Offered by GSLR Antiques
Salon or bedroom furniture comprising a pair of armchairs and a matching pair of chairs. Cabriolet model in finely moulded and carved wood, with chapeau de gendarme backs and fluted, stop-fluted legs. Upholstered in a printed Nantes fabric: Le Char de l'Aurore. Stamped Claude I Séné on all four seats, Louis XVI period, circa 1775–1780.
Claude Séné – Claude I Séné, son of Jean Séné, was received as a master in 1743. Established on rue de Cléry under the sign "du Grand Saint-Georges", he was the father of Jean-Baptiste-Claude Séné, considered the greatest French chair-maker of the reign of Louis XVI. Claude I Séné trained his son and left behind some very fine Louis XV seats, comfortable and elegant, often constructed with removable frames. By contrast, very few Louis XVI seats by him are known. Claude Séné ceased practising his profession in 1780. Our seats therefore represent a very rare production from the end of his career, typical of the return-to-antiquity style of the years 1775–1780.
The characteristics of a great master chair-maker are immediately recognisable: perfect proportions, flawless execution and extremely refined details. The rosettes on the connecting blocks are very finely carved, giving these seats a unique and exceptionally elegant line.
Seats for connoisseurs: sober in appearance, our seats were designed and constructed according to the standards of perfection of one of the greatest Parisian chair-makers of the 18th century. A side-by-side comparison with other cabriolet seats with basket-handle backs of ordinary quality leaves no doubt.
Our seats are upholstered in a beautiful printed fabric depicting Le Char de l’Aurore, a reproduction of the Beautiran fabric from the end of the 18th century, or of Nantes, circa 1785. Inspired by the painting by Guido Reni, Eos, goddess of the Dawn, drives a chariot drawn by two horses, Daphne is transformed into a laurel tree and Pegasus takes flight from a rock where the temple of music stands. Our upholsterer has produced very high-quality finishes with coordinated cords and braids.
Excellent condition, fully restored. The woodwork is sound and in very good condition (repainted), the fabric is new (Charles Burger), and the upholstery has been completely renewed with horsehair over webbing and springs, with a panelled back.
A beautiful and highly elegant ensemble for a country house.
Back height: 91 cm
Seat height: 42 cm
Width: 61 cm
