DESCRIPTION
A good quality pair of French Louis XVI Revival ebonised beech salon armchairs with matching footstools, dating from the late nineteenth century.
The shaped and carved frames are surmounted by floral wreath crestings above padded backs upholstered in original woven pictorial tapestry depicting pastoral scenes. The chairs retain carved oval paterae to the shoulders, scrolling arms, fluted supports and turned tapering front legs. Each chair is accompanied by its original matching footstool, upholstered in the same woven tapestry.
The restrained classical design, combined with the ebonised finish and finely woven pastoral upholstery, is characteristic of French Louis XVI Revival furniture of the period. The matching tapestry scenes have mellowed attractively with age and contribute greatly to the decorative appeal of the set.
Complete salon suites retaining their original companion footstools are becoming increasingly uncommon. Equally suited to a drawing room, bedroom or dressing room, they provide both comfortable seating and a striking decorative focal point.
DIMENSIONS
Armchairs
Height: 102cm
Width: 64cm
Depth: 64cm
Seat height: 45cm
Footstools
Height: 19cm
Width: 40cm
Depth: 32cm
CONDITION
The chairs and footstools are in good, solid condition and present well overall. There are light marks, knocks and localised wear to the ebonised finish consistent with age and use.
The original woven tapestry upholstery has faded naturally with age and shows light marks and general wear consistent with its age, while remaining attractive and entirely serviceable. The decorative braid trim is present throughout.
The chairs have been professionally reupholstered in the past, with later webbing beneath the seats, while retaining their period tapestry coverings. The frames are structurally sound, all joints are firm, and the matching footstools remain in similarly good condition.
Overall, this is an attractive and well-preserved late nineteenth-century French salon suite with honest signs of age and use.