Fauteuil en stoel 1885 - 1895

Léon Laroche created this print of two chairs, or "fauteuils," in the Louis XVI style, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. This was a period when the French aristocracy and its tastes were both idealized and critiqued. The Louis XVI style, with its emphasis on symmetry and delicate ornamentation, was an expression of power and luxury. Yet, the chairs themselves, rendered in print, become objects of study and perhaps even desire for a burgeoning middle class. We might consider how the chairs embody a certain kind of gendered performance. Were these seats intended for men or women? What social rituals or power dynamics were enacted through their use? The artist invites us to imagine the bodies that once occupied them. In a way, this print democratizes access to the aesthetics of power, making it available for scrutiny and reflection, as well as consumption. How do these chairs speak to our own aspirations, or to our own critiques of excess?