A delightful French Provençal bench in the double-chair or banc form, painted in a soft blue-white and fitted with a hand-woven real straw seat — the quintessential seating form of the farmhouses and bastides of the south of France. The ladder-back features three scalloped horizontal rails with a shaped crest rail above, a design that has remained essentially unchanged in Provence for centuries because it is both beautiful and supremely practical.

The real straw seat is intact, its warm honey tone a perfect foil to the painted frame. This is a piece that brings immediate Provençal warmth and authenticity to a kitchen, entry hall, or garden room — the kind of honest, well-made country furniture that is increasingly difficult to find in this condition.

Circa: 19th–20th Century
Style: French Provençal / Country
Origin: Southern France (Provence)
Material: Painted wood; hand-woven real straw seat
Details: Ladder-back with scalloped rails; double-chair bench form; turned legs; blue-white painted finish; real straw seat
Dimensions: 45" W × 21" D × 41" H
Condition: Good condition; frame solid; straw seat intact