Pair Of Armchairs Stamped Meunier, Lacquered, Molded And Carved, Louis XV Period

A pair of lacquered, molded, and carved wooden armchairs with violin-shaped backs, stamped Étienne MEUNIER. These armchairs feature a subtly flowing back and seat rail with fine, deep molding. The armrests have whiplash-shaped supports and cuffed armrests. Louis XV period, circa 1765. H x W x D = 91 x 60 x 52 cm. The seats are in excellent condition, having been restored in a cabinetmaker's workshop and reupholstered using traditional methods.

Étienne Meunier was the first and certainly the most renowned of a dynasty of Parisian cabinetmakers. His life is relatively unknown. Around the mid-18th century, he worked on the rue de Cléry for fashionable dealers such as Pierre Migeon and Étienne Igou. All Louis XV chairs bearing his stamp are of very high quality. He produced bergères, armchairs of various shapes, light and elegant, chairs with clean and well-considered lines, and a large number of daybeds, but the office chair appears to have been his great specialty. Most of these chairs are classical, with circular seats upholstered in leather or cane, the seat rail resting on a front leg. Étienne Meunier was, in fact, probably one of the originators of this model. The decoration is understated, and the carvings, while exquisitely detailed, are few and varied, often limited to a flower framed by a few leaves. His workshop, still mentioned in 1770, was perhaps kept by his widow until the end of Louis XV's reign.