[3][4] 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.
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.
[5] In the context of the Arts and Crafts Movement, a taboret is a narrow and tall stand for a plant, lamp, ashtray, or a beverage.
[1][2][7] The current sense refers to graphic artists' task furniture, a wheeled, portable stand or cabinet, with drawers and shelves for storage, used to bring supplies to a work area.