G.-e. Lexcellent, Set Of Four Louis XVI Chairs, France, Circa 1880

Set offour gilded wooden chairs in the Louis XVI style with cane seats and backs. Thebackrest features a coat-of-arms silhouette resting on two volutes. The oval-shaped seat has a molded band consistinga beaded frieze and a second frieze with a stylized four-lobed floral motif.The fluted base is decorated at the bottom with a wreath ofacanthus leaves. The crossbar features beaded decoration forming four circular segments. Feetwith plant motifs resting on a small sphere. The seat is upholstered inforest-green velvet; the backrest is partially covered with a panel made of thesame fabric, with a scalloped edge, accented by a greenand gold cord.

In France, the LouisXVI style was revived primarily during the Second Empire, notablyunder the patronage of Empress Eugénie, who held a veritable cultof the figure of Marie-Antoinette. Thus, the cabinetmakers of the Faubourg Saint-Antoineof that era supplied the uppermiddle class andthe aristocracy with luxuriously crafted furniture and objets d’art, associated inthe collective imaginationcollective imagination with the heyday of acertain “à la française” taste. The choice of furniture with slenderand straight lines—in stark contrastto the exuberance of the Louis XV style—was often de rigueur forreception rooms. Due tounwavering demand throughout the Third Republic, thishistoricisttrend persisted until the BelleÉpoque.

Biography

Guillaume-EdmondLexcellent was born in Paris on December 2, 1834. In 1867, he opened a furniture factory andshowroom located at 46 rue de Charenton in Paris, then at 8 rueBréguet, where he remained in business until 1928. He participated in several World’sFairs, exhibiting furniture in various styles: in 1855 he receivedan honorable mention; in 1867, he received a bronze medal; and in 1889, hereceived a silver medal. Beginning in 1894, Lexcellent began producingreplicas of antique furniture.