A LOUIS XVI GILTWOOD CANAPE

The architectural form and use of Roman laurel leaves illustrates the stylistic progression of the Tilliard dynasty from the sinuous, sculpted lines of the Rococo to the Classical lines and ornament of the Louis XVI era. Under the direction of Jean-Baptiste II Tilliard (1723-97), who assumed both his father’s stamp and the title of maître menuisier du Garde-Meuble du Roi, Tilliard continued to supply furniture to the Royal family. Those commissions included a suite of six fauteuils, a canapé, two bergères and a firescreen for the marchand-mercier François-Charles Darnault in 1784 which went to the apartment of the King of Sweden at Versailles (P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIII Siècle, Paris, 1989, cle, Paris, 1989, p.840). A related canapé from the collection of Monsieur and Madame François was sold at Christie's, London, 9 June 2011, lot 160 (£109, 250).