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Lot Essay
Jean-Baptiste Tilliard, maître in 1752.
The richly carved frames of these grandly scaled fauteuils are typical of the work of the celebrated Tilliard dynasty of menuisiers. Considered to be among the most talented workshops of the Louis XV era, it was founded by Jean-Baptiste Tilliard (1685-1766) who worked in conjunction with his brother, Nicholas, until 1750 and his son, Jacques-Jean-Baptiste, Tilliard often employed other skilled sculpteurs such as Nicolas Heurtaut, Damien Quintel and Toussaint Foliot to assist with his commissions. In 1728, he was appointed maître menuisier du Garde-Meuble du Roi and his son, Jean-Baptiste II, succeeded him and continued to use his stamp after his retirement in 1766. The Tilliard dynasty received regular Royal commissions and provided work for such distinguished clientele as the Prince de Soubise and the Marquise de Pompadour.
The fauteuils’ design, with their strongly sculpted frames and distinctive baskets of flowers illustrate the transition away from the asymmetric, heavily carved examples of the Rococo era. A closely related salon suite by Tilliard which also has a flower basket cresting was sold from the Collection of Akram Ojjeh at Sotheby’s, Monaco, 25 June 1979, lot 54. It comprised a canapé, a pair of fauteuils, a pair of chaises and a bergère. A related firescreen also by Tilliard is in the Wrightsman collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1971.206.15).
The richly carved frames of these grandly scaled fauteuils are typical of the work of the celebrated Tilliard dynasty of menuisiers. Considered to be among the most talented workshops of the Louis XV era, it was founded by Jean-Baptiste Tilliard (1685-1766) who worked in conjunction with his brother, Nicholas, until 1750 and his son, Jacques-Jean-Baptiste, Tilliard often employed other skilled sculpteurs such as Nicolas Heurtaut, Damien Quintel and Toussaint Foliot to assist with his commissions. In 1728, he was appointed maître menuisier du Garde-Meuble du Roi and his son, Jean-Baptiste II, succeeded him and continued to use his stamp after his retirement in 1766. The Tilliard dynasty received regular Royal commissions and provided work for such distinguished clientele as the Prince de Soubise and the Marquise de Pompadour.
The fauteuils’ design, with their strongly sculpted frames and distinctive baskets of flowers illustrate the transition away from the asymmetric, heavily carved examples of the Rococo era. A closely related salon suite by Tilliard which also has a flower basket cresting was sold from the Collection of Akram Ojjeh at Sotheby’s, Monaco, 25 June 1979, lot 54. It comprised a canapé, a pair of fauteuils, a pair of chaises and a bergère. A related firescreen also by Tilliard is in the Wrightsman collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1971.206.15).