A bergère is a French armchair with an upholstered back and seat and, crucially, enclosed sides, the space between the arms and the seat being filled in with upholstery rather than left open. This distinguishes it from the fauteuil, whose arms are open. Bergères usually have a deep seat with a loose squab cushion and were designed for comfortable sitting by the fire or in informal rooms.
The bergère developed in France in the early eighteenth century and became a characteristic form of the Louis XV and Louis XVI periods, with carved and often gilded or painted beech or walnut frames. Louis XV examples have curving cabriole legs and rococo carving, while Louis XVI bergères have straight, fluted legs and neoclassical detail. In Britain the name was adopted for a range of chairs, and in the Regency and later periods it was commonly used for mahogany or satinwood library chairs with caned backs, seats and sides, often fitted with cushions, which explains the frequent association of the term with caning. Collectors look for original frames, good carving, sound joints and, on caned examples, intact cane panels. Bergères remain popular in drawing rooms and bedrooms, recovered in period or contemporary fabrics.
