A Louis XV carved giltwood canapé en gondole, mid-18th century, in the manner of Jean-Baptiste

A Louis XV carved giltwood canapé en gondole, mid-18th century, in the manner of Jean-Baptiste Tilliard

with an arched carved back and a serpentine seat, on cabriole legs, upholstered with a pale blue silk cover with beige Chinoiserie motifs and complimentary passementerie, re-gilt

187cm. wide; 6ft. 1½in.

Provenance

Galerie Kraemer, Paris.
Catalogue note

Testament to the brilliant craftsmanship of menuisiers and sculptors in the mid-18^th century, like the Tilliards, this canapé traditionally known as a canapé en gondole (dit ‘ottomane’) is destined to provide the utmost comfort while boasting delicate and sinuous lines. It is during the reign of Louis XV that a quest for comfort brought about a definite change in the style of the canapé, which became slimmer and rounder.

This aesthetic change can be explained by the canapé’s gradual introduction among the bourgeoisie and nobility in boudoirs and literary salons, where scholars and men and women of letters would meet to discuss, share and enjoy a convivial moment. The backrest was modified to follow the curve of the sitter’s back while, at the same time, the seat was made shallower, so the sitters did not have to lie back too much, sitting comfortably generally. Canapés dit ‘ottomane’ such as the present are reminiscent of the Orient and in fact the Ottoman Empire was a direct source of inspiration as it embodied for the French the ultimate comfortable lifestyle. The popularity of this type of seating furniture goes beyond the mere visual, and is the protagonist of a celebrated moral tale “Le Sopha” published in 1742 by Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon in which a courtier’s soul is condemned to inhabit a series of sofas.

The frames of the canapé sinuously carved with asymmetric rocaille cartouches enclosing either a cabochon or further rococo scrolls, together with elaborate S and C carved scrolls, are hallmarks of the Tilliards, an important dynasty of Parisian menuisiers who preferred sleek, proportionate and ample lines as opposed to bulky outlooks. For example, versions of the two distinctive asymmetric cartouches on the rails and of the corner cartouches are recorded on a suite of seating furniture stamped ‘TILLIARD’, three armchairs and one canapé, sold at Sotheby’s, New Yok, 9^th November 2006, lot 74. A version of the cartouche to the lower rail is seen on a canapé stamped Tilliard in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. 1982.60.72) and on a stamped set of four armchairs sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 22^nd May 1997, lot 183. Asymmetrical cartouches are present as well on an armchair attributed to Jean-Baptiste I Tilliard in the collections of the Château de Versailles.