Antique Louis XVI Salon Chair with Velvet Upholstery, 1880

Details

Description

Antique salon chair in the Louis XVI style, made in France around 1880–1900 during the revival of classicist styles within … Read more Antique salon chair in the Louis XVI style, made in France around 1880–1900 during the revival of classicist styles within Historicism. The openwork, clearly structured backrest and the fluted, tapered legs create a calmly proportioned, aesthetically unified piece of furniture. Historical context: Light, elegantly crafted individual chairs of this type were common in the furnishings of bourgeois salons, bedrooms, and dressing rooms in France at the end of the 19th century. They served as flexible seating options, designed less for extended periods of sitting than for representation and the overall sense of completeness within a room. The recourse to the formal vocabulary of Louis XVI—fluting, rosette cubes, and band decoration—corresponded to the taste of Historicism, which referenced the Neoclassical period of the late 18th century as the epitome of refined interior design. Features: Openwork backrest with a continuous carved band decoration (Rubans motif) and a curved crossbar. Tapered, fluted front legs with carved rosette cubes; upholstery finished with brass decorative nails. Design: The chair follows the Louis XVI style in its historicist form of the late 19th century. The design is based on clear lines: straight aprons with carved foliate friezes, an architecturally articulated backrest, and the fluting of the legs characteristic of Neoclassicism. Ornamentation is used sparingly and in relation to the structure, giving the piece a formally reduced appearance despite its decorative elements. Function: Formerly: a light parlor and side chair in bourgeois living rooms and bedrooms. Today: an accent and standalone chair, suitable for bedrooms, hallways, dressing rooms, or as additional seating in the living area. Dimensions: Height 88 × Width 44 × Depth 42 cm; Seat height 47 cm. Material and condition: Solid wood, carved. Original antique rose velvet upholstery with a textured weave, in good, usable condition. Overall well preserved with age-related wear. cleaned and inspected at Kastellan.
Up to 250V (Europe/UK Standard).The wiring of this item may be original and might need replacement, if not specified otherwise. See less