Collector’s Feature: French Louis XVI “Trictrac” Table
At Jean-Marc Fray Antiques we pride ourselves on curating a gallery of pieces that add beauty while also serving a modern functionality. These aspects are even more essential when we work with collectors looking to expand their assemblage. As a collector, many are looking specifically for period pieces with elegance, quality craftsmanship, and a unique story. Collecting antiques is not merely just an investment; it’s a heartfelt connection to a grand history of timeless beauty. No matter where your collection calls you, your pieces bring beauty and unique creativity into your home.
Louis XVI Period “Trictrac” Table
This week we are featuring one of our favorite period pieces available in the gallery. This stunning trictrac table from the 18th century is a museum quality piece in the manner of Riesener (Marie Antoinette’s favorite ébéniste). Fully restored and in very nice antique condition, this piece features gilt brass trim throughout and wonderful mahogany wood finished with a lustrous French polish.
There are three surfaces for use on this table. One side of the top has a wonderful leather writing surface that can be used as a desk. Alternately, the other side of the top has a green felt surface for acrd playing. Finally, what distinguishes this piece from many other game tables is the interior with a backgammon/trictrac board featuring rare ivory and tinted ivory inlays. Beauty meets form as this is a perfect showcase of the antique Louis XVI aesthetic while still providing multiple uses.
Trictrac
Trictrac is a table game, similar to Backgammon, with a history as far back as 1634. It has strong affiliations to the royal court and aristocracy. As a board game of skill and chance, it is played with two players with dice. With complex rules that have been stable since the 17th century, and particular combinations needed to score points, the similarities in navigating the complex politics of high society is reflected in the game play. It was the classic table game of France and the vocabulary of the game is found throughout French literature.
Trictrac was very popular at the royal courts and in aristocratic circles in the 17th and 18th centuries, while trictrac tables were not a luxury bestowed on the lower class. Resentment towards the ruling class often manifested itself by destroying this symbolic item of wealth during the French Revolution. Similar to the luck needed to win, it takes extraordinary luck to find a trictrac table that has had the fortune of surviving and is in this beautiful condition.
Louis XVI
Louis XVI style and period pieces refers to the style defined by the period in France under the reign of King Louis XVI (1760-1789). He was the last French monarch before the Revolution. Inspired by the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum, this era saw a revival of Greek and Roman styles. There was a sharp movement away from the Rococo style. Curved lines and heavy ornamentation became unfashionable, giving way to clean, straight lines. Restrained, geometrical forms were preferred and stylized references to classical Greek architecture were recaptured. Furniture and interiors were refined, sophisticated, calm and symmetrical.