Offered by Galerie Delvaille
French furniture of the 18th century & French figurative paintings
Stamped by Louis Poussiée Master in Paris in 1739
Reproduced in “18th Century French Furniture” by Pierre Kjelberg
by Pierre Kjelberg page 673
Height 96.5cm
Seat width 60cm / overall 72cm
Seat depth 57cm / wall depth 70cm
This ample pair of armchairs is in richly carved beech. The proportions illustrate the purest French classicism, with dimensions that give these seats optimum comfort. In the 18th century, frame models were generally commissioned from master carpenters by wealthy patrons, who wished to have several upholsteries in a single series, and an incomparable braid-free finish. Chassis chairs are infinitely rarer than classic models.
These armchairs are stamped by Louis Poussiée, about whom we have little information. This carpenter, who probably died young, only practiced for about ten years. As a result, his reputation is rather low compared to the quality of the few chairs we know of. We know from Pierre Kjelberg that Louis Poussiée worked in collaboration with Etienne Saint Georges, who produced beautiful, well-balanced, sculpted pieces like ours. Pierre Kjelberg reproduced our chairs on page 673 of his book “Le mobilier français du 18ème siècle”.
The line of this pair is very elegant, with particularly wide, deep molding and taut curves reminiscent of the Regency period. The nervous carving of the decorative elements - acanthus leaves, cartouches, volutes and florets - has been executed by a virtuoso hand. The cartouches are reminiscent of the motifs and quality of those by Heurtaut and Tilliard; also noteworthy is the quality of the beech used, with a total absence of defects and a grain of exemplary finesse.
These seats are in remarkable condition. They have not been damaged in any way, nor have they suffered any particular accident. The wood is perfectly sound, attesting to excellent preservation conditions. They have just been restored in carpentry, and the beautiful green embossed velvet upholstery has been preserved, having hardly been used since their purchase from the Hôtel Georges V in Paris in 1989.
