Massant / Armchairs / L16TF26

Reproduction of antique model. Louis XVI Armchair by Sené. Original: Antiquarian in Normandy.

This remarkable Parisian fireside armchair makes a low and munificent seat, having the look of a bergere with unupholstered sides. Derived from a “chauffeuse” (low chair), which had to be lower than the king’s chair, it is a luxurious and uncommonly comfortable seat. One will notice the important slant of the back, the slope of the turned back legs, the curve of the armrests and the important size of this aristocratic armchair.

With its refined bead carving, acanthus leaves, rais de coeur coupled with ribbon, it can be attributed to Jean-Baptiste Sené or his brother but it could altogether have come out of the workshop of J-B Boulard or one of the Jacobs, all appointed by the king. Louis XVI Style French style period reverting to classicism, inspired by the straight lines of ancient Greece and Rome, from 1777 to 1790, corresponding roughly to the reign of Louis XVI (1774 – 1793). The period, and the intermediate styles coming in between Louis XV and Louis XVI are known as “transitional” in the trade and “neoclassical” by researchers.