Designs for Three Chairs
Classification
furniture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-134-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Designs for Three Chairs** Jean Démosthène Dugourc1749–1825), a leading French designer of the late 18th, created these *Designs for Three Chairs* 1790, a pivotal moment on the eve of the French Revolution. Dugourc was renowned for his neoclassical furnishings, drawing inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman motifs to revive antique elegance amid the opulent Louis XVI style. As a decorator for royalty and aristocracy, his work bridged the grandeur of the Ancien Régime with emerging tastes, emphasizing symmetry, clean lines, and classical ornamentation like laurel wreaths or fluted legs. ...