A pair of Louis XV beechwood chairs, circa 1760, stamped by Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, from the castle of Chanteloup

Commissioned by the Duc de Choiseul for the Château de Chanteloup around 1760

Chanteloup. Un moment de grâce autour du duc de Choiseul, cat. exhibition, Paris, 2007

Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot (1706-1776) established his workshop in the rue de Cléry, close to his father's business. He supplied seats to the Crown and other influential collectors, including the Maréchal d'Estrées, the Baron de Bernstorff, and probably the Duc d'Orléans. He also worked for the Duchesse de Parme and the Duc de Luynes. As a renowned chair maker of his time, the orders placed to furnish Chanteloup castle, owned by the duc de Penthièvre were no exception. Alongside Jean-Baptiste Boulard and Claude-Etienne Michard, Foliot produced some of the Louis XV furniture in the château's collections. His numerous deliveries for the Crown might suggest that the Duc de Penthièvre was more likely to have initiated this arrival, commissioning Foliot to produce several well-known pieces of furniture for Chanteloup or other residences, such as the richly carved armchair preserved at the Mobilier National (GMT-14053-001).

The model shown here, with its simple molding and curved back, is similar to the model by Foliot held at the Mobilier National (GMT-8207-003).