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Exquisite 100% Upholstered Louis XVI Bench by Christian Dior

$9,980List Price

About the Item

Spectacular vintage French Louis XVI style bench designed by Christian Dior for his Maison on Rue Montaigne. What makes this outstanding bench so unique is that instead of it having a traditional wooden or painted base with an upholstered seat, this bench is fully upholstered in a rich silk velvet (fully upholstered: legs, fluted details, feet...EVERYTHING!). With its striking muted green and gold color scheme, this phenomenal bench could easily be at home in most any decor. Use it in the foyer welcoming guests, at the end of the bed for dressing, or in the formal living room as eye candy and an extra seat when needed. We spoke to our own in-house upholsterer about replicating this bench, and he said it would take in excess of 150 man hours to even get remotely close. This bench is opulent, extraordinary, and outrageous while remaining chic, classy, and very usable, too. This could be your opportunity of a lifetime, don't miss this beautiful bench.

Dior was at pains to frame his business in a modified Louis Seize style, from the décor of his Maison on Rue Montaigne, to details on the packaging of his products. But this vague evocation of the eighteenth century, France’s great age of elegance, was more complex than might appear. Dior was evoking the age of Marie Antoinette at two removes — in the version of Louis Seize decorative style which was popular in his childhood, near the turn of the century. (He was born in 1905.) Dior’s chosen ambiance was a nostalgia for the Belle Époque nostalgia for Louis Seize: a dream doubly distilled.

Dior described the décor of his couture house:
. . . in the colors which had dominated my Parisian childhood, and had since gone completely out of fashion. From 1900 to 1914 decoration à la Louis Seize was all the rage in the ‘new’ houses in Passy [a section of Paris]; white woodwork, white enameled furniture, grey hangings, glass doors with square panes and bronze light brackets with small lampshades . . .

. . . I did not want an authentic Louis Seize interior — I wanted a 1910 version of Louis Seize . . .

Finally Dior came to realize that his Louis Seize was for him not so much a style as a state of mind, a place of spiritual equilibrium steady enough to adapt to every change of circumstance. In the last pages of his autobiography, Dior says "If I had to name my favorite style for a house, I would choose Louis Seize, but it would be 1956 Louis Seize, a contemporary and therefore a sincere version."

Dimensions:
Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)Depth: 15.75 in (40.01 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Velvet
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
20th century
Condition:
Original. Structurally sound. Please note marks, discoloration and staining on the velvet (best seen in images 5, 7, 8 9).
Seller Location:
BENSENVILLE, IL
Reference Number:
Seller: mon30351stDibs: U11111082433427

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