This pair of chairs formed part of a suite of furniture designed by Eugene Grasset, circa 1880 for the Paris residence of Charles Gillot, inspired by Haute Epoque designs and by the theories of Violet-le-Duc.
Born in Switzerland in 1841, Eugène Grasset studied architecture and finally settled in Paris in 1871 where he worked as a designer for a fabric maker. He was strongly influenced by the theories of Viollet-le-Duc : "The determinant role of reason in arts and the lesson given to men by nature : no one may invent any new shape as all shapes are already existing in nature".Both client and architect were largely inspired by the French Haute Epoque and Charles Gillot commissioned Grasset to design his residence in this spirit.