Side chair (one of a pair)

Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge

ca. 1775–80 · Carved and gilded beechwood · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This side chair with its slightly curved back is known as cabriolets (chaises en cabriolets). Introduced around 1760, their name derives from a newly fashionable light one-horse carriage, called a “cabriolet”. The frame of the oval back and seat are carved with interlacing bands or guilloche motifs typical for the neoclassical style. Part of a larger set of seat furniture, these chairs are stamped I.B LELARGE. The menuisier Jean-Baptiste lll Lelarge who became a master in 1775, used the same stamp as his father, Jean-Baptiste ll Lelarge (maitre in 1738) after taking over his workshop in 1771. Jean-Baptiste lll rapidly rose to fame working for patrons in France and abroad.

Artist

Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge

Date

ca. 1775–80

Medium

Carved and gilded beechwood

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1923