This past Monday, I told you a half story about this pair of French occasional chairs. I told you they were made in the style of a certain Louis of Versailles, and I hinted that the style of this certain Louis of Versailles has been one of the most popular references for revival furniture through the ages, including today's day (see Ghost chair by Philippe Starck.)
I then gave you three possible time periods in which these chairs were made:
A) Late 19th c. B) 1930s C) 1970s
Pretty tricky!!
The answer, my friends, is B) 1930, and the Louis in question is Louis the XV (15th) of Versailles.
Backgrounder: Louis VX Style, also known as Rococo, is characterized by exotic, carved woods in heavy ornamentation, natural motifs and fluid, feminine forms. Women became much more powerful during this period, gaining a real social foothold with the dawn of women-run intellectual salons. As a result, their influence was felt in the court, and feminine forms like the roll-top desk (which was found in Louis XV's room at Versailles) with hidden compartments and secret drawers, as well as smaller, plush chairs with short arm rests that would be found in the private quarters of ladies' apartments and boudoirs, proliferated.
What makes these two Louis XV-style chairs? And particularly marked by the 1930s? Well, their shape corresponds to the size, femenine curves and shapes described above, but what they're missing is the lavish botanical motifs in the upholstery and the heavy ornamentation in the carving -- no doubt a function of the depression era.
The delicate proportions and fine turn and fluidity of the wood frame is what makes it unlikely that these were forged in the '70s. Since the '50s, Louis XV-style furniture acquired a crude robustness that is unmistakable.
Most of you guessed the '70s, and it was an even split between the '30s and the late 19th century. Only three of you who emailed me the answer got it right, and a big congrats to Alanna, Michelle and Debra for their knowing eye!
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