These were also known as _banquettes_ as early as 1732. In 1770, there is mention for the service of the King, of “nine _banquettes_ covered with crimson plush 6 feet long and 17 inches wide to be used at the _grand couvert_” also, in the same year, to serve in the _Salle de spectacle amphithéâtre_, four _banquettes_ each having two elbows, covered with blue velvet garnished with gold braid nailed on with gilt nails, the wood painted blue picked out with gold. The frames of the chairs and arm-chairs of this period were not only carved and gilt, but were painted or lacquered as well. Sometimes one colour only was used, which was brightened by threads of gold, or white, or some gay hue harmonizing, or contrasting, with the upholstery. Sometimes the wood was painted in several colours, and often, too, another kind of painting, known as _camaïeux_,[18] was used. Simpler arm-chairs, and chairs that were met with in the drawing-room were of natural oak, or beech, polished with an encaustic. In the same room with the large arm-chairs smaller ones are often found. These were known as _cabriolets_, probably owing to the ease by which they were moved about, as well as to their shape. In general design, the _cabriolet_ was like the large arm-chair, but it was even more curved, more arched, and more exaggerated than its parent. The elbows too were more wavy and were always of a most graceful sweep. At the beginning of this period, the back was of the form of a violin, but later the medallion form became more popular. The upholsterers studied the proportions of the smaller chair as they did the large one, and gave the seats less thickness and a more square, or a rounder effect, according to the form and proportions of the seat and back, as well as the curves of the whole frame. The small arm-chair was placed in front of, or at the side of, one of the great arm-chairs in the drawing-room or boudoir. The _cabriolet_ had to agree with its large companion either in its frame, or else its covering had to be of the same material. [Illustration: PLATE XXXVI] The arm-chair (_fauteuil_) is represented on Plate No. XIII. These chairs and sofas were upholstered with many of the textiles used in the reign of Louis XIV. One of the most popular coverings was Gobelin or Aubusson tapestry representing the graceful designs of Watteau, or Æsop’s _Fables_. Utrecht velvet and Lyons damask with floral designs were also popular, as well as silk brocaded with coloured flowers. Sometimes a braid or lace (a very favourite pattern being the rat-tooth, “_dent de rat_”) was used to hide the nails; but the material was also tacked to the frames by gilt-headed nails placed so close together that they touched one another. A typical pattern of the period is shown in the sofa on Plate XXXII.