Three 19th C Louis XV Balloon Back Chairs With Caned Seats and Carved Fruits

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This set of three 19th-century balloon-back dining chairs features front legs in Louis XV-style cabriole legs that terminate in graceful, … Read more This set of three 19th-century balloon-back dining chairs features front legs in Louis XV-style cabriole legs that terminate in graceful, hoofed feet. The shield-shaped seats feature beautifully intact caning, with one looking newer and lighter than the others. Each chair features a unique carved crown of fruit, nuts, and foliage that together represent a harvest of pomegranates, quinces, wheat, grape leaves, almonds, acorns, rose hips, berries, and stone fruits. The wood stain color is a dark mahogany, and we believe the wood to be birch.

Our favorite thing about this set of chairs is the subtle variation of color, texture, and seams in the creative joinery of the balloon back frames, which we have included extra images of to convey. We suspect that some of that joinery may be old repairs done with 19th-century techniques, all of which have stood the test of time, enhancing the character, strength, and story of their 175 years, and distinguishing these 1850s chairs from newer reproductions. See less