Research:
Of walnut. Each chair with molded, curved and arched ladder backs. The upholstered seat above a shaped serpentine seat rail raised on front and rear legs of cabriole form with carved leaf decoration to the feet, united by a shaped H stretcher.
Marks:
Four chairs stamped to the rear:
NOGARET A LYON
This remarkable model of slatted-back eighteenth century chair is not known to have any related examples in French Rococo period seating and, therefore, appears to be a unique design conception created by the renowned Lyonnais ébéniste, Pierre Nogaret (1718–1771), who signed the present chairs. His stamp, “NOGARET A LYON” is characterized by the tail of the letter ‘Y’ in ‘Lyon’ bending sharply, horizontally to the left, and it occurs on the exterior rear of the backrest. Notably, unlike other cabinetmakers whose stamps were inconspicuously located on the inside of the seat rail, out of sight, Nogaret almost always placed his mark facing outward on the rear of his chairs.
Like many of his contemporaries in Lyon, Nogaret carved his chairs mainly in walnut, which he left in its natural state. The pronounced curves and moldings are hallmarks of Lyonnais menuiserie, and Nogaret’s models were masterful in their even more exaggerated shaping. He produced nearly three quarters of the Louis XV chairs in Lyon, and his works “generally exhibit excellent balance of proportions, combined with rare technical skill.” As such, he was considered a master craftsman to whom Lyon primarily owes its international reputation for seating.
Nogaret is apparently also the only Lyon cabinetmaker to have fulfilled orders abroad. Evidence suggests that the present model of chair was a type specifically designed for the export market to Switzerland, where a more relaxed aesthetic was called for.
Full research report available on request.