History of Massant
Massant was launched in 1996 by antiques dealer Thierry Massant in Belgium, premised on the exceptional idea to reproduce original antique furniture of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, while making use of traditional craftsmanship. The collection has since been broadened to also incorporate later styles such as Art Deco and Art Nouvau.
Today, the company has a factory in Thines, where artistic talent, craftsmanship and knowledge of art history are combined in an umatched dedication to the most beautiful pieces of the past.
Massant: Treasures of the Past
The company‘s aim is to craft furniture that is identical to its antique counterparts and honor traditional methods of production. This is only made possible by a team of master artisans who both possess artistic sensitivity and the necessary know-how to recreate antique designs in an authentic fashion. And since no other company can accomplish what Massant has become internationally reputed for, its brand is protected by an „N“ sealed in red on each of its products, warranting the top quality and authenticity Massant stands for.
Massant‘s specialty is seating, for the re-creation of which the expertise of the cabinet-maker, tapestry-maker, joiner and master of upholstery trimming have to be summoned. The antique designs selected are all marking hightlights of French history, best representing their respective lines and stylistic elements.
Most of Massant‘s chairs are not lavishly decorated royal seats, but rather elegant, noble pieces of furniture which attract by their successful compromise between luxury and modesty, reflecting the refined taste behind their conception and emerging popularity.
Massant‘s collections include Regency cane chairs and armchairs, delicately ornated and in typical clear colours, Louis XV chairs with their sculpted, punched backs, Louis XVI chairs featuring medallions, lyre-backs or cane backs, flowery upholstery fabrics and light-coloured varnished wood finishings, Directoire armchairs, couches and sofas, along with Charles X chairs with their painted or natural wood, and many others.
Massant‘s Authentically Reproduced Furniture
The types of furniture offered by Massant are primarily seating: Armchairs, chairs and barchairs, benches and poufs, sofas and chaises, as well as chaise longues. Seating is also available for the outdoors, this category being represented by chairs and armchairs. Apart from that, Massant also offers tables, such as dining tables and pedestal tables, along with beds.
To give but one example of Massant‘s outstanding reproductions, the Regency Rocaille chair is both simple and elegant. Bearing a design going back to the 1740s Parisian Regency period, it features the Rocaille style popular in the beginning of Louis XV‘s reign. Devoid of deep mouldings or carvings, the chair exhibits the eponymous rocaille elements – delicate shell-shaped ornaments – on its strecher, legs, rails and back.
The Louis XV Corbeille sofa, on the other hand, is a two-seater sofa in an inviting yet simple design, which is free of carvings and appealing through its curvaceous lines.
