CIRCA 1720

A rare and fascinating example of the transition between the Louis XIV and Louis XV periods, this Régence fauteuil displays a number of decorative features that remain relevant to the aesthetic vocabulary of the Grand Siècle while boldly announcing a new stylistic era with its sinuous lines, scrolling feet and carved shell motifs.

It relates closely in the shape of the frame to an armchair in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (deposit of the Mobilier National, inv. GMEC 240). Dated around 1715-1720 it uses the same structural and decorative formula as the present chair, with the notable exception of the garniture à chassis (drop-in frame). The placement of the decorative carving, including shells, backrest, armrest supports, and legs are strictly similar. It is interesting to compare our chairs with a drawing in the Cronstedt collection of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm (inv. NMH CC 386). Further closely related fauteuils include one currently preserved in the Cleveland Museum of Art (inv. 1925.1219, another of the same model sold at Sotheby's, Paris, 18 March 2010, lot 134 (collection Violette de Talleyrand, duchesse de Sagan, former Gaston Palewski collection), a third sold French and Company, Christie's New York, 27 November, 1998, lot 27, as well as a pair sold Collection Hubert de Givenchy, Christie's Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 36.