Louis XV Bergere Chairs
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Abalone, Upholstery, Hardwood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Brass
20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Paint
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Oak
20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Cane, Wood
1960s Unknown Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Fruitwood, Down
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Hide, Wood
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Silk, Wood
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Giltwood
1970s French Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Textile, Wood
1970s North American Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Wood, Paint, Upholstery
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Silk, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Burlap, Wood
Late 20th Century American Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
1890s French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Damask, Silk, Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Velvet, Wood, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Giltwood
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1970s Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Silk, Mahogany, Cotton
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1860s French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Damask, Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Cotton, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Oak, Down
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Faux Leather, Wood, Lacquer
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Giltwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Linen, Wood
20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Fruitwood, Linen
1950s American Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Velvet, Wood, Lacquer
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Giltwood
20th Century Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Silk, Wood
1980s Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Cotton, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Wood, Upholstery
Early 2000s Unknown Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Walnut