4 antique chairs that were made in 1779 for French Emperor Louis XVI’s younger brother, Charles X has sold for more than £1 million.
The chairs that we are talking about have no seats, backs, and upholstery.
He ordered them to furnish his famous bedchamber at his opulent Chateau de Bagatelle in Paris.
The bed of Charles X was exhibited at the Louvre.
The frames sparked a bidding war when they went under the hammer with auctioneers.
The 4 chairs were initially expected to get around £450,000. However, they ended up getting over double the estimate, selling for £1.06m. This includes fees.
The chairs were confiscated during the French Revolution in 1789 before they were sold off 4 years later.
The chairs were recently owned by a private collector who had owned them for the last 20 years.
The chairs were fashioned from gilded and patinated wood with carvings of laurel branches and a fire mark B under a crown.
Georges Jacobs and the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Rode made the chairs.
The spokesperson for Artcurial, of Paris released a statement for the sale, where they said:
This exceptional suite was executed in 1778 by Georges Jacobs and Jean-Baptiste Rode for the celebrated bed chamber of the Comte d’Artois and future King, Charles X. It is a unique suite still preserved in its original condition and one of the most daring examples of the creativity and excellence of the craftsmen at the Royal court’s service. This suite is leaving France to join another collection owned by great amateurs in love with the French decorative arts, who will take attentive care of them.
Charles X was the King of France from 1824 to 1830.