A Louis XV pair of Chairs "voyeuses"

Stamped by Louis-Charles Carpentier (Master on July 26, 1752)

Made of molded and carved beech wood, resting on curved legs. Velvet upholstery with blue dot pattern on cream background.

Louis-Charles Carpentier, master craftsman on July 26, 1752, died around 1787. Official carpenter to the Duke of Orleans, grandson of the Regent. He also worked for the Prince of Condé, furnishing the Bourbon Palace, the châteaux of Chantilly and Vanves, and the Hôtel de Lassay. His clients also included Baron Rolin d'Ivry, the Marquise de Brunoy, and the Duchess of Villeroy. Some of the pieces he supplied were produced in collaboration with the sculptor Charles Lachenais under the direction of the architects Claude Billard de Bélisard (or Bellisard).

In 1780, Jean-Baptiste Sené went into partnership with Louis-Charles Carpentier, whose workshop and business he had bought the previous year. This partnership seems to have lasted until 1783, when Sené remarried Marie-Louis Meunier, widow of the carpenter Pluvinet.

"Replacing the heavy protocol established by Louis XIV, lightheartedness appeared during the Regency and became a way of life in 18th-century high society. People indulged in all their passions, among which gambling played an important role.
In an intimate and elegant atmosphere, players lost fortunes or, if they were lucky, amassed millions. Wealthy and demanding, they commissioned the best carpenters to make tables and chairs that met their new needs.
This is how voyeuses, voyeuses, ponteuses, and Flemish chairs came into being. Depending on the player's needs, they had high or low, curved or violin-shaped seats, with or without upholstered armrests. There were a few differences in design, but one thing remained constant: their perfect execution. Produced by the finest workshops, these chairs are now extremely rare and perfectly illustrate the luxury and refinement achieved in the 18th century.

Louvre Museum, chairs stamped L.C. Carpentier:

• Furniture from the four corners of the world (eight Queen's armchairs and two winged sofas, commissioned by the farmer-general Pierre-Isaac Marquet de Peire.
• Pair of armchairs from the Château d'Hénonville, commissioned by tax collector Jean-Baptiste Roslin d'Ivry.