Pair Of "à La Reine" Caned Fauteuils By Jean Avisse

Paris, Louis XV period, mid-18th century.
Natural, molded and carved beech (originally white-painted).
STAMP : IAVISSE, visible twice on the rear plate of the chassis and on the back of the rear crosspiece of the seat of one of the two fauteuils.

Sumptuous testimony to the remarkable degree of perfection achieved by the greatest master carpenters in Parisian seats in the years 1740-1760, each fauteuil is distinguished by a frame with delicately scrolled crosspieces, associated with armrests repeating the same movement as that of the sides of the belt, armrest supports and the four "console" and roll-up legs of elegant finesse. Presenting majestic lines, the proportions of the seat as a whole are imposing, with a wide backrest, slightly scalloped and inclined, with the upper crosspiece forming a faint "crossbow", with shoulders that are on the other hand well emphasized, and an equally wide seat whose upper part of the seat belt appears perfectly curved.
Of high quality, the work of the sculpture combines the power of the molding and reliefs, and the extreme finesse of the sculpted repertoire. Each seat has, in the center of the seat belt and the upper crossbar of the backrest, exploded pomegranates enhanced by acanthus leaves. The armrest supports describe an animated "whiplash" curve characteristic of the most beautiful seat models from the first part of the reign of Louis XV.
Numerous details confirm the refinement of the execution, in particular the important drop in the shape of an acanthus cartridge crowning the front legs, and the staple motifs topped with a volute of acanthus adorning the shoulders of the back of each armchair. Acanthus foliage sculpted as an extension of the backrest uprights highlights the connecting "dice", connecting the latter to the seat.

Stamped by Jean Avisse (1723 - after 1796, master in 1745), our two fauteuils are built with an original caned back and seat. Presented today in natural beech, these seats have very clear traces of the original white lacquer under the structure. Their ornamental repertoire is in every way similar to part of the production of Jean-Baptiste Gourdin (1723-1781, master in 1748) who produced exceptional models of finely carved Louis XV style caned seats, which is not surprising given the closeness between Jean Avisse and his family. Some suites of seats were even made in collaboration between the two workshops. This is the case for example in the category of luxurious seats of a suite of four Louis XV period "à coiffer" caned fauteuils sold at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on November 22, 1987, two of which bore the stamp of Jean Avisse, and a third that of one of the members of the Gourdin family. We can therefore easily put forward the idea that the creation of our fauteuils was the result of the collaboration of these two very great families of carpenters. This sculpted repertoire previously described - pomegranates, staples, acanthus - also reminds us in every way of the excellent quality seat work coming out of the workshops of the famous carpentry dynasty : the Cressons, and in particular that of Jean-Baptise Cresson (1720 -1781, master in 1741), work presenting numerous analogies with other members of his family.

Jean Avisse
Born in 1723, Jean was the great name of the Avisse dynasty through the quality of his production. He took as his wife Marie-Anne Gourdin from the family of famous carpenters and settled two years after receiving his master's degree, on November 10, 1745, rue de Cléry like his parents and many of his colleagues. He quickly acquired, thanks to the quality of his work, a great reputation and supplied the aristocracy thanks to numerous upholsterers and mercers. He notably carried out orders for the Marquise de Chabannes, the Comtesse de Fontenay and the Chevalier de Lamotte, lieutenant de louveterie au département Auvergne who made considerable purchases from him. The most remarkable part of his work is in the Louis XV style, the most beautiful models of which were beautiful "à la reine" fauteuils remarkable for the nobility of their design and their sober elegance. Indeed, these seats were decorated with scanty motifs but sculpted with vigor and refinement.

LITERATURE : Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIII^e Siècle, Paris, Les Éditions de l’Amateur, 2008 ; Sylvie Legrand-Rossi, Le Mobilier du musée Nissim de Camondo, Dijon, Éditions Faton, 2012.

Good general condition, usual restorations and maintenance.