This is a wonderful and rare pair of high backed Dutch walnut and floral marquetry armchairs, Circa 1780 in date.The chairs have been skillfully crafted from walnut, and bear profuse floral marquetry inlaid decoration and are typical of the very best period Dutch marquetry furniture.The majestic central back splats are inlaid with floral marquetry decoration, the craftsmen did everything to make the backs stand out, and as a finishing touch each chair has floral marquetry with bouquets, urns and birds, which add an extra touch of elegance and finesse to these sumptuous chairs.They have luxurious shaped drop-in seats that have been reupholstered in a sumptuous teal damask fabric, and the chairs are raised on elegant gently curving cabriole legs with carved foliate decoration and floral marquetry. They terminate in claw and ball feet typical of the period Transform the decoration in your home with this pair of chairs fit for a King.Condition:In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, French polished waxed and reupholstered in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm:Height 113 cm x Width 63 cm x Depth 47 cmHeight 50 cmDimensions in inches:Height 3 foot, 8 inches x Width 2 feet, 1 inch x Depth 1 foot, 6 inchesHeight 1 foot, 8 inchesWalnutThe Walnut woods are probably the most recognisable and popular of all the exotic woods, having been used in furniture making for many centuries. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the �fanciness� of the veneer � the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.Marquetryis decorative artistry where pieces of material of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian ''Cosmati''-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the ''hardstones'' used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, And...