Louis, Louis
After our crash course on Louis XIV-style chairs, you’ll be able to recognize one in the dark.
Most of us associate Louis XIV-style with gilt and a sun motif. But while the Sun King was creating Versailles, everyone else was crafting the heavy, masculine furniture that we now know as Louis XIV. Chairs built during the mid and late 17th and early 18th centuries for common use were made of hardwoods and detailed with baroque carvings of human forms, animals, mythological beasts, and festoons of flowers. They were upholstered in leather or rich tapestries and often adorned with ornamental elements such as hand-woven fringe or nailhead trim. Though the pieces were ornate, lines were straight and often rectangular.
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3 To Buy (left to right)
1 This Louis XIV-style chair has a light gilt finish. The small carved urn at the stretcher’s midpoint is a terrific detail. $7,200 for the pair at Joseph Minton Antiques, 1410 Slocum St. 214-744-3111.
2 Mutton-bone legs appeared on Louis XIV chairs before the straight, rectangular style known as gaine. A straight back is interchangeable with the popular arch. $5,800 for the pair at Philip Maia Antiques, 1209 Slocum St. 214-939-5200.
3 Combining tapestry and leather gives a contemporary twist to this classic. $599 at Weir’s Furniture Village, 3219 Knox St. 214-528-0321.
