Large Flat-backed Sofa, Known As A "queen's Sofa," 18th Century, Stamped M. Gourdin

Louis XV period, circa 1755. Stamped by Michel Gourdin (master in 1752). Unfurnished and unupholstered. Michel Gourdin, known as "the Younger," younger son of the cabinetmaker Jean Gourdin, worked on the rue de Clery for about thirty years. He was known as Gourdin the Younger and was the brother of J.-B. Gourdin. An excellent craftsman, he produced Louis XV, then transitional, and Louis XVI style chairs. Between 1770 and 1772, he delivered a set of cabinet furniture for the chamber of the Dauphine Marie Antoinette, probably via her private furniture repository. In 1777, he became one of the suppliers to the Garde-Meuble (Royal Furniture Repository). The Mobilier National (National Furniture Collection) holds chairs bearing his stamp. He also supplied the Prince of Condé with a set of chairs for the Temple Palace, which, after belonging to the Duke of Orléans at the Château d'Eu, are now in the Wallace Collection (6 armchairs). His work can also be seen at Windsor Castle, in the Wrightsman Collection, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Ref: P. Kjellberg, “French Furniture in the 18th Century”; Madeleine Jarry, “The French Seat”; Caroline Legrand, “The Gourdin Joiners of the 18th Century,” L'Estampille/L'Objet d'Art, April 2004. Artist: Gourdin