A set of four folding stools

A set of four Louis XV style carved and lacquered folding stools, The sculpted uprights feature an asymmetrical decoration of leafy volutes, resting on pad feet.
Italy, second half 19th century
They are upholstered with cushions filled with feathers, in mohair velvet and adorned with trimmings.

These folding stools are loosely inspired by those given by King Louis XV to his daughter, the Duchess of Parma, for her palace in Colorno. X-shaped stools were the ultimate court seats, with their usage regulated by protocol. According to custom, courtiers were not allowed to sit in the presence of the sovereigns. However, during the reign of Louis XIII in the French court, certain Ladies of title were granted the exceptional privilege of sitting in the presence of the queen on stools. They were referred to as 'seated women' or 'tabouret,' and this coveted prerogative restricted to princesses of the royal bloodline, duchesses, and foreign princesses.