Lot 433: A LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED TULIPWOOD, AMARANTH, SYCAMORE AND CUBE- PARQUETRY TABLE A JEUX

By Guillaume Kemp Inlaid overall with rosette, trellis and lozenge parquetry, the crossbanded rectangular tray-top with a roulette circlet and pierced brass dial enclosing a baize-lined interior with a painted printed paper game and a backgammon well inlaid in ebony, natural and stained ivory, the sliding front enclosing seven tulipwood shelves, each with two conforming games, on cabriole legs with pierced scrolling rockwork clasps and conforming pierced sabots, stamped on the reverse of the top 'G. KEMP JME', many of the games dated up to 1753, the angle mounts associated, the sabots 19th Century 31 in. (79 cm.) high; 32 in. (81.5 cm.) wide; 23 in. (58.5 cm.) deep PROVENANCE Almost certainly bought by Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Bath (1765-1837) for Longleat, Wiltshire and by descent at Longleat. LITERATURE 1837 Inventory, possibly p. 64, Left of Staircase, 'Mahogany Backgammon Table & Men'. 1852 Inventory, possibly p. 64, Left of Staircase, 'Mahogany Backgammon Table & Men'. 1869 Inventory, Drawing Room, 'A parqueterie table with dial on the top containing the game de la Chouette 1746'. 1896 Inventory (2nd Marquess's Heirlooms), Saloon, 'A Louis XV oblong inlaid tulip, kingwood, satinwood and greenwood roulette table with seven interior slides and backgammon - revolving marker, gilt ormolu mounts - top 31 x 23 in.' J. Leyland, 'Country Homes: Longleat', Country Life Illustrated, 14 August 1897, p. 154 (illustrated in the Saloon, (miscaptioned the Drawing-Room)). P. Verlet, French Fruntiure and Interior Decoration of the 18th Century, London, 1967, pp. 190-191, fig. 159. P. Verlet, Les Meubles Fran‡cais du XVIIIe SiŠcle, Paris, 1982, fig. 126 (mentioned in caption). D. Burnett, Longleat, The Story of an English Country House, Dorset, 1988, rev. ed (black and white interior photograph). EXHIBITION London, Arts Council, French 18th Century Furniture Design, 1960, no. 104. London, Royal Academy, France in the 18th Century, Winter Exhibition, 1968, no. 837. NOTES Guillaume Kemp, maŒtre in 1764. Such elegant games-tables exemplify the passion for card games of all types in 18th Century France. It was the main indoor pastime of Louis XV's court and indeed the duc de Luynes, chronicler of daily life at Court, would actually record the rare days when the King did not play. The games featured here, played by members of the Court and the landed aristocracy, provide a fascinating insight into mid-18th Century French society. Being games of chance they bear a striking similarity to board games on the market today. However, their function was much more educational than their modern counterparts. Le Table chronologique de l'histoire universel taught the basics of French history, as did Le Nouveau Jeu Historique et Chronologique des rois de France, whilst Le Nouveau Jeu des vertus recompens‚es et des vices punis was intended to develop good judgement and reason, as well as instruct and amuse. Many games of the period were specifically targeted at young men. The Nouveau Jeu des Fortifications for example served as an introduction to the art of military defence and warfare, and Le Nouveau Jeu de la Marine taught technical aspects of navigation, and was a response to the overhaul of the Navy undertaken after France's defeat in the Seven Years' War. Adults were not completely ignored, however, and Le Nouveau Jeu de l'himen was most certainly not for the young. It was an extremely popular game concerning the art of courting, and the severest penalty on the board was not for infidelity, as one might suppose, but for indiscretion. In common with other forms of popular ephemera, these games were frequently ill-used and not thought worthy of preservation. Consequently today they are extremely rare. The present group is an important addition to those in the BibliothŠque National, the Schreiber collection at the British Museum, and the Rothschild collection housed at Waddesdon Manor. The livre-journal of the celebrated marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux records numerous games-tables sold between 1748 and 1758, designed for particular games such as piquet, brelan, quadrille and trictrac. A closely related table was sold anonymously, Christie's Monaco, 5 December 1992, lot 75 and is illustrated in N. de ReyniŠr, Le Mobilier Domestique, Paris, 1987, p. 393, fig. 1411. Another, stamped P‚ridiez ( mƒitre in 1738), was sold Ader-Picard-Tajan, Monaco, 17 March 1988, lot 96, and is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Fran‡ais du XVIIIe SiŠcle, Paris, 1989, p. 637 and in P. Verlet, Les Meubles Fran‡cais du XVIIIe SiŠcle, Paris, 1982, fig. 126). We are very grateful to Dr. Sue Laurence for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.