french Royal Inventory marks

Inventory marks on royal french furniture

I have heard a number of stories about a table owned by Marie Antoinette or a chair that belonged to Napoleon, where the only guarantee of provenance is family word of mouth. Frankly, the odds of a piece of French furniture having a royal provenance but being unmarked is extremely small. Before and after the revolution, the French government had an organization called the Garde Meuble that purchased new furniture, controlled the distribution of furniture and kept extensive inventories of its stock. Various stamps and marks were used that indicate the period and the placement of each item. The following examples are from the author's collection, so this is hardly a comprehensive list. Furthermore, as I concentrate on Empire and Restoration furniture, the marks shown are from those periods.
French Garde Meuble Stamp from Restaurtaion
1829 Inventory Label from the Tuileries Palace
Empire Garde Meuble Stamp for Tuileries
Tuileries Stamp
Palace Neuilly Stamp - Louis Philippe Period
Tuileries Inventory Stamp
Garde Meuble and TH for Tuileries (spelled Thuileries in 18th Century)
Paper Inventory Label from the Palace Royal, Paris
Chateau Mondon?
French Royal Inventory - Chateau Compeigne -Empire
Chateau Royal - Louis Philippe Period