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Lot Essay
The present lot was commissioned directly from André Groult as part of a larger bedroom suite by the sister and husband of the artist's sister-in-law, Marie and Maurice Feuillatte. The couple were friends with Paul Poiret and his wife (André Groult's sister) and hosted all the important personalities of the time in their house in Vernouillet, near Paris. The two armchairs are arranged as a duchesse brisée, a type of seating composed of two or sometimes even three separate elements, typically a bergère and a low footrest, that can be used individually or combined to form a long seat.
The duchesse brisée, originating in the 18th century, experienced a modest revival in Paris in the 1910s and 1920s, offering a more flexible and informal approach to seating than a single chaise longue. The taller bergère of this pair follows a form that Groult presented at the Salon des artistes décorateurs in 1921, a gently curved and enveloping shape which would then appear frequently in his work, executed in wood or shagreen.
While a duchesse brisée was not a particularly common furniture type in the Parisian Art Deco era, it could be found in elite Parisian interiors as a combination of comfort and elegance. This pair illustrates Groult’s design approach, combining refined proportions with careful craftsmanship, and provides a clear example of forms he would continue to explore throughout his career and which would be particularly celebrated in the Chambre de Madame he presented at the Paris Exposition Internationale in 1925.
The duchesse brisée, originating in the 18th century, experienced a modest revival in Paris in the 1910s and 1920s, offering a more flexible and informal approach to seating than a single chaise longue. The taller bergère of this pair follows a form that Groult presented at the Salon des artistes décorateurs in 1921, a gently curved and enveloping shape which would then appear frequently in his work, executed in wood or shagreen.
While a duchesse brisée was not a particularly common furniture type in the Parisian Art Deco era, it could be found in elite Parisian interiors as a combination of comfort and elegance. This pair illustrates Groult’s design approach, combining refined proportions with careful craftsmanship, and provides a clear example of forms he would continue to explore throughout his career and which would be particularly celebrated in the Chambre de Madame he presented at the Paris Exposition Internationale in 1925.