Pair of Armchairs by Victor Courtray, France, Circa 1940

Pair of armchairs by French designer and decorator Victor Courtray, dating to circa 1940. The chairs are defined by unusually tall, open backs centred around a vertical sequence of five circular elements. Gently shaped crest rails and long rear uprights frame this geometric composition, while the curved armrests sweep forward towards squared supports. Woven seats introduce a lighter material contrast to the dark wooden frames. The pair was conceived as a special commission for a villa in Biarritz and is offered here as a pair.

Victor Courtray (1896–1987) trained at the École Boulle, graduating in 1914, before working with leading French decorators including Maurice Dufrêne and Paul Follot. After leaving Paris for southwestern France in 1924, Courtray developed a distinctive body of furniture and interiors that combined his Art Deco training with regional influences, particularly those of the Basque Country. He worked as an ensemblier, approaching furniture as part of a wider architectural interior, and received commissions for complete interiors from private clients. The strong geometry, dark timber, woven seating and emphatic back construction of this pair sit within that broader context of his work.