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A COMMODE PAINTED BY MAISON JANSEN, PARIS

“…The quintessential Jansen look: a skillful and seemingly impossible melding of 18th-century french palace historicism, 1920s hollywood theatrics, and country house subtleties.” – James Archer Abbott, Author of ‘Jansen’.

Maison Jansen was a Paris based interior design firm founded in 1880, by Dutch entrepreneur Jean-Henri Jansen. It served clients in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America and they continued designing until they closed the firm in 1989.

They catered to the “who’s who” of high society in the 20th century. Most notably, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, King Leopold II, Coco Chanel, The Shah of Iran, the Rockefellers and the Kennedy White House. From its beginnings, the firm paid great attention to historical research combining traditional furnishings with influences of new trends.

Stephane Boudin was the lead designer and trend setter for the better part of 40 years. He created many of the greatest public and private stage sets. While designing French interiors for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, he utilized the talents of Jansen’s artisans to define a very personal aesthetic – one that became known as the “Windsor style”. He executed a pair of French Polychrome Painted Commodes with the Prince of Wales plumes on a white background that is reminiscent of a commode presently on view in the gallery.

Lot 75, A Regence Ormolu-Mounted Trompe L’Oeil Painted Commode, represents the talented Jansen studio. This piece was originally housed in an interior designed by Stephane Boudin for Jansen in the 50’s. It has a whimsical painted surface with playing cards, letters, tassels, sanguine drawings on a white ground with a Jansen signature on the lower left side drawer. Offered in our December 7th auction with a conservative estimate of $2,000-$4,000, it sold for a hammer price of $20,000.

Click here to view Lot 75 in the online catalogue. >

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