Armchair (one of a pair)
Louis I Cresson
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Armchairs with a flat (rather than a curved) back were known as « fauteuils à la reine » for the French Queen Marie Leszczynska (1703–1768) who allegedly favored them during the mid-eighteenth century. They are part of the same set as the two bergères (1971.206.5 and 1971.206.6) also in the Met’s collection. In contrast to the bergères, however, intended to be used in the center of the room, these armchairs were most likely placed against the paneling (meublant) and considered as part of the wall decoration. Made around 1760, these chairs bear the mark L.CRESSON underneath their frames which probably refers to the joiner (menuisier) Louis I Cresson. It is difficult, however, to attribute this stamp with certainty to a particular member of the Cresson family since ten of them were masters of the Parisian Corporation des Menuisiers-Ébénistes (Parisian guild of furniture makers) in the eighteenth century, four of whom were called Louis. Famous in Paris, Louis I Cresson’s workshop was called « L’image de Saint-Louis ». Among his prestigious clients were the Prince of Condé and the Duke of Orléans. Executed in the rococo style, his chairs are known for their gilded frames in beechwood carved with flowers and leaf motifs. With their fine and elegant decoration, this pair of chairs is emblematic of Cresson’s work.
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.