FRANCE - ÉPOQUE RÉGENCE Lot n° 35

© PAIR OF WALNUTS WITH WALNUTS Walnut, petit point tapestry H. 118 cm, W. 68 cm, D. 58 cm Restorations This pair of armchairs in moulded and carved walnut has a high straight back slightly sloping and curved at the top. The belt, which is turned on all sides, is embellished in a sober and elegant way with leafy shells. The feet sculpted with scraps of mantling, fleurons and acanthus leaves end in doe hooves and are joined by a double brace of opposite braces, centred on a floral pastillon. The whole is covered with a petit point tapestry from the same period, with foliage and pomegranate motifs. This wide armchair model is a testimony to the evolution of seating at the end of the Louis XIV era and the beginning of the Regency. From the style of the previous century, the high, wide, sloping backrests, entirely covered with fabric, the general rectilinear shape, the "X" spacer or the use of motifs such as the mantling are preserved. But new elements are integrated into these elements, a thin belt, apparent and provided with a charming ornamentation, feet lightened by a curvature replacing the feet in console or baluster. This happy marriage between the rigour of the 17th century and the nascent softness of the following century creates here a very elegant model.