Pair of large Louis XVI armchairs à la Reine by Antoine Gaillard, Master in 1781

Pair of armchairs à la Reine
Beech relacquered, fully pegged
Dimensions: H. 95 ; W. 63 ; D. 54 ; seat height 40 (cm.)
Paris, circa 1785

Large pair of Queen-size armchairs, resting on four tapered, fluted and curved legs. The belt is molded at the bottom. The connecting dice are decorated with flowers. The finely molded armrests rest on a base with vertical curved flutes. The rectangular Queen-shaped backrest has a double cavet. This pair of armchairs testifies to the great skill of Parisian joiners, with particularly accurate and homogeneous proportions despite the absence of ornamentation: the seat is wide and low, while the back is high enough to be comfortable.

Antoine Gailliard
Receiving his master's diploma in 1781, he supplied the Garde-Meuble royal before the Revolution, and later the Imperial Administration. He retained the use of his stamp after the abolition of the guilds, and produced a few works of cabinetmaking. Our armchairs show some of the characteristic features of his production: armrests with horizontal moldings topping the filleted flutes, and particularly “fat” ringed feet.

Condition report: seats restored in joinery and upholstery. Completely dismantled, rehaired and re-glued. Finished in lacquer with animal glue and blanc de Meudon as in the period. Seat with fine knife edge, on its original straps, table back. La Pérouse fabric from Colony in corn and cotton yarn.