Pair Of Etruscan-style Mahogany Chairs From The Directoire Period With Horsehair Upholstery

A pair of mahogany chairs with brass trim, the front legs tapered and the rear legs saber-shaped, set back from the front. The design is very elegant and sophisticated, yet deceptively simple. Parisian production from the very end of the 18th century, circa 1795-1800. These beautiful chairs are unsigned, making it difficult to attribute them with certainty, but they could be the work of Jacob, Séné, or Demay. A beautiful and elegant Directoire-era model, these chairs are typical of the so-called Etruscan style, very fashionable at the end of the 18th century and directly inspired by artifacts from Greco-Roman antiquity, as depicted by the painter David. They are a true prototype, a precursor to what would later become the Empire style, the work of a great 18th-century designer! Everything is meticulously considered in terms of proportions, motifs, and decorative elements. Nothing has been left to chance. Note: The chairs are numbered 4 and 14. They were almost certainly originally part of a set of dining chairs, and the numbering suggests the original quantity and the prestige of the patron. For their complete restoration, we chose to retain the horsehair upholstery and a freshly applied French polish that highlights the mahogany and brass stringing. For the upholstery, we opted for a black horsehair fabric woven on handlooms. This luxurious fabric is now manufactured by only one company in France and worldwide. Width: 45cm Depth: 42cm Height: 89.5cm Seat height: 45.5cm