Noël Baudin (cabinetmaker), Chinese-style bench known as “draughts players”

Château de Chamerolles, Salon Jaune, 18th Century

This bench belongs to a large living room suite made up of twelve pieces of furniture. It was sold by the Marquise de Ranst, former owner of the Château de Saint-Brisson, to the Loiret Département in the late 1980s. One of the seats in this living room bears the stamp of furniture carpenter Noël Baudin (1719-1784?), meaning that the whole suite can be linked to the Louis XVI style. Each element of this living room suite is embroidered on a silk support with chinoiserie scenes in cotton, wool and silver thread, all of them different. The chinoiseries are from Lyon, and are therefore “French-style” reinterpretations of Asian motifs. Unfortunately, the meanings of the scenes are unknown.