French Louis XV Beechwood Duchesse Brisee Chaise by P. Remy ca. 1765

LOUIS XV PERIOD CHAISE LONGUE (OR DUCHESSE BRISÉE)

Executed by Pierre Rémy (French, 1724-1798)

Carved beechwood, upholstery
Stamped P * REMY four times

39 1/8" H x 16 3/4" H (to seat) x 64" W (total)
28 1/2" D (chair), 25 7/8" D (ottoman)

A very finely proportioned and skillfully carved chaise longue executed during the reign of Louis XV in the Paris workshop of Pierre Rémy, it features a fluid cabriole form executed in beechwood with a relatively austere handling of the floral crest and rails and subtle molding of the legs. The underside of both are stamped P. REMY altogether four times.

This form is called a Duchesse Brisée, or a "broken duchess", for being divided into either two or three parts. The same form in a single solid piece is known as a Duchesse en Bateau (duchess in a boat), but the present form is particularly nice as it sits more flexibly in the home and can be made to fit such a large number of design scenarios. Ultimately it was a more successful form and seems to have been the more popular of the two forms.

Note the fabulous fluid form of the chair with its perfectly waisted back, sinuous flow of the cabriole legs and the restraint shown in decorating the frame: simple floral highlights and rosettes, subtle scrolled volutes, delicate French toes with scrolled moldings. Everything is harmonious, carefully balanced and properly proportioned to the other elements and the frame as a whole.

Stamped work by Pierre Rémy is exceedingly scarce and always a wonderful find.

Pierre Rémy was born in Paris in 1724 to Pierre Rémy and Marie-Françoise Barat. On May 8th of 1750 he was made maitre, or master turner, thereafter marrying Anne-Catherine Chenevat and moving to the rue Beauregard. Rémy worked almost entirely in the making of chairs from his workshop in the rue Poissonnière, partnering with upholsterers and dealers. He was also a building carpenter of some renown and is written about as having been very successful in that enterprise. Fortunately he did not confine his efforts to this line of work, as the objects produced from his shop are considered to be supreme, possessing the best attributes of chair-making: finesse, exquisite quality of line and a fluid refined carving hand. He closed up his shop in 1780 but did not entirely retire until 1788. He died in Paris ten years later in 1798.

Literature

L'Art et la Maniere des maitres ebinistes Français au XVIII siecle, Jean Nicolay, 1976, p. 394
The art of the chair in eighteenth-century France, Bill Pallot, 1989, p. 314 (and several chairs illustrated)
French cabinetmakers of the eighteenth century, Hachette, 1963, p. 341

Condition: Fore-aft support bar beneath the chair seat is replaced. All upholstery is 20th century and must be changed: worn, holes, threadbare. Old inactive pest damage throughout. Wear and loss to toes, minor chips throughout, cracks, etc. as expected - overall very sturdy and comfortable. Retains a warm glowing patina in the old finish.

ref. 602KSG24P