A set of four Portuguese carved walnut armchairs third quarter 18th century

each with a cartouche shaped padded back within a moulded frame, above padded downscrolled arms and a serpentine padded seat, on cabriole legs, the top-rail and knees carved with foliage, the seat-rail centered by a flowerhead and leaves; reblocked

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Augusto Cardoso Pinto, Cadeiras Portuguesas, Lisbon, 1952, figs. 157 and 159.

These unusual armchairs with their elongated cartouche-shaped back represent the Portuguese interpretation of the French Louis XV armchair. The foliate carving on the top-rails and the exaggerated cabriole legs can be seen on Portuguese armchairs of this period, illustrated by Pinto, op. cit., fig. 157 and fig. 159.