A pair of Swedish bergères
Solid mahogany and mahogany veneer on softwood corpus, ormolu mountings, replaced upholstery with metal couched covers. Armchairs on four sloping supports of square section, the front two terminating in bronze paw feet. The upholstered armrests carved with sphinx heads. With Neoclassical tendril mountings. In pristine restored condition. H 85, W 62, D 68, seat depth 51 cm.
Stockholm, attributed to Ephraim Stahl (1768 - 1820) or his workshop, first quarter 19th C.
Born in Stockholm, Ephraim Stahl (1767 - 1820) was an apprentice to Lars Söderholm from 1785 to 1790. Stahl was a talented maker of chairs who received many commissions in the late Gustavian era. He was appointed royal court chairmaker in 1800 - a position he held until 1809.
The model presented here is one of his most successful; it fitted perfectly to the tastes of his clients. The painted version is far better known than the wooden one with ormolu appliqués, which owes more to the influence of the French Empire style and was possibly also intended for the international market. Thus, the two armchairs are very close in style to the fauteuils designed by Jacob Frères for Empress Joséphine, both in terms of their form and sculptural decoration.
Literature
Cf. this model by Jacob Frères in Ledoux-Lebard, Le mobilier français du XIXe siècle, Paris 3/2000, p. 312 ff.