A PAIR OF LOUIS XV GILTWOOD FAUTEUILS EN CABRIOLET

The general form and ornament of these fauteuils relates to that of a chaise en cabriolet bearing the brand of Jean Gourdin, of the rue de Cléry, a member of the celebrated family of Parisian menuisiers (see P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe Siècle, Paris, 1989, p. 365). Similar to a design by Thomas Malton for a 'Modern chair now in use' in his Compleat Treatise on Perspective, London, 1775, pl. XXXIII, their baton carrying-holes, green underpainting and unusual form might point to an English maker. However their pegged construction, Continental as well as English webbing, and lack of rake on the back leg point to a French origin.