In solid walnut, this is a particularly compelling example of early 19th century neo-gothic work from the Louis-Philippe Period circa 1835. The four chairs are equivalent to the chair displayed in the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts representing this early Neo-gothic work which is distinguished in quality and rarity from the vast majority of this furniture (which dates to the late XIXth century). The dexterity of the sculpture, the design, and the family history surrounding the pieces, along with the original 1830s silk fabric retained by the pieces corroborates this rare early dating.

These pieces once adorned the main bedroom of industrialist Louis Falque’s Chateau des Aygalades overlooking the bay of Marseille. The property was destroyed by the construction of a highway in the 1950s, and the site was perhaps most known for Falque’s neighbor; the eccentric Compte de Castellane who was known for walking his greyhounds with rose tinted glasses. Newspaper articles from the 1830s corroborate the family legend that various artistic figures from the time visited the Chateau des Aygalades and thus used the grand bedroom for which these pieces were ordered (These names include celebrated pianist Frederic Chopin and his Girlfriend Georges Sand, and author Alexandre Dumas). It is a fact that they stayed at the house, and it certainly adds anecdotal charm to these pieces which are compelling enough from a historical and aesthetic perspective.

Currently, 60 yards of golden medieval ivy themed fabric is offered with the pieces to recreate curtains and recover the chairs (for the first time) in a period correct fashion that is in line with the original colors used. Finally, these exceptional pieces are on par with what was exhibited in Paris at the Petit Palais’s “Paris Romantique” exhibition in 2019. From published material, one might draw a further comparison between these pieces and not only the chair displayed in the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts, but the neo-gothic furniture ordered by Marie d’Orleans for the Tuileries during the late 1830s.

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