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A Pair of French Empire Giltwood Pliants
A Pair of French Empire Giltwood Pliants
Dimensions: H: 19.5 in / 49 cm | W: 28 in / 70.5 cm | D: 18 in / 45 cm
A Pair of French Empire Giltwood Pliants
In the manner of Jacob-Desmalter
A rare pair of French Empire giltwood X-framed folding stools, known as pliants. Each stool with a rectangular overstuffed seat upholstered with brocade pattern. The giltwood frames are constructed with X-form supports joined by a pair of stretchers, expertly carved with classical foliate motifs in the neoclassical taste of Percier & Fontaine.
French, circa 1820
These stools represent the height of French Imperial court etiquette. Under Napoleon I, the pliant played a vital role in the "mechanics of power." While the Emperor and Empress were seated in armchairs, the right to sit on a stool in the Throne Room was a highly sought-after privilege reserved for a select group of high-ranking courtiers.
The design is attributed to the Emperor's official architects, Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine, whose aesthetic vision defined the Empire style. The execution is characteristic of the celebrated firm Jacob-Desmalter, the primary furnisher of the Imperial residences. Between 1804 and 1814, the Imperial furniture repository commissioned several variations of these X-frame stools from Jacob-Desmalter to furnish palaces such as the Tuileries, Saint-Cloud, Compiègne, and Fontainebleau.
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