Stool
1805 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This stool was designed in 1805 by the architect Bernard Poyet as part of a set used by the French emperor Napoleon I for his reception by the corps législatif after his coronation. The set, which included chairs, couches and a throne, was made by the firm of Jacob-Desmalter, who were to become large-scale suppliers to the new imperial court. They stamped their mark on the underside of the stools.
The crossed sword motif was particularly appropriate for the new power, which had been founded on military success. The bills for the stools list them as ‘à sabres antiques’. Mameluke sabres of this type were very fashionable in the Empire period. The stools are also marked underneath with inventory marks for the royal Château de Saint Cloud, just outside Paris, where they were presumably moved during the 19th century. The elegant silk upholstery was at one time thought to be original but is now believed to have been added during the reign of Napoleon III (1852–1871).
The crossed sword motif was particularly appropriate for the new power, which had been founded on military success. The bills for the stools list them as ‘à sabres antiques’. Mameluke sabres of this type were very fashionable in the Empire period. The stools are also marked underneath with inventory marks for the royal Château de Saint Cloud, just outside Paris, where they were presumably moved during the 19th century. The elegant silk upholstery was at one time thought to be original but is now believed to have been added during the reign of Napoleon III (1852–1871).
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved and gilded wood (probably beech), with silk satin upholstery, with embroidery and silk thread tassels on wood |
| Brief description | Of carved and gilded wood, the frame designed as four crossed swords in scabbards, the seat and its loose cushion upholstered in silk satin with embroidery and complex fringing |
| Physical description | A stool of carved and gilded wood (probably beech), in a design of two pairs of crossed swords, the seat upholstery covered in pale blue satin, the loose squab cushion decorated with embroidery of palmettes, the short sides of the stool hung with a complex fringe of tassels of silk thread worked over wooden cores. The upholstery was almost certainly re-done in the period of the Second Empire (1855-70) |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Blairman and Sons |
| Object history | Designed by the architect Bernard Poyet (1742-1834), as part of a set of seat furniture, including a throne, for the reception of the Emperor Napoleon by the corps législatif after his coronation in 1805. The stool was one of four. Later the set must have been removed to the Château de Saint Cloud, where it was presumably re-upholstered during the period of the Second Empire (1852-71). Another of the set (with modern yellow damask upholstery) was illustrated in 2002 by Michel Beurdely, in Georges Jacob (1739-1814) et son temps (Château de Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau: Éditions Monelle Hayot, 2002), p. 100. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This stool was designed in 1805 by the architect Bernard Poyet as part of a set used by the French emperor Napoleon I for his reception by the corps législatif after his coronation. The set, which included chairs, couches and a throne, was made by the firm of Jacob-Desmalter, who were to become large-scale suppliers to the new imperial court. They stamped their mark on the underside of the stools. The crossed sword motif was particularly appropriate for the new power, which had been founded on military success. The bills for the stools list them as ‘à sabres antiques’. Mameluke sabres of this type were very fashionable in the Empire period. The stools are also marked underneath with inventory marks for the royal Château de Saint Cloud, just outside Paris, where they were presumably moved during the 19th century. The elegant silk upholstery was at one time thought to be original but is now believed to have been added during the reign of Napoleon III (1852–1871). |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.3-1956 |
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| Record created | May 31, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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