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Pair of Louis XIV Armchairs 3105 with Verdure Tapestry

 

pair of Louis XIV chairs verdure tapestry
Price $1,195
Item 3105 - Width 26, Height 45½, Depth 24 (in inches)
Wood - Walnut
Date - Circa 1880
Country of Origin - France
Additional photos below text

It is unusual to find a pair of matching Louis XIV style chairs in such fine condition in terms of sturdiness and stability, and even rarer to find them made of walnut rather than beech or other cheaper hardwoods. The walnut is solid, well-carved and with a nice patina.

While at first we were tempted to re-cover these chairs in something more contemporary, the more we admired them, the more we found the verdure tapestry pattern a pleasing choice. The fabric reflects a style that was all the rage in the Renaissance and named after the French word “vert” or green. We like to think that this style, based on foliage and depicting complex combinations of tree branches and plants without figures or a story, evokes some sort of fantasy or escape into a different world for the inhabitants of 16th century Paris. Lush and dense, the verdure seems an end in itself. As such, the tapestry pattern on these chairs is a basic green with the addition of some color, as the fringe tapestry reflects. We do not believe that this fabric is the original covering as the chairs are over a century old, but it harmonizes perfectly within the theme of vegetation reflected in the carved acanthus leaves of the chairs’ armrests.

Reference

Quette, Anne-Marie, Le Mobilier Français Louis XIII et Louis XIV (Editions Massin, Paris, 1996); Rousseau, Francis, Le Grand Livre des Meubles (Copyright Studio, Paris, 1999)

Uses

As with all our chairs, these are sturdy and comfortable with many years of additional life in them.

3105-base of chair
3105-armrest of acanthus carving
3105-acanthus leaf carving detail
3105-side view of armchair
3105-back of armchair