Pair of corner bergères by J.B. Sené, Paris, Louis XVI period.

An exceptionally rare pair of corner *bergères* in pearl-grey lacquered beechwood.
The arched backrest features uprights finely carved with openwork coin friezes and, at the top, a foliate motif adorned with flowers and seed pods.
The semi-circular seat rail, carved with an interlaced ribbon motif, rests on three tapered, fluted legs featuring *rudenture* (reeded fluting) in the form of asparagus stalks; these connect to the rails via blocks decorated with floral motifs.
The armrests and their supports are embellished with acanthus leaf carvings.
Excellent state of preservation; original lacquer, with minor restorations consistent with age and use.
Both seat rails bear the stamp "I.B Sené" for Jean-Baptiste Claude Sené, a *menuisier* (chair maker) admitted as a master craftsman in Paris in 1769.
Paris, Louis XVI period, circa 1780.
Dimensions:
Height: 95.5 cm - Width: 65 cm - Depth: 60 cm

Our assessment:

The pair of *bergères* presented here is of the utmost rarity. They originally belonged to an exceptional drawing-room suite comprising a sofa and two *confidents* (side seats), of which our *bergères* formed the detachable side elements.
Two types of *canapés à confidents* are known: models where the side seats are permanently attached to the central body—already very rare—and those with fully detachable side seats, which are infinitely more exceptional. The latter allowed a large ceremonial sofa to be transformed into three independent seats, depending on the needs and layout of the room.
Intended for the furnishing of grand residences, this type of seating—featuring a particularly ambitious design—was executed only by the greatest Parisian chair makers, such as Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené and Jean-Nicolas Blanchard during the reign of Louis XVI, or Nicolas Heurtaut towards the end of the reign of Louis XV. The sophisticated design of these *bergères*, their crescent shape, and the richness of their carving testify to their original status as part of one of those very rare commissioned suites.
Among the few known examples, one might cite the *canapé à confidents* (sofa with attached corner seats) made around 1775–1780 by Claude I Sené, now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 1982.60.71); the sofa with two *confidents* attributed to Bovo, held at the Louvre Museum (inv. OAR 148); the imposing sofa made in 1784 by Jean-Nicolas Blanchard for the summer drawing room of *Mesdames*—the daughters of Louis XV—at the Château de Bellevue, now in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon (inv. 1452); or the remarkable sofa with detachable *confidents* by Nicolas Heurtaut, illustrated on page 238 of Bill G. B. Pallot’s book, *L’Art du siège au XVIIIe siècle en France*.

Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené (1748–1803), hailing from a prominent dynasty of Parisian chair makers, was admitted as a master craftsman on May 10, 1769. He established his workshop on Rue de Cléry—trading under the sign "Au Gros Chapelet"—and quickly distinguished himself, alongside Georges Jacob, as one of the greatest chair makers of the reign of Louis XVI. A supplier to the *Menus-Plaisirs* and subsequently the *Garde-Meuble de la Couronne* from 1785 onwards, he created prestigious suites for Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and various members of the royal family, destined notably for the châteaux of Versailles, Saint-Cloud, Fontainebleau, and Compiègne. His work is characterized by elegant proportions, exceptional carving quality, and highly inventive forms.