Late 18th Century Elegant Painted Directoire Period Méridienne Banquette - 69"

This elegant French Directoire méridienne banquette, dating to the late 18th century, is carved in beechwood and retains its original painted finish. The frame presents a soft beige ground with dark green rechampi accentuating the moldings. An asymmetric, raised en gondole back terminates in a rolled scroll, while carved rosettes at the corner blocks, delicate pearl beading along the rails, and tapered stop-fluted legs complete the refined design. Surviving in its original state, an increasingly rare find, it will require reupholstering for modern comfort. The lithe form belongs to the transitional Directoire aesthetic, which bridged the elegance of Louis XVI with the emerging Empire style. Favoring austere neoclassical lines inspired by antiquity, méridiennes and récamier-type couches were conceived for daytime repose in salons and boudoirs. Their scrolling ends echoed ancient Roman couches, while rosettes, beading, and fluting reflected the disciplined vocabulary of classical architecture. Painted beech with _rechampi_ detailing was a favored treatment in both Parisian and provincial workshops, admired for its clarity of line and the savoir-faire of carving heightened by subtle color. Graceful and delicate in its proportions, this rare banquette brings understated grandeur to a bedroom, dressing room, or library where a refined seat is desired. Its pale, aged palette pairs effortlessly with natural linens, toile, or velvet, and it places beautifully beneath a window, at the foot of a bed, or along a corridor wall beneath a gilt mirror. The restrained Directoire profile offers elegance and poise, equally suited to classical interiors or contemporary spaces seeking a cultivated neoclassical accent.