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1 of 253523 objects
Bergères 1790
Giltwood and yellow silk upholstery | 103.6 x 90.5 x 60.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 4
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This set of four gilded beechwood bergères upholstered in yellow silk is en suite with a pair of sofas, four open armchairs and six side chairs. It was supplied in 1790 to George IV, then Prince of Wales, by François Hervé, a joiner of French origin working in London. They were made for the Chinese Room Basement Floor at Carlton House. In 1792, Hervé added the Chinese figure seated on a cushion, which is perched on the top rail, and thought to resemble a Chinese drummer boy.
With the exception of the piercing of the rails, the characteristics of the design draw from French chairs of the period. Their straight, tapered and reeded legs, the canted corners on the top rail and the carved rosettes within a square frame above the legs are typical of neo-classical French chairs. Furthermore, the eagle-head terminals of the arm-rests recall French furniture of the Louis XVI period.Provenance
Supplied to George IV by Francois Hervé for the Chinese Room Basement Floor, Carlton House in 1790 at a cost of £239 8s. They were originally gilded by Sefferin Nelson for £90 and upholstered by Robert Campbell. The chairs were sent to Brighton Pavilion in 1819 and they appear in Nash's drawings c.1824 of the Yellow Drawing Room/Music Room Gallery. In October 1838 they were repaired, re-gilt and the silk taken off and dyed. The French émigré chair maker François Hervé was one of a number of highly specialised craftsmen employed in the early years of the creation of Carlton House. He is recorded at 32 John Street, close to Tottenham Court Road, as a cabinet-maker and chairmaker between 1781-96 and is recorded as working for the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Devonshire and Earl Spencer.
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Creator(s)
(furniture maker)(upholsterer)(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Giltwood and yellow silk upholstery
Measurements
103.6 x 90.5 x 60.5 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)
