Antique style mahogany and mahogany veneer desk armchair, resting on powerful monopod hock legs with claws and winged lion bust, the back inverted. Frame seat, original used fawn leather upholstery. Empire period. Stamped by François LORET, a Parisian cabinetmaker active between 1811 and 1832 and supplier of imperial furniture from 1811. Height : 103 cm 103 cm - Width : 75 cm - Depth : 87 cm The mobilier national conserves around twenty chairs by François Loret, who was also responsible for furnishing the Ministry of War under the First Empire, and for the Château de Versailles (GMT 5628 001). He continued to supply furniture until the reign of Louis Philippe. Our armchair was almost certainly made from a design by the architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine when they were commissioned to fit out the hall of the Convention Nationale, in collaboration with Georges Jacob. The model comes from antique marble and bronze furniture discovered during excavations in Herculaneum and Pompeii. Several examples have been referenced, both by Georges Jacob and Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené. The model of the front legs can be found on an office armchair stamped by Jean-Baptiste-Claude SENE, sent to the Grand Trianon under Louis Philippe, and later used for General de Gaulle's office. Provenance: Clermont Ferrand auction house