Vintage Trouvailles Marquetry Desk Chair With Unique Bird & Moth Inlay

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Bay Colony Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this elegant mid 20th century antique marquetry desk chair by Trouvailles … Read more Bay Colony Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this elegant mid 20th century antique marquetry desk chair by Trouvailles Inc. of Watertown, Massachusetts. Trouvailles Inc. was known for producing high quality reproduction furniture inspired by 18th century American & Continental designs. This chair is an excellent example of their work, combining historic design with solid mid-20th century construction.

Oftentimes we encounter these chairs decorated with a few inlaid flowers or another relatively uninspiring design. That is certainly not the case here, as the layout & subject matter of the inlay is lively & stunning. The splat features a beautiful classical urn issuing some flowering vines, inhabited by a stylized game bird. The bird is surrounded by delicately rendered flowers resembling tulips, peonies, and rosette blossoms. The chair is further enhanced by inlaid decoration along the stiles and seat rail. The stiles exhibit a pleasing form and scroll over onto the crest rail which showcases an acanthus leaf & bow knot motif. The chair is raised on finely formed cabriole legs that terminate in distinctive carved hoof feet.

Designed with versatility in mind, this chair is particularly well suited for use at a writing desk, where it will spend much of its time tucked in making the richly inlaid back not only a rare feature, but an especially desirable one. The back of the slat and stiles mirror the quality and detail of the front. Our absolute favorite design aspect of the chair is the exceptional inlaid moth motif on the back of the crest. With this being a desk chair, we believe the moth was chosen as an allusion to a moth seeking light which in this case the light would be knowledge, truth, or spiritual divinity.

Overall, the chair is in great condition with only a few minor condition notes. There is some light finish loss, mainly on the feet, and a bit on the very edge of some of the marquetry inlays. There is a veneer repair at the very bottom center of the seat box & there is a tiny bit of loose veneer on the right side of the inlaid urn on the front which we’ll have our restorer glue down. The chair measures 20 1/2” wide x 18” deep x 41 1/8” tall with an 18 1/2” seat height. See less