A pair of red lacquer Louis XVI chinoiserie stools attributed to Georges Jacob (1739-1814). France, circa 1780. © 2012 MALLETT ANTIQUES

The yellow upholstered raised square seats above four square tapering legs below a pierced frieze inset with Chinese geometric forms. H: 17.7 in (45.0 cm); W: 11.8 in (30.0 cm). L/D: 11.8 in (30.0 cm). 

PROVENANCE: By repute, the Château de Chanteloup. Situated in the heart of the Loire valley the Château de Chanteloup was originally built in 1713 by Jean d’Aubigny for the princesse des Ursins and was comparable in size and elegance to Versailles. It was then bought in 1775 by duc Etienne François de Choiseul, Minister of State at the court of Louis XV between 1750 and 1770. He commissioned the noted architect Nicolas Le Camus to embellish and enlarge the estate on both the interior and exterior, which culminated with the construction of the famed pagoda in 1778, prominently situated at the edge of the Amboise forest. The pagoda’s creation paid homage to the friends who swore their loyalty to the duc after his exile from the court of Louis XV, following a disagreement with Madame du Barry. After the duc de Choiseul’s death in 1785 the property passed through a number of prominent figures in French history including Jean-Antoine Chaptal, one of Napoleon’s Ministers of State, and the duc d’Orléans (future King Louis- Philippe) before being seized during the French Revolution. Today the pagoda is all that remains of the original Château de Chanteloup. At forty four metres high it was built to reflect the romantic image of China, fashionable in the west during the 18th century. The four balconies are of wrought iron and are decorated in theLouis XVI style with each level containing a circular room with vaulted dome. The Chanteloup pagoda is comparable to one built earlier by the architect William Chambers in 1761 in London’s Kew Gardens. Following numerous publications on Chinese building and garden design, he received a commission from Augusta, the Dowager Princess of Wales to enlarge and develop the gardens at Kew, incorporating the magnificent ten level pagoda. The first of its kind in Europe, it is testimony to the fascination for the Orient in Europe during the 18th century.

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