LOUIS XVI BERGÈRE ARMCHAIR

A BRIEF HISTORY

The bergère is a wide armchair with a backrest and solid sides, upholstered with fabric between the armrests and the seat rail. It appeared around the 1720s.

Curved under Louis XV, straight under Louis XVI, the bergère saw its dimensions reduced in the 19th century.

There are several types of bergères:

  • Marie-Antoinette Bergère: without ears, with a very slightly curved backrest.
  • Gondola Bergère: rounded backrest without ears.
  • Bergère with Ears (or with Earpieces): the most common type, also called confessional bergère.
  • Lambrequin Bergère: backrest shaped like an overflowing scroll.
  • Montgolfière or Pompadour Bergère: curved armrests and rounded backrest.

A NOTE ON CONSERVATION/RESTORATION

This piece was damaged following a fire; numerous interventions were necessary to save this seat (a few to be specified).

In a previous restoration, this armchair was stripped, but traces of paint remained in some places, which allowed, in agreement with the owner regarding the restoration plan, the reintegration of the paint layer. As a protective finish, I applied a thin layer of lightly tinted wax.

Photo bergère Louis XVI, restaurée et peinte en blanc comme à l’origine.
Bergère Louis XVI très endommagé par un incendie.
Gros plan sur la restauration d’un pied de la bergère Louis XVI.