Martin-Eloy Lignereux

Martin-Eloy Lignereux (1751-1809) was a French Marchand-mercier or decorative arts dealer. Active in Paris from 1781, he founded "la Maison Lignereux". A demanding and refined clientele sought after Martin-Eloy Lignereux in his lifetime. He was called upon to adorn some of the most splendid residences of his time with his creations throughout Europe.

Biography

Early life

Martin-Eloy Lignereux was born in November 1751 in Cuvilly. At the age of 29 Lignereux opened his own Parisian boutique as a marchand-mercier, located in rue Saint-Honoré. This became one of the most influential shops for Luxury goods.

La Maison Daguerre & Lignereux

In April 1787 Martin-Eloy Lignereux formed a partnership with Dominique Daguerre. A jewellery dealer, Daguerre was looked upon as a trend-setter by Queen Marie-Antoinette. Thanks to the Eden Agreement of 1786, expansion of the business to England became possible.

Lignereux and Daguerre become exclusive Parisian retailors for fine china and porcelain creations of the Wedgwood company.[1][2] In 1789, Daguerre opened a shop in London, while Lignereux took direction of the Parisian boutique located at 85, rue St-Honoré. The London store played a key role in the furnishing and decoration of Carlton House and the Royal Pavilion of the Prince of Wales, soon to become George IV.[3] The Manufacture de Sèvres chose Maison Daguerre & Lignereux as the sole retailer of Sèvres porcelains in London.

During their partnership, Lignereux and Daguerre organised several auctions of their stock of art objects and furniture. This common practice for art dealers in the 18th century helped renew the commodity. At least two auction sales were set up by maison Lignereux, one at Christie’s in London in 1791 and the other in Paris in 1793.

Caretaker of Marie-Antoinette’s private collection

On August 10, 1789, Queen Marie-Antoinette entrusted "Daguerre et Lignereux, marchands bijoutiers", with her personal collection of art objects, precious vases, and lacquer boxes. After the Queen’s execution, Lignereux handed this priceless ensemble over the French state.[4][5]

La Maison Lignereux

When Dominique Daguerre died in 1796, Lignereux was at the head of a robust and internationally known business.[6] However, the luxury market in Paris suffered heavily from the French Revolution; exchanges with England were prohibited (except during the Treaty of Amiens in 1802-1803). Despite all these challenges, Lignereux never ceased creating art objects.

He moved the Parisian boutique to newly trendy areas: 2 rue Christine in 1795, then 44 rue Vivienne in 1800, finally to 44 rue Taitbout in 1804, and adapted his work to the current tastes. Under the French Consulate and the First Empire, the reputation of the house increased. In 1802 and in 1803, Lignereux was awarded the gold medal at the Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie Française. His shop was a major destination for art connoisseurs and becomes a touristic attraction for wealthy foreigners.[7]

Posterity

Lignereux had one daughter, Adélaïde-Anne, born in 1782. In 1798, she married cabinetmaker François-Honoré-Georges Jacob, heir to the Jacob dynasty of carpenters and cabinetmakers.[8] Bronze-maker Pierre-Philippe Thomire and architect-decorators Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine witnessed the wedding.[9]

In 1804, an ill Martin-Eloy Lignereux ceded his stock of art objects and furniture to bronze-maker Pierre-Philippe Thomire. Lignereux died in 1809.[10] In 2015, the name of maison Lignereux was resurrected to offer new creations of art objects, elaborated with contemporary artists and craftspeople and destined for international art collectors.[11]

Creations

Trend-setter

As a marchand mercier, Martin-Eloy Lignereux constantly sought ways of satisfying and surprising an ever-demanding clientele.[12][13] From 1787 to 1804, the visual universe of the his creations evolved. The early Louis XVI objects, influenced by "anglomanie" and the ‘"gout chinois", gave way to bolder creations, drawing from Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquity in thestyles of the French Directory, the Consulate and the First Empire.[14]

Collaborations

Lignereux was at the heart of a network of talented artists and artisans.[15] He called upon the greatest craftsmen to design and make, under his supervision, collections of objects and furniture. He collaborates with cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler and bronze makers François Rémond and Pierre-Philippe Thomire.[16]

He built a strong relationship with Manufacture de Sèvres. In addition to the agreement in London in the 1790s, maison Lignereux acts as a retailer of Sèvres porcelain in Paris in 1800-1801 and from 1802 to 1804.[17]

Clientele

Martin-Eloy Lignereux initially benefited from the customer base of Daguerre and, following his partner’s death, increased this prestigious clientele.

From 1787 to 1804, the most influent connoisseurs acquired objects or furniture from Lignereux. An incomplete list of Daguerre and Lignereux’s clients during the French Revolution is taken from the "Etats des débiteurs, émigrés, non émigrés ou condamnés, de la Société Daguerre et Lignereux". It comprises "M. Perregaux, M. Tolozan, M. d'Aumont Valentinois, les comtes d'Artois, d'Angivillers, de Dillon, de Villequier, le baron de Breteuil, les marquis de Balleroy, de Lusignan, de Polignac, les princes et princesses de Condé, de Lamballe, de Montmorency".[18]

Other luminaries can be added: Madame du Barry, the Prince of Wales (soon King George IV),[19] Emperor Napoleon, Impress Joséphine de Beauharnais, "la Reine Hortense", Thomas 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th of Kincardine, Quentin Craufurd, Talleyrand, William Beckford,[20] the Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Hamilton,[21] George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont, John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford,[22] Czar Paul I of Russia, Louis Ier de Bourbon, Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy, General Charles Moreau, Lady Elizabeth Foster, Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth, Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh.[23]

Tributes

In 1802 and again in 1803, Lignereux was awarded the gold medals at the Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie Française. The Gazette Nationale ou le Moniteur Universel newspaper described the award in 1802 as follows  : "The furniture of 'Citoyen Lignereux' seem remarkable in elegance and richness, through the match of all parties, the choice of appropriate shapes for each piece's destination and finally, through the preciseness and finish of inside and outside work" ; and in 1803 : "Lignereux, rue Vivienne, who earned a gold medal in Year IX [i.e. 1802]. Awarded subject: furniture. Motive: richness and elegance".[24]

Several visitors have admired the splendour of the art objects and furniture offered at Lignereux’s:

  • "On 8 March 1803 we visited the fine furniture boutiqueof Lignereux. It is a gathering of finest taste, charming clocks, many mirrors 'à la Psyché', tables, 'garnitures de salon'." (Diary of Madame de Cazenove d'Arlens).[25]
  • "Nothing can be more beautiful (…). All [objects] are in the richest and best taste." (Bertie Greatheed).[26]
  • "1796. Paris. Lignereux. beautiful furniture" (Earl of Malmesbury)[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  2. ↑ This commercial agreement was arranged through banker Jean-Frédéric Perrégaux in April 1787.
  3. ↑ Original invoices confirm the importation of richly decorated mantelpieces from Paris, which were then adjusted by artisans in London.
  4. ↑ "Inventaire des laques anciennes et des objets de curiosité de Marie-Antoinette confiés à Daguerre et Lignereux". 142 pieces are entrusted to Lignereux and Daguerre, including objects made of lacquer, crystal and petrified wood. https://archive.org/stream/archivesdelartfr08guifuoft/archivesdelartfr08guifuoft_djvu.txt
  5. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  6. ↑ A secret note from the Prefect of Police states in 1807 that "in peacetime, the maison of Daguerre and Lignereux made a turnover of between 1 500 000 and 200 000 000 with foreign countries." [quoted in http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/LotDetailsPrintable.aspx?intObjectID=5474045]
  7. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  8. ↑ "La dynastie des Jacob": http://www.latourcamoufle.com/artistes-biographie/les-jacob/?language=en
  9. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  10. ↑ Jérôme Merceron|titre = Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  11. ↑ Maison Lignereux Webpage: http://www.lignereux.com
  12. ↑ Pierre Verlet, Le Commerce des Objets d’Art et les marchands merciers à Paris au XVIIIe siècle, 1958: http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/ahess_0395-2649_1958_num_13_1_2705
  13. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  14. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  15. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  16. ↑ The Stamp of Adam Weisweiller appears on several pieces of furniture which were purchased from the boutiques of Lignereux, in particular in the (former) art collections of the Earls of Elgin and Quentin Craufurd.
  17. ↑ http://www.sevresciteceramique.fr/documents/inventaire_des_collections_documentaires_de_la_cita_=doc51.pdf p.31, Carton U4.
  18. ↑ This client list is quoted in the following note: http://www.piasa.auction.fr/_fr/lot/secretaire-de-dame-en-cabinet-il-est-en-placage-de-citronnier-hellip-2274399#.VTEnzmbXcfE http://www.piasa.auction.fr/_fr/lot/secretaire-de-dame-en-cabinet-il-est-en-placage-de-citronnier-hellip-2274399#.
  19. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  20. ↑ William Beckford is mentioned as a client of M.E. Lignereux's in the following notes: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/LotDetailsPrintable.aspx?intObjectID=3933065 et http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.pdf.
  21. ↑ http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/property-from-the-collections-of-lily-edmond-j-safra-n08822/lot.749.html
  22. ↑ John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, made several acquisitions at Lignereux's during the Treaty of Amiens: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2009/important-furniture-silver-ceramics-l09767/lot.16.html, http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/BID/56365219x0x331701/0140C153-FBB0-4516-93A0-84402AD67949/331701.pdf
  23. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  24. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  25. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  26. ↑ Jérôme Merceron, Martin-Eloy Lignereux, marchand-mercier à Paris à la fin du XVIIIe siecle, Mémoire de DEA sous la direction de MM. Alain Mérot et Bill Pallot, 2000
  27. ↑ http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Diaries_and_Correspondence_of_James_Harris_First_Earl_of_Malmesbury_v3_1000691187/297
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