Armchair

armchair E.MEVИIER Paris The presented Rococo armchair is signed with the name Etienne Meunier, who came from a well-known family of Parisian carpenters. The Meunier family specialised in sitting and lying furniture. Antoine, Etienne's older brother, as well as his nephew Jean-Baptiste, were also involved in furniture-making. Etienne is considered the most outstanding member of the craftsman family; his speciality were primarily armchairs and chairs. In the middle of the 18th c., he ran a workshop on Rue de Cléry in Paris, working together with, among others, Pierre Migeon (see S.1383MŁ; S.1384MŁ; S.1393MŁ; S.4070MŁ). Etienne became famous for light furnishings with well-thought-out and varied shapes and rather subdued wood-carved decorations that did not infringe on the expressive tectonics of the furniture. His products frequently emphasised the qualities of natural wood. He also made furniture decorated with bronze castings. He finished seats and backrests with both upholstery and wicker-work. He is considered the creator of one of the models of an office chair with a round seat and four legs, one of which is placed at the front, second at the back, and two at the sides. All furniture signed by the carpenter are distinguished by their balanced design. Comfortable and kind to the human body, the furnishings guaranteed a relaxing experience, which translated into their popularity. It is possible that the presented armchair signed 'E.MEVИIER' was part of the collection of Izabela Czartoryska, the wife of Stanisław, Grand Marshal of the Crown and the last owner of the Łańcut estate from the Lubomirski family. Many of the Princess Marshal's old furniture was restored and returned to use during the time of Elżbieta, née Radziwiłł, and Roman Potocki, who modernised the Łańcut estate towards the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967