A Palatial Neo-Rococo Giltwood Canapé

A Louis XVI style Canapé, upholstered with Aubusson tapestry depicting a scene from Aesop’s Fables. French, circa 1880. The small town of Aubusson, on the River Creuse in France, had a long history of producing elaborate and costly tapestries. They were known for their elegance and delicate colouring and often depicted romantic pastoral scenes derived from artists such as Boucher; historic scenes, inspired by classical mythology; or more formalized architectural vistas. Aubusson was particularly noted for its finely balanced compositions of garlands and bouquets which became famous and sought after throughout Europe. Aesop was by tradition a labourer who was a contemporary of Croesus and Peisistratus in the mid-sixth century BC in Ancient Greece. The various collections that go under the rubric "Aesop's Fables" are still taught as moral lessons and for centuries have been influential subject matter for artistic endeavour. The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf: In a village was a young boy who had a job watching the village's sheep. Two times he called out, "Wolf! Wolf!" Each time the villagers came running to help the boy. And both times the boy just laughed at the villagers and called them names. But then the wolf really did come and start eating the sheep. The boy called, "Wolf! Wolf!" but the villagers just ignored his calls. They thought he was just trying to trick them again. The wolf took his time and had a huge meal of the entire flock of sheep. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Once upon a time there was a wolf who decided to disguise himself so he could get some food without working too hard. He took a sheep's skin and hung it over his body. Then he went into the sheep pasture and pretended to graze with the sheep. He fooled everyone. Even the shepherd didn't realize she had a wolf grazing with her sheep. Soon the shepherd moved the sheep into the barn and the wolf went with them. The barn door was closed and locked and the wolf was just about ready to have a nice meal when the shepherd came back. She decided she wanted some food for her meal. She grabbed the wolf who was still disguised as a sheep and killed him for her meal. The Wolf and the Crane: One day a wolf had a bone stuck in his throat. He called to a crane and hired him for a large sum of money to put her head in his mouth and remove the bone. The crane did as she was hired to do and got the bone out and then asked to be paid. The wolf just grinned and said, "Ha! You've already been paid. I let you take your head safely out of my mouth when I could have crushed you with my powerful jaws”. The Wolf and a Mountain Goat: One day a wolf looked up and saw a mountain goat eating on a ledge high up on the side of a steep mountain. The wolf called out to the goat, "You should come down here to eat, you might fall if you stay up there. And the grass is very tender down here." But the mountain goat was too smart for the wolf and called back, "I don't think you are worried about my dinner. You are just looking for your own food!" The Wolf and the Lamb...

A Pair of Venetian Rococo Carved Giltwood Mirrors. These mirrors have elaborate pierced strapwork crestings surmounted by a shell-shaped corona above a cartouche-shaped plate, the...

A Magnificent Pair of George II Style English Carved Giltwood ‘Rococo’ Wall Mirrors After A Design By Thomas Johnson. Of large proportions, each mirror having a cartouche-shaped plate within a profusely carved and pierced branch-entwined frame with stylised acanthus foliate rocaille and ‘C’-scroll decoration, architectural motifs and running dogs, surmounted by an asymmetrical pagoda form cresting with rockwork spires and a seated rustic couple holding a basket, flanked by confronted Ho-Ho birds, with a conforming asymmetrical apron of acanthus and waterwork icicles centred by a perching bird. This magnificent and ornate pair of English wall mirrors or ‘pier glasses’ are refined and reduced from a design by Thomas Johnson (1723–1799) first published in 1756 and included in his ‘Collections of Designs’ (1758), plate 4, and republished in his ‘One Hundred and Fifty New Designs" (1761) as plate 22. Pier Glasses were designed to be placed on the wall or 'pier' between windows; as well as forming part of a decorative scheme they provided an important functional use, creating a reversal of dynamic with the windows at night, reflecting and maximising the light given off by candles or oil lamps. Johnson’s asymmetrical design creates a sense of fluidity and lightness to the mirrors, employing ‘contraste’ in the placing or absence of elements, to create a stylised form, which through the dynamic tension of its constituent parts instils the mirrors with a sense of playfulness and vitality. In London throughout the 1740s and 1750s there developed a great enthusiasm for the whimsical Rococo style, and it rapidly became the height of fashion, popularised, and disseminated throughout the country and further afield by cabinetmakers’ 'Books of Prices', and 'Directories'. The second half of the 19th century saw a revival of the Rococo style in England and many designers and furniture makers turned once again to Chippendale’s ‘Director’ and designs by Matthias Lock and Thomas Johnson for inspiration, with fine examples based on modified designs or specific plates. Thomas Johnson’s designs, executed in a vigourous picturesque manner, are often inspired by the work of earlier French designers, transposing motifs taken from engraved ornament by Jean Bérain, Daniel Marot, William de la Cour, J. B. Toro and Francis Barlow...

An Unusual Pair of Petit Rococo Revival Giltwood Console Tables. French, Circa 1860. The console tables each have a moulded marble top of serpentine outline above a conformin...

Italian 18th century rococo carved walnut sofa or canape Standing on four cabriole legs with stylized foliage a carved rocaille shaped apron with a padded seat. The padded back with a carved wooden frame decorated with acanthus leaf scrolls and a cresting centered by a large rocaille. The carving presents elegance and movement in a vivid manner with powerful rocaille carving as is characteristic of Italian Rococo furniture...

Carved walnut seating ensemble from the 19th century, with gilded decor. The pieces are in good, restaured condition. (H/W/D) Canape: 128 x 173 x 73 cm Armchairs: 117 x 70 x 66 cm (...

Rococo canapé Massive beechwood Carved and gilded Pierced rocailles crowning Frame with richly carved foliage High quality upholstery and fabric cover.

Rare and exceptional piece. This large and beautiful sofa is a fine example of the work of famed menuisier Georges Jacob (6 July 1739 – 5 July 1814), who was one of the two most prom...