Louis XV style
Armchair (Fauteuil à la reine) (part of a set)
frame by Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot
(1706–1776, warden 1750/52)
Baron Johann Ernst Bernstorff (1712–1772) served as Danish ambassador to the court of Versailles between 1744 and 1751. According to Charles-Philippe d’Albert, duc de Luynes (1695–1758), the diplomat was youthful and witty, possessed both finesse and taste, and spoke the French language better than many native speakers. During his stay in France, Bernstorff formed many friendships and developed a marked taste for the French way of life. It was, therefore, with reluctance that he left Paris and returned to Denmark in 1751 to assume the post of minister of foreign affairs.
For the tapestry room of his newly built residence in Copenhagen, he acquired a series of four wall hangings, Les Amours des Dieux (The Loves of the Gods), from the Beauvais Manufactory. Covers for a set of twelve armchairs and two settees (all of which are in the Museum’s collection) were woven at the same time to complement the tapestries. They display lighthearted compositions of animals, birds, and flowers based on designs by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686–1755). The frames of the seat furniture were made by the Parisian menuisier Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, who, like his father, Nicolas Foliot, was furniture maker to the king’s household. Eight of the twelve chairs and one of the settees are stamped with his name. Enriched with symmetrically placed Rococo ornament, floral garlands, palm branches, and a large shell motif centered on the crest rail, the undulating outline of the chairs and settees is echoed in the tapestry covers. Arranged along the walls, these pieces formed an integral aspect of the interior decoration of the room, which was furnished by Bernstorff according to the latest French fashion with console tables, mirrors, and gilt bronzes, all acquired in Paris.
For the tapestry room of his newly built residence in Copenhagen, he acquired a series of four wall hangings, Les Amours des Dieux (The Loves of the Gods), from the Beauvais Manufactory. Covers for a set of twelve armchairs and two settees (all of which are in the Museum’s collection) were woven at the same time to complement the tapestries. They display lighthearted compositions of animals, birds, and flowers based on designs by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686–1755). The frames of the seat furniture were made by the Parisian menuisier Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, who, like his father, Nicolas Foliot, was furniture maker to the king’s household. Eight of the twelve chairs and one of the settees are stamped with his name. Enriched with symmetrically placed Rococo ornament, floral garlands, palm branches, and a large shell motif centered on the crest rail, the undulating outline of the chairs and settees is echoed in the tapestry covers. Arranged along the walls, these pieces formed an integral aspect of the interior decoration of the room, which was furnished by Bernstorff according to the latest French fashion with console tables, mirrors, and gilt bronzes, all acquired in Paris.
Extrit de http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online
Transitional style
