Louis XIV Chair

The wooden frame of this chair is made of solid walnut and exquisitely hand carved, exhibiting such classic stylistic motifs as the scrolled acanthus leaf at the end of the armrest and the os de mouton or “sheep’s bone” configuration of the stretcher. As with all our chairs, the foundation of cushion and springs has been completely rebuilt and the chair has been painstakingly re-glued so that it is once again sturdy and stable. In contrast to Gothic and Renaissance styles, Louis XIV’s reign gave rise to a breakthrough in chair construction, with the back becoming higher and the seat becoming larger to accommodate the more ample space required by the fashions of his day. This chair has a straight back rather than a curved one, more typical of an earlier era of Louis XIV’s reign when the straight back was commonly paired with the os de mouton base. New upholstery has been used, a pattern of bronze-colored fleur-de-lys against a background of red chenille, in keeping with the style at the court of Louis XIV where chairs were upholstered in richly colored brocades and damasks. Quette, Anne-Marie, Le Mobilier Français Louis XIII et Louis XIV (Editions Massin, Paris, 1996); Rousseau, Francis, Le Grand Livre des Meubles (Copyright Studio, Paris, 1999) This chair grabs one’s attention no matter where it is placed. It complements many styles of furniture and can be used in virtually any room, for example, a formal living room, a paneled library, a home office, etc. Above all, it is comfortable and, once people sit in it, they will be reluctant to get up. For more information, visit M. Markley Antiques on the Web -- the premier resource in the U.S. for French Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival furniture, including Henri II and Louis XIII styles.