An Louis XV period armchair in carved and painted beechwood and upholstery, stamped Meunier, French, 18th century. The beechwood frame has a curved back of violin shape, curved arms with scrolled hand rests, and a shaped seat. On 4 cabriolet legs that terminate in scrolled toes. Carved floral motifs highlight the back and seat rails. Painted in a celadon ground with raspberry highlights. Newly upholstered with 3-tone silk fabric from Prelle and passimenterie by Houles.

The underside of seat rail is stamped ‘E.Meunier’ twice. Etienne Meunier, Parisian menuisier (master joiner / chairmaker), active in the early and mid-18th century. This chair dates from circa 1745.

Superb condition. Structurally sound with only minor restorations over time. During restoration we were able to discover the original paint colors, and have refreshed the painting to reflect this. The chair had all of its original internal upholstery materials (canvas webbing, horsehair stuffing etc.), which were remarkably well preserved and in excellent condition for their age. The re-upholstery work was carried out using traditional methods, and the original internal materials were cleaned and have been re-used (reinforced when necessary) to maintain the historical integrity of the piece.

The fabric is a brilliant 100% silk lampas with a satin background of floral bouquets and garlands that beautifully matches the paint colors. The upholstery is in excellent condition (there is a small, barely visible water drop stain to the front of the seat).

The same model (a pair of armchairs and a bergere), also stamped by Meunier, can be seen at the musee Carnavalet in Paris.

An absolutely charming small stamped Louis XV armchair, in fantastic condition and beautifully decorated. This chair displays the wonderful harmony that can be achieved when form, decoration, color, and fabric all come together.

Dimensions:
Height: 84 cm
Width: 62.5 cm
Depth: 53 cm