows, the price shown is the Hammer Price plus the Buyer's Premium.

A Louis XV style marble chimneypiece, from the Cameron-Kenmare rebuilding, $14,400.

A Louis XV giltwood mirror, mid 18th century, 7 ft 1 in. by 4 ft 1 in., also from the collection of Cameron-Kenmare and visible in the photo of the room in the previous post of The Devoted Classicist.  $12,000.

Two similar Chinese export blue and white baluster urns with handles, 25 inches high, $4,500.

A Chinese export blue and white porcelain charger, 18th century, in the Kangxi style.  $6,600.

A blue and cream wool carpet designed by Billy Baldwin, one of a pair, both 12 ft 2 in by 9 ft 8 in.  Each sold for $7,200.

A Chinese export style black lacquer low table, modern, designed by Charles Sevrigny, 60.5" by 49" by 17.5", $6,600.
Sevrigny was a popular French furniture and interior designer in the 1960s and 70s;  he also designed the lighting for this room.

A contemporary pale blue upholstered four seat sofa with six additional decorative silk pillows, $11,400.

A pair of pale blue cotton upholstered armchairs, $4,800.

A view of the Main Drawing Room, opposite the fireplace.  The pairs of French doors with flat-head transoms open to a gravel terrace and broad turf steps down towards the sea.

A Louis XVI fauteuil a la reine, third quarter 18th century, signed J.M. Pluvinet, $6,600.

A set of four Louis XV/XVI painted fauteuils a la reine, circa 1770, $36,400.

A pair of Billy Baldwin designed two-tiered upholstered tabourets, 20.5" x 20.5" x 15.5", $12,000.



A pair of metal wire end tables designed by Warren Platner, circa 1970, manufactured by Knoll, missing glass tops, 18" high. $3,000.
A pair of brass three-tiered side tables, 20th century, designed by Billy Baldwin, missing glass shelves, 28.25" high, $6,000.



A Louis XV provincial ebonized table a ecrire, mid 18th century.
There were a couple of small black writing tables used as end tables in this room, but it cannot be determined from the photos if this and the following example were actually from that room.

A Louis XV style ebonized table a ecrire, $1,920.

A pair of Chinese export blue and white porcelain ovoid jars, one fitted as a lamp, together with a baluster-shaped urn.

A pair of Chinese export blue and white porcelain double gourd vases now mounted as lamps.
A pair of Chines export porcelain blue and white porcelain headrests.
A German blue and white pottery baluster-shaped jar, circa 1700, now mounted as a lamp.

 

Kenzo Okada, 1902-1982, ISLAND, oil on canvas, 73 by 48.75 inches, circa 1954-55.  $21,450.

A pair of white linen three seat upholstered sofas, 6 ft 10 in. by 34.5 in. deep by 28 in. high.  $10,200.

A view towards the Gallery with Martin Battersby murals (outside the Dining Room) and the Entrance Hall beyond.

A Louis XV style ormolu-mounted ebonized bureau plat, last quarter 19th century, 6 ft 9 in by 30 in by 32.5 in high, $23,750.

Two similar Wedgwood style black basaltware urns on stands, raised on modern ebonized bases, 38 in. high.  $6,600.



A pair of Louis XVI style black lacquer and parcel-gilt bookshelves fitted at the sides with Chinese export lacquer panels, 86.5" long, $12,000.



A pair of Chinese export blue and white baluster-shaped jars and covers, 25" high, $4,800.



Theodoros Stamos, b. 1922, GRAND BLUE SUN-BOX, 68 by 60 in., dated 1969.  Note that the painting is installed reversed from this image in the photo of the room.



A pair of Louis XVI style ormolu three-light bras de lumieres, 19th century, 29 in. high by 20 in. wide.



The Main Drawing Room of villa La Fiorentina as decorated by Billy Baldwin.

The views of the room are from BILLY BALDWIN REMEMBERS by Billy Baldwin, 1974;  vintage copies of this book may be purchased here.  The furnishings are from the Sotheby's New York auction catalog Sale 7638 and vintage copies of the catalog may be purchased here.