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Tambour de basque by Millereau of Paris, the counter-hoop struck MILLEREAU, BREVETÉ, 66 RUE D'ANGOULÊME. PARIS. Circa 1879 to 1911. 12 in diameter, 2 in deep.
The shell is pierced with six slots, each carrying a pair of metal jingles on a wire pin and framed on the outer face by a painted gilt oval. Between the slots the shell is decorated in gilt with a standing figure playing a tambour de basque, a lyre among foliage, and floral sprays. The ground is a strong orange-red laid directly on the wood, with the gilding applied over it.
The counter-hoop is blackened ferrous metal, drawn up by a screw tensioner against bracket lugs set around the lower edge. Breveté is the French term for patented, and on a drum hoop it denotes the tensioning system.
The date rests on the address rather than on style. François Millereau founded his Paris workshop in 1861, having trained with Besson, and moved the firm to 66 rue d'Angoulême in 1879. It stayed at that address until 1911, when it moved to 15 rue Gambey. The firm passed to Herman Schoenaers, who had married Millereau's daughter, and later instruments are marked Schoenaers-Millereau; it was sold to Selmer in 1930. This hoop carries the Millereau name alone at the rue d'Angoulême address, which places it inside that thirty-two year occupancy.
Millereau is known principally as a brass maker. Percussion from the workshop is met with far less often than its cornets and saxhorns.
The vellum head is absent. What is offered is the painted shell with its jingles, counter-hoop and tensioning hardware.
12 in diameter. 2 in deep.
CONDITION
The head is missing. No fragment of skin remains at the hoop. The shell, the jingles, the counter-hoop and the screw tensioner are all present.
Paint loss runs throughout. The vermilion is crazed across the whole shell and has flaked away in patches, with one loss along the grain beside the standing figure where a splinter of surface wood has lifted. The gilding is rubbed back to the red ground on the raised edges of the pierced ovals and over the high points of the figures.
The metal hoop is pitted and spotted with corrosion, and its blackened finish has broken up along much of its length.
The jingles are present in every slot and swing freely on their pins. The shell is true, with no split through its depth and no opening at the lap joint. The screw tensioner turns.
DETAILS
Diameter — 12 in (30.5 cm)
Depth — 2 in (5 cm)
Jingle slots — eight, each with a pair of metal jingles
Hoop — blackened ferrous metal, screw-tensioned, untested
Maker — Millereau, Paris
Mark — struck on the hoop: MILLEREAU, BREVETÉ, 66 RUE D'ANGOULÊME. PARIS.
Decoration — hand-painted gilt on a vermilion ground
Head — absent
Period — circa 1879 to 1911, from the firm's documented occupancy of that address
Sold as — one tambour de basque, head lacking
There's a wonderful graphic drama to this one: a black japanned coal helmet scuttle with gilt laurel swags, scrolling borders, and a central roundel of cherubs playing with a bird and a flower urn. It's the kind of Victorian fireside piece that was made to be looked at as much as used.
Flip it over and there's a diamond-shaped mark stamped right into the base reading Beldray, a real English tin and metalware manufacturer, alongside "Longcliffe."
Construction and design notes:
- Helmet-form black japanned tole body, scooped front, pointed sloped back
- Two riveted iron carrying handles
- Gilt laurel swags, scrollwork borders, and a central cherub roundel
- Diamond embossed maker's mark on the base
Label / mark transcription (exact):
Diamond-shaped embossed mark (base): "BELDRAY / LONGCLIFFE / BELDRAY"
Note: a matching black japanned tole coal bin with the same gilt cherub-roundel and laurel decoration, carrying a separate "Parnall & Sons Ltd" Bristol retailer's plaque, is listed as a companion piece — see the coal bin listing.
Flat measurements: height 24 in (61 cm); base approximately 10 in diameter, tapering (25.4 cm).
Sold as-is: there's extensive flaking and paint loss across several panels, scattered white speckling and some larger bare patches down to the metal. The gilt decoration still reads beautifully despite this, and the body and handles feel structurally sound throughout.
A great find for a collector of English tole ware or fireside antiques, or anyone wanting a bold black-and-gilt piece with real history and a legible maker's mark. A matching coal bin, decorated identically, is also available, see that listing if you'd like the pair. Origin: England. Era: Victorian, 19th century (a stylistic read; Beldray's documented history as an English metalware maker supports this general period, though the specific decade isn't independently confirmed). Materials: painted tin (tole) with gilt decoration, iron handles. Care: dust gently, keep away from moisture, and please don't touch up the paint losses yourself, a conservator's opinion is worth getting first if you want to address them at all.
A small upholstered stool in the Napoleon III manner, covered all over in deep blue velvet. The seat carries an embroidered panel worked in wool chain stitch: acanthus scrolls in ochre and pale gold around a central rosette, with madder and rose accents.
Every part of the frame is dressed. The legs and the X-shaped stretcher are wrapped in velvet and braid and studded with small stamped rosette nails, a velvet-covered boss sits where the stretchers cross, and a deep fringe of tassels hangs below the seat.
Measurements: 12 by 12 inches across the seat, 18 inches high.
CONDITION
The velvet has faded along the seat edges and is worn through in places on the legs and lower frame, with some fraying at the corners. The embroidery on the seat is bright and complete. The stool has a wobble and should be tightened before use.
The textiles appear older than the frame, which may have been rebuilt or re-covered at a later date.
DETAILS
Form — square upholstered stool, X stretcher with central boss
Seat — 12 x 12 in / 30.5 x 30.5 cm
Height — 18 in / 46 cm
Covering — blue velvet, fibre untested
Seat panel — wool chain-stitch embroidery
Trim — tassel fringe, woven braid, stamped rosette nails
Period — Napoleon III style; textiles 19th century in appearance, frame possibly later