As a stool, it refers to a short stool without a back or arms. The name is derived from its resemblance to a drum (diminutive of Old French
tabour). The tabouret acquired a more specialized meaning in 17th-century
France at the court of
Louis XIV in Versailles, where it allowed courtesans to sit in the presence of the royal family. The court tabouret was an elaborate, upholstered stool with curved wooden legs and tassels, carried by a liveried and wigged servant.
Duchesses were automatically granted the honor of sitting in front of the queen. This stool became such a symbol of privilege that when Louis XIV's mother, the Regent
Anne of Austria, granted the tabouret to two non-duchesses, such a storm of protest was raised that she had to revoke the order. == Arts and Crafts plant stand ==