Antique Chairs - Item 4149
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Item 4149 | French Gothic Caquetoires |
Dimensions | Width 19½, Height 48, Depth 17 (in inches) |
Wood | Walnut |
Country | France |
Date | Circa 1870 |
Price |
$2,989 |
Description |
On a
recent trip to France we came across these exceptional, solid walnut caquetoires
at one of our partenaires in St. Ouen. I was immediately taken by the unusually
light color of the walnut and the overall shape that suggested sturdiness and
medieval style. Our partenaire told us a terrific story about how the chairs
had been made in Paris in the late 19th century for a Mr. Roger Pottier who
lived in a chateau in central France in the town of Bigny. He said the chairs
had been based on an original design by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, legendary
architect, preserver of the medieval monuments, furniture designer, restorer
and the committed champion of the Gothic Revival in France. Well known for his restorations of Notre
Dame de Paris and the walled city of Carcassone, Viollet-le-Duc had a profound
influence on the development and use of Gothic design elements in furniture as
well, and so this connection seems thoroughly plausible. The chairs had but one set of owners since
they were made, and now, he said three (including himself and us). As proof of his
tale, he turned over one of the chairs, and sure enough, there was an original
shipping label attached that had helped to direct the chairs to Mr. Pottier
probably by train. |
Reference |
Ader-Tajan,
Collection Bruno Perrier Haute Epoque (Catalog for Sale at Auction on April 6,
1992 at the Hôtel Drouot, Paris); Boccador, Jacqueline, Le Mobilier Français du
Moyen Age à la Renaissance, Editions d'Art Monelle Hayot
(Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, 1988); Thirion, Jacques, Le Mobilier du Moyen Age et
de la Renaissance en France (Editions Faton, Dijon, 1998); Viollet-le-Duc,
Eugène, Le Mobilier Médiéval (Georges Bernage, editor) (Editions Heimdal,
2003). |
Uses |
This
striking pair of caquetoires can be grouped around a small table like our
#3209, in a living or family room setting, a great accompaniment for a library
table in a library, or placed at either end of a low gothic chest in a wide
hallway or entry. |
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