Armchair (fauteuil à la reine) ca. 1750–60 Southwestern German The flowing, curvilinear silhouette of this exuberantly carved armchair is close in inspiration to a design attributed to the French ornamentist and court goldsmith Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695–1750), who was named architect and designer to the king in 1726. Meissonier's chair is characterized by the same overall sweep of the back and cabochon-cartouches heading the legs, and a similar disposition of the armrests. As in the Museum's example, the crest and front rail are centered by an ornamental carving that retains a certain symm

Armchair (fauteuil à la reine) ca. 1750–60 Southwestern German The flowing, curvilinear silhouette of this exuberantly carved armchair is close in inspiration to a design attributed to the French ornamentist and court goldsmith Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695–1750), who was named architect and designer to the king in 1726. Meissonier's chair is characterized by the same overall sweep of the back and cabochon-cartouches heading the legs, and a similar disposition of the armrests. As in the Museum's example, the crest and front rail are centered by an ornamental carving that retains a certain symmetry, although otherwise the Rococo ornament is full-blown.[1] An engraving by Meissonier published in Paris probably about 1735 resembles the drawing in many details and may have contributed to the popularization of the chair design , in its general form this German fauteuil à la reine is French, but the striking array of C-scrolls at the crest rail and the floral decoration on the central cartouche, as well as the expressive undulation of the side volutes in combination with the dramatic convex moldings of the armrest supports and scroll legs, have transformed the original Gallic conception into something much more dramatic, without compromising the French elegance or comfort.[2] In short, the composition of the frame elements has assumed a much greater importance in the German variation.[3] The gilding on the front, much of which is presumably original, catches the light, showing off the refinement of the carving. As a whole, the armchair strikes the eye as gracefully light and fancifully stylish, although it is difficult to estimate how the original upholstery and show covers might once have influenced this impression. (The blue eighteenth-century damask covers and the upholstery beneath it date from a conservation project undertaken at the Museum in 1963)[4]The chair is part of a set, of which three other pieces are known. One was until 1995 in the collec

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