Lot Essay
This extraordinary chair, know as a sige or fauteuil raser, which retains traces of its original polychrome decoration, is a rare example of a Louis XV mechanical chair. Its hinged ratcheted back enabled the head of the person being coiffed or shaved to be tilted back and the addition of a fifth leg at the back gave it extra stability. Another unusual feature, probably to allow greater movement to the sitter, is the fact that the arm-rests rise straight up from the front legs, rather than more usually being set back along the seat-rail. These types of chairs were recorded both in barbers or hairdressers boutiques, as well as in private residences (Nicole de Reynis, Le mobilier domestique, vol. I, Paris, 1987, p. 45).