A Louis XV giltwood stool Stamped Tilliard

A Louis XV carved and gilded beech wood stool, rectangular quadrilateral shape with long, concave and convex crossbars. This beautiful stool features an asymmetrical rocaille sculpture decoration gathered with burst pomegranate inscribed in vigorously carved foliage. The base has a temperate arching movement, gradually hollowed out. The naturalistic ornamentation of the corner stops made up of flowered foliage combined with that of the base covered with foliage matching the crosspieces contribute to the refined elegance of this stool. It should be noted that the motif says: the exploded grenade was born from the hand of Jean-Baptiste I Tilliard; in 1730 the master transformed the fleuron into an exploded grenade, and inaugurated the asymmetrical cartouche which would persist until 1745. Tilliard's stamp is struck on the inside of the front crossbar; near which appear the initials: C then L. Knowing that under the corporate regulations in force, Tilliard had to collaborate in particular with the sculptor Chaillon, we believe we can make a correlation between the initial C and the master sculptor Chaillon. The initial L should correspond to that of the gilder, unfortunately this one is unknown to us. The taupe silk cover with foliage and flower motifs comes from the oldest silk factory in Lyon, La Maison Tassinari & Chatel. Stools played an important role in the hierarchical arrangement of seats at the French court. Depending on rank and pre-eminence, one remained standing or was assigned a floor cushion or a stool, rarely a chair. This stool demonstrates the artisanal know-how that characterized the furniture of the Tilliard family of carpenters. Jean-Baptiste I Tilliard was a carpenter for the Garde Meuble in 1730. He produced the furniture for the queen's apartment and the king's cabinet in Versailles. Coming from a family of carpenters and receiving his master's degree in 1717, his specialty was the creation of seats under the reign of Louis XV for which he acquired a great reputation. He indeed participated in the evolution of the rocaille style by innovating with elegant curves and fine sculptures, notably hearts and burst pomegranates or palmettes above the feet; our stool is the perfect example. His reputation is significant: Jean-Baptiste I supplied 6,000 pounds worth of goods to the Prince of Soubise. His clients are the Marquise de Pompadour and several members of the aristocracy. Regarding its production it was abundant and composed of suites of seats. The shapes are moving, balanced and pure. The furniture is generally carved with heart-shaped cartouches, pomegranates of foliage or flowers. In order to produce works of excellent quality, he sometimes calls on sculptors and gilders. Jean-Baptiste I Tilliard stamped his creations. His son Jean-Baptiste II himself took up this stamp on more neoclassical and Transition creations. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the father's production from that of the son, but such a stamp remains a guarantee of high quality.