Armchair
designed ca. 1786, woven 1790–91; chair frame second half 19th century
Medium
Carved and gilded wood; wool, silk
Dimensions
Overall: 37 3/4 × 27 × 24 in. (95.9 × 68.6 × 61 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture|Textiles-Tapestries
Culture
French, Beauvais
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Claus von Bülow Gift, 1978
Accession Number
1978.404.16a–c
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant armchair exemplifies the opulence of late 18th-century French arts during the Louis XVI period. Designed around 1786—near the end of King Louis XVI's reign—and at the renowned Beauvais tapestry manufactory between 1790 and 1791, it features a carved and gilded wooden frame (a later 19th-century replacement) upholstered in luxurious wool and silk tapestry. The pastoral scene depicted, with figures of men, women, sheep, reflects the era's neoclassical fascination with idyllic rural life, possibly drawing from designs by artists like Jean Jacques François Le Barbier and linked to patrons such as Monsieur de Menou. Beauvais tapestries were celebrated for their high-warp technique, which allowed intricate details and vibrant colors to endure, making them status symbols for the aristocracy. This piece, standing at nearly 38 inches tall, would have graced a grand salon, blending sculpture-like woodwork with textile artistry. Its survival through the French Revolution underscores the enduring appeal of Louis XVI style—symmetrical, refined, and gilded for subtle splendor. Today, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (acquired in 1978), it invites us to imagine Versailles-era leisure, a tactile link to a world of royal commissions and revolutionary change.
About the Artist
de Menou|Beauvais|Jean Jacques François Le Barbier|Louis XVI, King of France ( |French|French) · |1739 |1780 – |1821 |1793
|French, Paris 1739–1821 Paris|French, active 1780–93