Stamped "demay Rue De Cléry", A Pair Of Mahogany Chairs From The Consulate-empire Period

Stamped "Demay rue de Cléry," a pair of Consulate-Empire period chairs in mahogany and mahogany veneer. They feature a slender back and rest on straight, tapered front legs and saber-shaped rear legs. Their understated design is remarkably modern. The set is in very good condition. Solid joinery. Reinforcing brackets. The seats are in good condition, covered with a primer.

Jean-Baptiste-Bernard Demay (1759-1848), a Parisian cabinetmaker, admitted as a master craftsman on February 4, 1784, resided on rue de Cléry, where he worked successfully for about thirty years. From the beginning of his career, he received commissions for furniture for the Queen. His mark "J.-BB DEMAY" appears on the charming flying chairs, adorned with Marie Antoinette's monogram, which are located at the Petit Trianon. Many pieces bearing the same stamp are known, such as the two Montgolfier chairs, which he invented, now on display at the Carnavalet Museum. After the Revolution, Demay used a new stamp that printed the words "DEMAY / RUE DE CLERY" on two lines. This is the stamp with which he signed, during the Consulate, a set of original chairs in walnut inlaid with ebony, now in the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, he supplied the Royal Furniture Repository with salon and dining room chairs for the use of high-ranking officers of the Crown. His workshop disappeared towards the end of the Empire, undoubtedly ruined by the crisis that was then affecting all of French industry.