This armchair, of dark walnut wood with a trapezoidal seat, features various elements from antique architecture: the pillar-shaped chair legs and armrests, and the backrest with a relief of a blind window with a broken pediment and grimacing head (mascaron). Stylistic elements such as these became widespread in architectural treatises and instruction books from the sixteenth century onwards, which also led to their adoption in furniture production.

The relief on the high backrest depicts a stylized female semi-nude. In line with humanist ideas, the anatomical details of the figure have been faithfully emphasized. She is making a sweeping motion; a cloth is draped around her lower torso. Like an allegory of spring, she holds a flower in each hand. Rams’ heads adorn the ends of the armrests.
Parisian cabinetmakers likely made the armchair in the sixteenth century. They were active at the time, setting the style in royal castles and palaces throughout France.

This type of chair has been known as a “caquetoire” since the nineteenth century. The term was adopted from low seating furniture—which differed in their proportions from prestigiously designed chairs such as this armchair—and have been referred to as such since the sixteenth century. The term, derived from the French word “caqueter” (to chat), was probably coined by women who, as part of their everyday lives, often sat on these small chairs while enjoying a good conversation.