Doyle will present an auction of English & Continental Furniture, Silver & Decorative Arts and Old Master & 19th Century Paintings & Drawings on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 10am.

The public is invited to the exhibition on view Saturday, January 16 thru Monday, January 18 from Noon - 5pm and by appointment at other times. Safety protocols will be in place. Doyle is located at 175 East 87th Street in Manhattan. View the catalogue and place bids at Doyle.com

Showcased among the paintings and drawings are fine landscapes, still lifes, portraits and religious subjects by European artists from the Renaissance through the 19th century. Highlights include a portrait of Rear Admiral John Sprat Rainier by John Hoppner and a portrait of a gentleman attributed to John Hoppner, both property from the Estate of A. Edward Allinson, Palm Beach.

The auction also offers elegant English and Continental furniture, Georgian silver, porcelain, mirrors, clocks, chandeliers and fine rugs from prominent collections and distinguished estates. At least two of the great makers in the French furniture pantheon are represented in the collection of a Prominent French-American Couple: Jean-François Leleu and Georges Jacob.

Jean-François Leleu apprenticed in the workshop of the Royal ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763). His plans to marry Oeben's widow were thwarted by his fellow apprentice, Jean-Henri Riesener, so he left the Oeben workshop and was appointed maître in 1764. His clients included members of the aristocracy, most importantly the Prince de Condé who ordered furniture for the Palais Bourbon between 1772 and 1776. The Louis XVI ormolu-mounted mahogany console, stamped by Leleu is a fine example of the burgeoning taste for neoclassical design, 'goût grec' of which Leleu was a strong advocate.

Another proponent of the neoclassical style was Georges Jacob, who became one of the most famous Parisian menuisiers of the late 18th and early 19th century. He produced furniture for Marie-Antoinette at Versailles, retired in 1796 when he turned over his business to his sons but returned to make much of the furniture commissioned by Napoleon in the Empire style. The two pairs of Louis XVI painted side chairs, exhibit the finely carved neoclassical motifs of long leaves and beading found on much of Jacob's oeuvre.