A Cam-Laï rosewood, keruing, mersawa, black and gold lacquer, with inlays of mother-of-pearl, jade and hardstones six-leaf screen, late 19th century
No reserve
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 EUR
Lot Details
Description
decorated with Japanese motifs of cranes, stylised peonies and polychrome relief decoration featuring inlaid birds, fitted with two brass handles; (losses)
Une feuille : 105,5 x 21,5 cm ; a leaf : 41 1/2 x 8 1/2 in
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Céleste Albaret (1891-1984) entered Marcel Proust's service with her husband in 1914. A devoted servant to the famous writer, she lived with him at his various Parisian addresses (Boulevard Haussmann, Rue Laurent Pichat, and Rue Hamelin), often writing down the final chapters of his literary work at his dictation, and remained with him until his death in 1922. Proust drew inspiration from her for the character of Françoise in In Search of Lost Time. A guardian of his memory, she published her memoirs in 1972, "Monsieur Proust."
Léa François was a Belgian academic who wrote a book on Proust in 1945, "Sur Proust." In February 1950, she organized a Proust exhibition in Belgium, at which Céleste Albaret was the guest of honor. It was probably on this occasion that Céleste gave the screen to Léa François.
The Carnavalet Museum in Paris has recreated Proust's bedroom in its exhibition rooms. Behind the bed is a Chinese screen, donated by Odile Guévaudan-Albaret, Céleste's daughter, in 1989. Our screen, also with oriental decoration, was located in the small sitting room to partition the large spaces and allow more privacy for the great writer.