BOATLOAD OF BEAUTIFUL: NEWEST SHIPMENT FRESH OFF THE BOAT

Summer has definitely arrived, and with it a boatload of beautiful French antiques! Our newest shipment is fresh off the boat from France and we've unboxed, sorted and tagged almost 200 pieces. 

1.  French Winnowing Basket  2.  French Country Jam Holder  3.  Louis Philippe Weathered Pine Buffet d'Appui 

4.  Napoleon III Table  5.  Henri II Style Washed Oak Cushion Mirror  6.  Palissy Style Majolica Trompe l'Oleil Crab Plate   7.  Palissy Style Majolica Trompe l'Oeil Homard Lobster Plate  8.  Palissy Style Majolica Trompe l'Oeil Langouste Plate 

9.  French Faience Oyster Plates and Master Server  10.  Louis XIII Style Washed Oak Buffet

If you haven't had a chance to stop by yet, now's the perfect time. Our 10,000 square foot shop is filled to the brim with beautiful French antiques.

Late 18th Century Louis XIV Style Washed Oak Armoire

Antique Country French Pine Cheese Table

If you're busy having a little fun in the sun, please take a look on our website. We're adding new pieces weekly. And be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you're the first to know when new shipments arrive!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

To market, to market...but not to buy a fat pig! Lolo was looking for buffets, bergerès and bonnetieres. 

Period Directoire Buffet

Period Empire Enfilade

Louis XV Buffet

Country French Buffet

Louis XIII Enfilade Buffet

Louis XV Bergère à Oreilles (with Ears)

No bonnetieres at this market, but baskets, benches and bedside tables were plenty.

Boulangerie Baskets

Louis XV Bench

Louis Philippe Chevet

Louis Philippe Chevet

Louis Philippe Chevet

And though he didn't buy a fat pig, it seems he did get the fat hog! 

Period Louis Philippe Bibliothèque

So it's home again, home again jiggety-jog!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

WEDNESDAY'S WORD OF THE WEEK: TABOURET

 

TABOURET

tab·ou·ret [tab-er-it, tab-uh-ret, -rey]

noun [tab-er-it, tab-uh-ret, -rey]

1.   a low seat without back or arms, for one person; stool.

2.   a frame for embroidery.

3.   a small, usually portable stand, cabinet, or chest of drawers, as for holding work supplies.

4.   a small tabor.

Origin:
mid 17th century < French tabouret literally, small drum, from Middle French, diminutive of tabor, tabour drum, from Old French.

The French word tabouret refers to an upholstered footstool or bench.

Louis XIV Tabourets with Tassels and Lavish Carvings. From the Collection of Jacques Doucet, 1912.

The history of stools in Europe can be traced back to the late 1500's. During the reign of King Louis XIV, when chairs were status symbols and no ordinary person could aspire to own one, a hierarchical seating system featured a fauteuil (an armchair) for the king and queen to sit upon. One did not just take a seat when the King or Queen was present. This was dictated by etiquette.

Tabouret and Fauteuil in Louis XIV Style

No one else was allowed an armchair in their presence, except for another monarch visiting the French court. He or she would be offered an armchair as well. A chair with a back but no arms was considered appropriate for those closest in rank to the king, such as his brother, sister or children, and a tabouret was provided only for the more privileged ladies of the court to sit upon in the royal presence. Everyone else was required to stand, no matter their age or fortune.

Illustrated History of Furniture: From the Earliest to Present Time.
By Frederick Litchfield, 1893.

The court tabouret was an elaborate, upholstered stool with curved wooden legs and tassels, carried by a liveried and wigged servant. It was a much desired honor to sit in the presence of the royal family and a lady’s rank determined how lavishly her tabouret was decorated.  A duchess was automatically granted the honor of sitting in front of the queen.

Pair of Louis XV Tabourets. Circa 1735-1740. Realized $216,000 at Christie's Auction.

This little French stool was such a highly treasured stool and symbol of privilege that when Louis XIV's mother, the Regent Anne of Austria granted the tabouret to two non-duchesses, it caused a disturbance like no other. Such a protest was made that she had to revoke them.

Fig. 4032. Tabouret Loius XIII. Prix, en noyer ciré : 20 francs.
Fig. 4033. Tabouret Louis XIV. Prix, en noyer ciré : 25 francs.
Fig. 4034. Tabouret Louis XVI. Prix, en noyer ciré : 20 francs.
From Le Dictionnaire Pratique de Menuiserie - Ebénisterie - Charpente 
By J. Justin Stoeck, 1900

Tabourets of various designs later became fashionable as household furniture, particularly in France and England.

Louis XVI Needlepoint Tabouret

Louis XIII Style Tabouret

Louis XIII Tabouret

Henri II Tabouret. Circa 1890. Leather Seat with Nailhead Trim.

Country French Tabourets with Rush Seats

Louis XIII Os de Mouton Tabouret

Louis XIII Barley Twist Tabouret

Modern Tabouret with Acrylic Legs and Natural Hide Seat

Remember, next time you "take a seat" on what you thought was just an ordinary stool, you're sitting pretty...like royalty.

But Lolo, he gets the back and the arms...a seat fit for a king!

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

LOLO IS ON A MISSION...DAY 2 FLEA FINDS

Brrrr....it's chilly in France, but Lolo is on a mission this trip. Neither wind nor rain, nor a cold blustery day could keep him from the vide-greniers, brocante and marché aux puces!

Local Marché aux Puces

After  a long day of hunting and haggling, Lolo definitely didn't walk away empty handed!

Farm Table and Benches

Drop Leaf Side Table

Henri II Buffet

Henri II Petite Armoire

Pair of Os de Mouton Chairs

Hand Carved Louis XIV Fauteuil

Ottoman

Country French Rush Seat Chairs

Corbeille Louis XV Painted and Upholstered Bed Frame

Louis XIII Armoire

Country French Louis XV Farm Table

French Flip Top Pantry Table

Pantry Table Fully Extended

Hinge Detail

Henri II Desk

Country French Buffet

Louis XV Buffet Deaux Corps

Louis Philippe Enfilade Buffet

Louis XVI Marble Top Buffet

Louis XVI Dessert Buffet

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi