Series Of Four Louis XVI Period Cabriolet Armchairs Attributed To Jean-baptiste III Lelarge.

Paris, circa 1780. This elegant set of four molded and carved beech cabriolet armchairs is attributed to Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge, a Parisian master carpenter who received his mastery in 1775. Their form, balance, and the quality of their carving attest to the refined style of this master seat carpenter. The cabriolet backs are adorned with finely carved ribboned rushes, a motif also found on the belt rails. The tapered legs have rudentate fluting, with connecting dice carved with rosettes. The cavetto armrest consoles are decorated with long acanthus leaves and fluting, details characteristic of the neoclassical decorative vocabulary used by the greatest Parisian seat carpenters. Preserved old paint, it presents a most elegant sea green tone, just cleaned with a beautiful patina. The armchairs have been fully restored according to the rules of the art and upholstered in a high-end designer fabric: Léonie, from the house of Lelièvre - Quenin, with floral motifs inspired by 18th-century calico. A bergère identical to this model, bearing the stamp of Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge, belonged to this set. After careful examination, we noted that the manufacture, proportions and carving quality of the four armchairs are strictly identical, fully justifying this attribution. Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge (1743–1802) is renowned for the quality of his seats, characterized by rigorous construction and delicate ornamentation. As Pierre Kjellberg writes: "The seats of Jean-Baptiste III testify, for the most part, to an undeniable class. Robust, without heaviness, rigorously constructed but not dry, perfectly assembled, they are adorned with simple moldings or fine and incisive carvings, well distributed, without overloading." The Count of Salverte also emphasizes: "The son's creations, treated in the classical genre, are often of the first order: the purity of their lines, the accuracy of the proportions, the grace and harmony of all the details prove the care that this master brought to the study of his models." Backrest height: 88 cm Seat height: 40 cm Total width: 59 cm Total depth: 56 cm Seat width: 52 cm Seat depth: 46 cm