Chair seat

Beauvais

ca. 1810–20

Chair seat by Beauvais

Medium

Wool, silk (26 warps per inch, 10 per cm.)

Dimensions

Gr. L. 28 x Gr. W. 29 inches (71.1 x 73.7 cm)

Classification

Textiles-Tapestries

Culture

French, possibly Beauvais

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Spencer A. Samuels, in memory of Mitchell Samuels, 1981

Accession Number

1981.202.4

Tags

BirdsFeathersFlowers

Art Historical Context

This exquisite chair seat, woven by the renowned Beauvais manufactory around 1810–20, exemplifies the opulence of French Empire-era decorative arts. Produced in wool and silk with a fine weave of 26 warps per inch (10 per cm), it measures 28 x 29 inches, perfectly sized for upholstering a fashionable seat. Beauvais, a leading center for tapestry production in France, specialized in luxurious furnishings that adorned the salons of the elite during Napoleon's time, blending neoclassical elegance with natural motifs. The design likely features vibrant birds, feathers, and flowers—hallmarks of th...

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