Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Armchairs ~ Bergere With Fauteuil

Description

Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Armchairs ~ Bergere with Fauteuil with cut silk velvet recalls … more Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Armchairs ~ Bergere with Fauteuil with cut silk velvet recalls the glory days of Napoleon and Josephine creating what many experts consider to be one of the most elegant and formal of all French designs! The neoclassical architecture of this exceptional pair includes a subtly arched seat back crown, tapered, carved and fluted columns supporting the armrests and the seat. Adorning the entire frontal facade of each framework are a variety of relief carvings exhibiting artistic influences derived from ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, all highlighted in gold to provide accentuation and contrast against the patinaed light gray painted finish. Motifs include foliates, wheat, tridents, rosettes, lotus blossoms and Corinthian capitals. Note that the pair includes a bergere with enclosed, upholstered armrests, and a fauteuil with open armrests. What is immediately captivating, however, is the luxurious cut silk velvet upholstery that remains in very good condition, even on the back side which allows one to place this magnificent piece in the middle of a room if so desired!
As of this writing, the original matching canape plus a wingback armchair in the same upholstery are available!
Circa 1870s
Bergere measures 42H x 27W x 27D; seat 19H;
Fauteuil measures 41H x 26W x 23D; seat 19H less