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In 1783 Louis XVI bought an estate in Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, notably attracted by its hunting grounds well-stocked with game. The gloomy chateau was not to the liking of Queen Marie-Antoinette, so in 1786-87 a picturesque little milk farm was added to the grounds. The project was assigned to architect and builder Jacques-Jean Thévenin assisted by landscape painter Hubert Robert and sculptor Pierre Julien. Meanwhile, cabinet-maker Georges Jacob was commissioned to deliver lavish furnishings that included one large table, four pedestal tables, four armchairs, ten straight chairs, and six folding stools. The use of mahogany as a veneer became the most common finish on chairs for the following fifty years. This armchair reflects a new concern for archaeological detail in furniture, resulting in Robert’s participation in the design—in addition to an overall shape that evokes a ceremonial Roman stool known as a curule, the back and arms feature an Antique-style lattice pattern enlivened by openwork palmettes, while the entire chair is carved with a myrtle-branch pattern.
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