A remarkable pair of French bergère armchairs, offered exactly as discovered and revealing more than a century of history beneath their stripped upholstery.
Built using traditional horsehair and burlap construction, these chairs retain their elegant original forms, generous proportions, and rich age-earned patina. The exposed underlayers offer a rare glimpse into the hands that made and maintained them, with faint pencil measurements, workshop notes, and even a hand-drawn face still visible beneath the fabric.
Particularly captivating is the hidden sketch found on one chair: a simple face drawn by an upholsterer or craftsman and concealed for generations beneath successive layers of fabric. These unexpected traces of human touch transform the chairs from mere furnishings into artifacts, preserving a fleeting moment from a workshop long since vanished.
Their current state celebrates the honesty of antique construction: exposed horsehair, hand-tacked upholstery, visible stitch lines, and the accumulated evidence of decades of use and care. Whether restored in a luxurious textile or appreciated in their present form, they offer exceptional character and authenticity.
Dimensions
Chair with Face Drawing
Height: 36”
Seat Height: 14”
Seat Depth: 20.5”
Seat Width: 24”
Companion Chair
Height: 34”
Seat Height: 15”
Seat Depth: 21”
Seat Width: 23”
Sold as found. Structurally sound antique frames with exposed upholstery layers, age-related wear, stains, losses, and visible workshop markings consistent with age and use. Intended for reupholstery.
An extraordinary and highly decorative pair that embodies the romance of French antiques, where even the hidden layers have stories to tell.
A remarkable pair of French bergère armchairs, offered exactly as discovered and revealing more than a century of history beneath their stripped upholstery.
Built using traditional horsehair and burlap construction, these chairs retain their elegant original forms, generous proportions, and rich age-earned patina. The exposed underlayers offer a rare glimpse into the hands that made and maintained them, with faint pencil measurements, workshop notes, and even a hand-drawn face still visible beneath the fabric.
Particularly captivating is the hidden sketch found on one chair: a simple face drawn by an upholsterer or craftsman and concealed for generations beneath successive layers of fabric. These unexpected traces of human touch transform the chairs from mere furnishings into artifacts, preserving a fleeting moment from a workshop long since vanished.
Their current state celebrates the honesty of antique construction: exposed horsehair, hand-tacked upholstery, visible stitch lines, and the accumulated evidence of decades of use and care. Whether restored in a luxurious textile or appreciated in their present form, they offer exceptional character and authenticity.
Dimensions
Chair with Face Drawing
Height: 36”
Seat Height: 14”
Seat Depth: 20.5”
Seat Width: 24”
Companion Chair
Height: 34”
Seat Height: 15”
Seat Depth: 21”
Seat Width: 23”
Sold as found. Structurally sound antique frames with exposed upholstery layers, age-related wear, stains, losses, and visible workshop markings consistent with age and use. Intended for reupholstery.
An extraordinary and highly decorative pair that embodies the romance of French antiques, where even the hidden layers have stories to tell.
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