Pair 19th C. French Louis XV Style Giltwood Armchairs

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This elegant and generously proportioned pair of French Louis XV Revival giltwood bergère armchairs, dating from approximately 1890 to 1920, … Read more This elegant and generously proportioned pair of French Louis XV Revival giltwood bergère armchairs, dating from approximately 1890 to 1920, beautifully captures the comfort, fluidity, and decorative richness associated with eighteenth-century French seating. Created during a period when the great historic French styles were being enthusiastically revived for sophisticated European interiors, these chairs combine the unmistakable curvilinear vocabulary of the Louis XV period with the substantial proportions and luxurious upholstery favored around the turn of the twentieth century.

Each chair is built around a tall, gently shaped upholstered back, framed by richly carved giltwood. The crest rises in a subtle serpentine curve and is centered by an exuberant carved floral and foliate cartouche, from which the molded frame sweeps downward in a continuous, graceful movement. Rather than relying upon rigid symmetry and straight architectural lines, the design emphasizes movement—a fundamental characteristic of the Louis XV aesthetic.

The open arms are equally graceful. Upholstered arm pads provide additional comfort, while the exposed giltwood arm supports curve outward and downward in fluid, almost sculptural profiles before joining the seat frame. Small upholstered side panels beneath the arms give the chairs the partially enclosed quality associated with the bergère, while preserving the visual lightness of an open-arm fauteuil.

Below the seat is a deeply shaped serpentine apron, richly carved with scrolling foliage, flowers, and shell-like Rococo ornament. The carving is particularly concentrated at the center and corners, where it flows naturally into the four elegant cabriole legs. These legs curve outward at the knees and inward toward delicate scrolling feet, creating the characteristic S-shaped movement so closely associated with Louis XV furniture.

The gilt finish has an attractive aged, mellow character, with variations in tone, rubbing, darker areas, and occasional glimpses of the underlying ground contributing to the chairs' antique appearance. Rather than appearing uniformly bright or newly gilded, the surfaces possess the depth and visual texture expected of furniture that has survived for more than a century.

Both chairs are upholstered in a restrained ivory or cream-colored textile, allowing the elaborate giltwood frames to remain the principal decorative focus. The backs are lightly buttoned, while each chair incorporates a substantial loose seat cushion over the upholstered seat foundation. The generous cushioning and broad proportions emphasize that these were conceived not merely as decorative salon chairs but as genuinely comfortable seating.

Dating to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, the pair belongs to the important French tradition of meubles de style, in which skilled cabinetmakers and carvers revisited the celebrated furniture designs of the ancien régime. Louis XV Revival furniture could range enormously in quality; these chairs are distinguished by their substantial scale, extensive carving, coherent proportions, and particularly generous use of gilt decoration.

As a matched pair, they have considerable decorative presence. Positioned opposite a sofa, flanking a fireplace, or placed within a formal salon, library, bedroom, or reception room, they create an immediate sense of French elegance. Their combination of carved giltwood, serpentine frames, cabriole legs, floral Rococo ornament, tall upholstered backs, padded arms, and deep loose cushions makes them handsome examples of the enduring Louis XV tradition and imposing survivors of the great French decorative revival of circa 1890–1920.



Dimensions: 41 inches high x 28.25 inches wide x 22 inches deep. Seat Height 19 See less