The Chaise de Garde was designed during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. Enlightenment values and an orientation towards classical antiquity were part and parcel of the societal change taking place in Europe at that time, and likewise influenced the design of domestic interiors in aristocratic and upper-class circles.
In 1805, Napoleon had the Royal Castle of Laeken near Brussels redecorated according to the latest fashion. As part of the renovation, he ordered many copies of this novel armchair by Belgian court cabinetmaker Jean-Joseph Chapuis, who created a stylistic update of an antique chair typology, the 'sella curulis'. As part of his constantly evolving design developed from about 1803 to 1810, Chapuis turned the leg segment arches in the classic 'sella curulis' by ninety degrees to form a parallel with the curved armrests on the sides.
Given that Chapuis produced virtually all parts of his armchair using the technologically revolutionary method of lamination, which he continuously improved from about 1803 on, he achieved significant innovations, including a noticeable reduction in material cross sections, making the chairs light and elegant. In addition, the laminated sections could not break, since they were made of bundled veneer glued in three-dimensional templates for stability.
With its formal and technical innovations, the Chaise de Garde is one of the most important and groundbreaking furniture creations of the nineteenth century.
Text: Sebastian Jacobi
