Pair of Armchairs (Pre-conservation, without upholstery)

Carved ornament inspired by nature enriches the gilt wood frames of this pair of chairs. Shells spiral around at the ends of armrests, leaves and plant forms spread along the crest of the chair back and seat rails, and water reeds trail down the sides of the back. When the chairs were acquired by the Getty Museum, a thick layer of darkened bronze paint partly obscured the fine carving of these elements. Museum conservators removed the paint, revealing much of the original gesso and some intact gilding.

These armchairs were probably part of a larger set, along with a settee, stools, and a fire screen. As the backs of the chairs are decorated, they functioned as chaises courants, (literally, running chairs) which were meant to be moved around a room and arranged at will in the grand salon of a luxuriously appointed Parisian townhouse. In eighteenth-century France, aristocratic households also had chairs with undecorated backs, chaises meublants (furnishing chairs), which were designed to remain against the walls.