FRENCH LOUIS XV STYLE · c.1900 · GILTWOOD & NEEDLEWORK TAPESTRY

Complete antique French salon suites of this quality - five matching pieces, original needlework tapestry intact, giltwood frames sound throughout.

To acquire a single piece of French giltwood furniture is straightforward. To find a complete suite - sofa, two fauteuils and two side chairs, all matching, all original, all in the same room - is something else entirely. Suites of this kind were commissioned as a unit, lived together for over a century, and survived intact through circumstances that scattered most of their equals across auction houses and separate collections decades ago. This one did not scatter. It is here, complete, and it is exceptional.

The giltwood frames are carved throughout in the Louis XV manner - the most joyful and naturalistic of all the French royal styles, characterised by asymmetric curves, flowing foliage and an absolute refusal of the straight line. The cresting rails of each piece carry a carved floral spray: roses, leaves and buds emerging from the gilded frame as though still growing. The cabriole legs have acanthus-carved knees and scroll feet. The arm terminals of the fauteuils curve outward with a naturalness that only skilled hand carving can achieve. The gilt finish has the warmth of genuine age - not the hard brightness of new gold, but the soft, honeyed tone that comes from a century of light and air settling into water gilt.

The needlework tapestry upholstery is the defining feature of the suite. Each seat and back panel carries a hand-worked floral bouquet - roses, tulips, peonies, and smaller blooms tied with a blue silk ribbon - executed in tent stitch on a warm cream ground. No two panels are identical. Each bouquet was designed and worked individually, the flowers chosen and arranged by a needleworker who understood both the medium and the tradition she was working within. This is not printed fabric. It is not machine woven. Every stitch was placed by hand, and the result - a century later - is still vivid, still precise, still beautiful.

This suite belongs in a formal drawing room, a reception room, a bedroom sitting area, or any interior of sufficient ambition to receive it. Against pale walls it glows. Against rich colour it anchors. It is the kind of furniture that makes every other piece in a room raise its game.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS SUITE

1 three-seat sofa - Height 105cm | Width 160cm | Depth 60cm 

2 fauteuils (open armchairs) - matching frames and upholstery

2 side chairs (without arms) - matching frame and upholstery

Five pieces. One suite. One price.

Condition Verified by Hawkins Antiques

 All five giltwood frames structurally sound - no wobble, no repairs · Gilt finish showing beautiful age-related patina - consistent across all five pieces · Needlework tapestry upholstery intact on all pieces - no major losses or damage · Age-related wear to upholstery consistent with over a century of use - honestly described · All cabriole legs sound and stable · Complete suite - no missing pieces, no substitutions, no later additions · Ready to use and display immediately upon delivery

We describe all condition issues honestly and in full. Additional photographs of any specific area are available on request - please message us before purchasing if you have any questions.

Complete antique French giltwood salon suites with intact original needlework tapestry do not present themselves often. When they do, they do not remain available long. Five pieces. One suite. One chance.

- Lee Hawkins, Hawkins Antiques · Est. 1960