Even from afar, an astonishing 18th-century Parisian armchair evokes a sense of majesty and comfortable rest. The rare, sumptuous, crimson-colored brocade-silk armchair, with its seat generously stuffed with swan- and goose-down feathers entices one to rest in its luxury. Even the brass upholstery nails are covered in squares of gold leaf. The armchair’s shape, with its oval seat and gently receding curve of the chair arms is a specific design called a “bergère.” These chairs were created to comfortably accommodate 18th-century men and women: the men with their knee-length coats and the women with their voluminous dresses. Amazingly, although the armchair is over 300 years old, it has not been refurbished or reupholstered, making it an important source of information about late 18th-century French seat furniture, curator Charissa Bremer-David said in a press release. Bremer-David is a curator in the department of sculpture and decorative arts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Remarkably, …