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Biennais and Napoleon the best in art
When General Bonaparte returned
from Egypt in 1799 to restore order
to a shaky regime, he had not yet
earned the total confidence of the
nation. So choosing the right camp
could have a considerable influence on someone's life...
And Martin-Guillaume Biennais made the right
decision. Unlike his top rivals of the time, Henry
Auguste and Jean-Baptiste Odiot, Biennais did not
come from a great dynasty of goldsmiths. The youngest
son of a ploughman in Normandy, he started out
as a turner before moving to Paris, where he was
admitted as a master "tabletier" (maker of small
objects) in 1788. He then bought the business of
Claude-Louis Anciaux, and worked at making it a
success. Napoleon, grateful for Biennais' belief in him,
made him his goldsmith when he became emperor.
The two men's destinies, forged through forceful determination,
were linked in an extraordinary way. Objects
produced by Biennais were now associated with key
events during the Empire. They included the imperial
insignia for the coronation, travel kits that improved
the daily lives of military campaigns and the ceremonial
arms and decorative items essential to the
regime's prestige. Imperial luxury was not limited to
objects, but also extended to furniture: an area
Biennais was able to cover as guilds had been abolished
in 1791. This stool is a brilliant example of the
furniture he produced, as well as bearing witness to
imperial palace etiquette. Drawn up in 1805, this was
just as elaborate as that of the Ancien Régime. Twelve
stools, designed for the Marshals of the Empire
permitted to sit near the Emperor's throne, were
commissioned from Biennais. Only three were actually
152 GAZETTE DROUOT INTERNATIONAL I N° 25
produced. Their "X"-shaped bases, formed by two
entwined pairs of sabres, reflected the quality of their
recipients. In the two models now in the Musée
National des Châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois Préau,
the warlike theme is emphasised by two octagonal
medallions on the uprights, one showing Minerva,
the other Mars. The stool's X-form was inspired by
the Antique movement, which became fashionable at
the end of the 18th century. It echoes the Roman
curule seat, a symbol of power reserved for certain
magistrates. By maintaining a high level of pomp,
Napoleon transformed imperial residences and the
ceremonies held in them into a showcase for the
regime, while creating outlets for the French luxury
industries. He achieved his goal: courtiers followed the
Emperor's example, and lavished money on their own
personal splendour. They also called on Biennais'
services. In order to fulfil an extremely wide range of
commissions, he employed an average of 150 to 180
craftsmen in his Rue Saint-Honoré workshop.
François-Désiré Froment-Meurice even put forward
the impressive figure of 600 workers (information
provided by his father, also a goldsmith). But Biennais'
monopoly did not survive the fall of the Empire, nor did
his business Napoleon's death. Despite a few major
commissions during the French Restoration, Biennais
sold his business to Jean-Charles Cahier in 1821.
Sophie Reyssat
€212,500 X-form "Maréchal" stool, attributed to Martin-Guillaume
Biennais, c. 1813-1814, mahogany, ebony and gilt bronze,
64 x 115 x 51 cm. Fontainebleau, 8 November 2009. Jean-Pierre
Osenat Fontainebleau auction house.