Fashion designer, Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, originally installed this carved wooden arm chair at Villa La Pausa, and it remained part of the villa's decor through the residency of Wendy and Emery Reves. Flemish-influenced Baroque chairs like this were popular during the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William and Mary. Their crests and front stretchers often contained elaborate scrolls, flowerage, and even cherubs holding cyphers or coats-of-arms. Towards the end of the 17th century this style of chair became less elaborate and lighter in feeling.

Adapted from

• DMA Label Copy (1985.R.582.A-B), 17th century
• Dallas Museum of Art. The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1985), 164.