EARLY LOUIS XV ARMCHAIR, CIRCA 1730 Carved and gilded beechwood with linked rushes, the back decorated in the centre with a three-lobed cartouche set in a shell and flanked by foliage, the shoulders with foliage in relief and a flower set in a medallion, the belt with a cabochon motif, the scrolled legs surmounted by a shell, upholstered in silk damask with red floral decoration. H.102 cm (40 ¼ in.) l.72 cm (28 ¼ in.) Provenance: Sale in Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 28 June 1996, lot 179. An early Louis XV giltwood fauteuil a la reine, circa 1730 With its harmonious proportions and richly ornamented carvings, this fauteuil à la reine is a rare and precious example of the excellence of Parisian joinery in the first half of the 18th century. It is a particularly good example of the pivotal period in the development of the chair between 1720 and 1730. It was from 1720 onwards that the arm console was set back from the front leg. However, the presence of decorative elements inspired by the rocaille repertoire suggests that this piece belongs to a more advanced phase of the Regency style, around 1730. The stylistic features typical of this period are perfectly illustrated by this armchair: the symmetrical shell in the centre of the back, the cube rising above the armrest console, the linked rush motif on the back, the shoulders adorned with delicate carved relief and the classically inspired "scrolled" feet. These last two elements are reminiscent of the work of the ornamentalist Nicolas Pineau. This chair can be traced back to a drawing by Nicolas Pineau (see Fig. 1) in the Musée des Arts décoratifs (Inv. A 4501) and reproduced in B.G.B. Pallot, L'Art du Siège au XVIIIe siècle en France, A.C.R. Gismondi Éditeurs, 1987, p. 121. A comparable fauteuil à la reine (see Fig. 2), with the same "scrolled" legs and similar carved decoration on the back and shoulders, is also in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris (Inv. 4563), illustrated in ibid, p. 111. Finally, a second armchair (see Fig. 3) of a similar design, probably made for Henriette Louise de Bourbon Condé, abbess of Beaumont-lès-Tours, was recently exhibited at the Château de Versailles as part of the exhibition 18e aux sources du Design. It is illustrated in D. Alcouffe, 18e aux sources du Design: chefs-d'œuvre du Mobilier 1650-1790, Éditions Faton, no. 13, p. 100-101.