THE BELOEIL CABINETS: AN EXTRAORDINARY PAIR OF QING DYNASTY LACQUER CABINETS-ON-STANDS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE PRINCE DE LIGNE

June 12 2009, 4:17pm

Qianlong Period. Circa 1765. The present lacquer cabinets, raised on their original stands, are externally decorated with unusually bold figures in a landscape, and open to reveal further imagery with painted figures incorporated into an architectural balconied interior. While the doors of one cabinet unfold to portray a magical vision of the Orient, unlocking the secret panels of the other cabinet reveal intensely erotic scenes set within a beautiful garden. The exotic and highly unusual charm of these cabinets would have appealed to Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne (1735-1814), since it was he who doubtless acquired them for the Chateau de Beloeil. Charles Joseph de Ligne was born in January 1735, heir to this princely family from Hainaut, a flat and fertile province forty miles southwest of Brussels. He was a close friend of the infamous Cassanova and was known to be a charmer of the age, seducing many, including Madame du Barry and Madame de Staël.