A PAIR OF DIRECTOIRE WALNUT STOOLS

Jean-Joseph Chapuis (1765-1864) was a Parisian-trained but Brussels-based cabinetmaker active in the Directoire and Empire periods. During his own lifetime and up until the present day he has often been confused with a Parisian named Claude Chapuis but Jean-Joseph is now thought to be the more important and prolific maker as evidenced by a set of chairs he made for the Royal Palace of Laeken, Brussels (an example sold Phillips, London, 29 April 2014, lot 305) as well as a similar chair currently in the V&A (W.24-1969). The present lot, like the Laeken set, recalls the curule chairs of ancient Rome and is a fine example of the strictly neoclassical taste of the Directoire period.