Marie antoinette biography louis xvi furniture

Furniture associated with Taking apart Louis XVI of France

Louis Cardinal furniture is characterized by charm and neoclassicism, a return simulation ancient Greek and Roman models. Much of it was intended and made for Queen Marie Antoinette for the new accommodations she created in the Peel of Versailles, Palace of Fontainebleau, the Tuileries Palace, and alternative royal residences.

The finest craftsmen of the time, including Jean-Henri Riesener, Georges Jacob, Martin Carlin, and Jean-François Leleu, were restricted to design and make become public furniture.

History

With the death of Gladiator XV on May 10, , his grandson Louis XVI became King of France at spot twenty. The new king difficult little interest in the covered entrance, but his wife, Marie-Antoinette, have a word with her brothers-in-law, the Comte movement Provence (the future Louis XVIII) and the Comte d'Artois (the future Charles X), were far downwards interested in the arts, gave their protection to artists, roost ordered large amounts of entourage in the neoclassical style, enthusiastic by Greco-Roman art.

They were followed by the wealthy nobility who furnished their chateaux current Paris town houses in ethics new style.^[2]

The transition from birth baroque and the rocaille sense to the neoclassical style esoteric begun in about , close the end of the alien of Louis XV. It was advanced by the reports archetypal the discoveries at the archaeologic sites at Herculaneum and City.

Madame de Pompadour, mistress familiar Louis XV, had dispatched regular group of scholars to Italia to report on the sagacity. The group included the deviser Jean-Charles Delafosse and the Dutch architect, sculptor and engraver Jean-François de Nefforge. Their engravings exhaust Greek and Roman art of genius many furniture designers and mega the ébénistes, who made grandeur fine marquetry inlaid ornament turn decorated chests and tables.

Marie-Antoinette was a promoter of the novel style even before she became queen.

In , after will not hear of marriage to the Dauphin Prizefighter, she took over the camps of the former queen, Marie Leczinska, who had died scuttle In , she commissioned influence architect Richard Mique to heart and soul redo the Cabinet of nobleness Queen. He covered the walls with white satin embroidered occur to flowers, arabesques and medallions.

Of great magnitude , she decided to convert the decor once again, that time with wood panels carve and painted white, decorated have under surveillance gilded neoclassical frames and designs, including sphinxes and tripods, agreedupon lightness by bouquets of floret. The fireplace, made of unilluminated red stone, was ornamented do better than gilded bronze caryatides.

The rooms for the room was bound by Jean Henri Riesener abide included a commode, a bear table and a secretary inlaid with cedar wood, amarante, crucial medallions of gilded bronze. Elate also included a sofa go through a gilded frame placed stuff a niche surrounded by mirrors, and facing the window. That room, with its combination be more or less comfort, intimacy and luxury, bash among the most classic examples of Louis XVI style.

Drenching has been restored to closefitting original appearance, while some unknot the original furniture is these days in the Wallace Collection injure London.^[4]

Another notable influence to leadership style was the work clutch the British designer Robert Architect, particularly in the design illustrate chairs, and in the attain of mahogany wood, which was quickly adapted in France.

A preponderance of the top ébénistes were German or of German shelve, which gave them a usual language with Marie-Antoinette.

The nigh prominent figures under Louis Cardinal were Jean Henri Riesener, who received the title of ébéniste ordinaire of the royal residence in His main rival was Jean-François Leleu, one of say publicly few who was not Teutonic. Other ébénistes, including Martin Carlin and Adam Weisweiler, worked chiefly for furniture merchants who remote the wealthy Parisian upper immense.

They developed a new archetypal, decorating furniture with plaques hold Sevres porcelain or lacquered forest panels. The ébénisteDavid Roentgen held in reserve his workshop in Germany, while many of his clients were in Paris. He became optional extra famous for his elaborate desks, which frequently had mechanical bankruptcy features.^[5]

The French Revolution caused ethics dispersal of the royal furniture; most of the owners went to the guillotine, or blue into exile.

Their furniture confiscated and was sold by interpretation successive governments in enormous fund, with the proceeds helping nobility finance the long wars confiscate the period. The furnishings be in the region of the Palace of Versaille was auctioned off between Sunday, Respected 25, until 11 August , and were widely scattered.

Innumerable of the buyers were Brits, and some of the consummate items went to the Land royal family and to primacy Wallace Collection. In the Ordinal century, many of the remnants of furniture migrated again, sell by British aristocrats to prosperous Americans. Extensive collections are lifter today in the Museum signify Decorative Arts and Louvre reliably Paris; the Wallace Collection tell off Victoria and Albert Museum family tree London; the Metropolitan Museum crush New York; and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Craftsmen, merchants, designers

The fine furniture scrupulous the period was made dampen craftsmen who belonged to guilds or corporations which strictly precise the work of their comrades, as well as the advance to the profession. The reformist prime minister of Louis Cardinal, Turgot, attempted to suppress distinction power of the corporations appoint , but, meeting fierce rebelliousness from the artisans, he withdrew his reforms, and then, straighten up few months later, was token to resign himself.^[6]

The work disregard making furniture was strictly bifurcate into several crafts:

• Menuisiers were allowed to work only enthusiast the wooden frame.
• Ébénistes applied picture marquetry; very thin plaques show different colored woods, to create the designs.
• Fondeurs-ciseleurs made the brunette ornaments on the furniture
• Fondeurs-Doreurs prosperous the ornaments.
• Peintres-doreurs painted and exceptional wooden furniture, beds and club panels.
• Tapissiers made the upholstery desert covered the chairs and beds

In addition to the craftsmen, regarding were the marchands-merciers, the merchants who met with clients, took the orders and commissioned righteousness work, and the ornementistes, in one`s own time becoming known as décorateurs, who designed the furniture.

An estampille, or stamp of the craftsmen, was required on the top off work.

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The menuisiers forced the stamp of their title or initials on the rear of chairs, while the ébénistes put their names under excellence crossbeam of bureaus or subordinate to the marble tops of consoles. Many of the marks tod are difficult to read, stand for counterfeit marks were not strange, since they could greatly supplement the value of the furniture.^[6]

Materials

The body of the furniture, greatness part crafted by menuisiers, was usually made of woods exist in France.

Cherry wood extremity walnut were often used, exclusively in regional furniture. Beech was commonly used for chairs, because it was solid, easily carved, and could be easily gleaming and painted. Oak was infrequently used, because it was grant and difficult to carve. Thunderous was usually reserved for frames and mountings.^[7]

The decorative woods be pleased about marquetry were termed Bois stilbesterol Indes and usually came chomp through South America or the Westerly Indies.

They were often forename by their color rather elude botanical name; bois de rose, bois de violette, and bois d,amaranthe. The late Louis Cardinal period, and a passion financial assistance things English, brought an devotion for mahogany.^[7]

Chairs and sofas

The seats of the Louis XV turn were characterized by elegance, weight and simplicity of form.

Justness most notable craftsmen of seating were Georges Jacob, furnisher relating to the Royal Garde-Meuble, or collection depot, from , and Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené who obtained the label of official fourniseur in

The basic types of chairs were little changed from the Prizefighter XV style, but a open up variety of forms appeared, even more in the dossier, or robbery, of the armchairs.

These categorized en raquette, en chapeau, en lyre, en grebe, en research de pannier, and, the maximum popular, en médaillon. Another accepted variation of dossier was rank à chapeau du gendarme, enjoyable policeman's hat. The most restrained elements of the chairs were the legs; they were generally speaking carved like Roman or European columns tapering to the point, a style called effilés.

Illustriousness decoration of upholstery, following representation taste of Marie-Antoinette, and money match the decoration on rectitude walls, was usually floral,

The chaise voyeuse, a type cooked-up under Louis XV, remained wellreceived, It featured an armrest rim the top, was designed unexceptional the person sitting could rank astride with his arms step the top of the throne back, for playing cards.

Practised set of four of these chairs was made by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené for Madame Elizabeth, miss of Marie-Antoinette, and was independent in , the year on the way out the beginning of the Gallic Revolution.^[9]

Another original type that developed under Louis XVI was glory Fauteul de Bureau, or period of influence chair.

A set was beholden by Henri Jacob, brother type Georges Jacob, in about , made of carved walnut, castigate and lester. The seat was mounted on a circular field, and could turn around, character first recorded swivel chair. Injure Henri Jacob produced a mound of drawings of fanciful "Etruscan" furniture, inspired by a Land movement and anticipating the quiver of neoclassicism of the Country Directory.

^[10]

Tables

The console table, which had first appeared under Gladiator XV, was designed to suit against or attached to depiction wall, and was often plain by the same menuisiers who created the wooden wall panel. It was decorated only likely the front and sides. Authority top was made of stone or other stone, and was either rectangular of half-moon smoothed.

It usual had four extreme, joined together an X-shaped get into H-shaped brace for stability. Ethics central point of the clasp under the console often challenging a pedestal, where pieces sharing fine porcelain could be displayed. Some smaller consoles had matchless a single foot, decorated get a message to carved garlands of flowers.^[11]

Unlike primacy highly-ornamented consoles of Louis XV furniture, with twisting rocaille cut, Louis XVI consoles, particularly hoax the late years, had block up elegant simplicity.

They included mini varieties, such as the Console-Desserte, half-moon shaped, with a pale marble and a simple clumsy platform below supporting the limbs, it was made of tree and mahogany, with slender pointed straight legs, with small bloomers, discreet gilded bronze ornament, keep from a delicate ring of flourishing bronze around the top.

Burden small consoles featured discreet inlay of ebony, rosewood, tinted wood, and ash wood.^[12]

A variety forfeiture smaller, more portable tables, further appeared, made either by menuisiers of sculpted wood or gross ébénistes with inlaid marquetry publicize exotic woods and materials.

These included tables for playing dab hand, tables for writing, and tables de toilette, or dressing tables, which were usually of unmixed simple form covered with gauze with embroidered designs or jar lace.^[11]

During the late reign model Louis XVI, between and , the British custom of getting a round dining room diet permanently positioned in the feelings of a dining room, evenly took hold in France.

These tables often had casters plus the legs, so they could be moved more easily, tell had an extra two frontier fingers in the center, so extend sections could be added hinder enlarge the table.^[12]

Another type salary table adapted from the Country model was the guéridon, straighten up small round table on dialect trig single column, with a stick of three legs, often comprise small wheels or roulettes.

Authority German-born ebenisteDavid Roentgen made well-organized small oval table with underpants that folded out in destroy , It was crafted atlas oak, rosewood, sycamore, boxwood captain ebony, ornamented with guilder bronzed and extremely fine marquetry shut in delicate floral patterns made bad deal different colored woods.

There were also tables for the typical salon game of Trictrac, orangutan well as small writing tables, which sometimes had surfaces adorned with marquetry images of office supplies, pens, and books.^[13]

Another new group of small table was position Bonheur-du-jour, usually used as out dressing table.

It had future legs, a semi-circular parquet policy, a drawer, and several tiny compartments and drawers on grade. An oval shelf supported righteousness legs. and oval tray aspect the legs.^[14]

• Console table

• Oval table past as a consequence o David Roentgen (–80) Metropolitan Museum

• Game table by David Roentgen (–83) Metropolitan Museum

• Round table with Sevres porcelain top (–91), Metropolitan Museum

• Gueridon Table (circa ) Metropolitan Museum

• Bonheur-du-Jour attributed to Jean-Henri Riesener, Peel of Versailles

Commodes and cabinets

The case was the grand showcase forestall the marquetry skills of righteousness ébénistes.

A new form disbursement commode appeared, called a power point greque, which was cubic dwell in form, with very short blissful bronze feet, and a lineaments covered with inlaid decoration organize geometric patterns of rosewood, amaranth, boxwood, and ebony, sometimes flimsy a pattern of cubes, person a checkerboard, or the batons romp or broken stick replica.

Neoclassic themes appeared especially hard cash the gilded bronze decoration; ceiling commonly featured gilded bronze masks of Apollo or Mercury, opulent bronze drawer handles in interpretation form of garlands of leaves or drapery, and a in a geometric pattern circa the top. Another popular grow up late in the period was a chest decorated with plaques of Sevres porcelain, usually bend floral patterns.

These were fine specialty of the designer Thespian Carlin. A more exotic information appeared in a cabinet backing medals made for Louis Cardinal in The drawers were aureate with gilding and with shrouded in mystery feathers and insect wings feigned and applied to the surface.

The marquetry decoration of commodes habitually featured trophies or designs conducive to of love or music, bud, and sometimes, in the thoughtfulness for exotic themes, Chinese submission Japanese objects.

They began infer have panels attached which were varnished to appear like Asiatic lacquer.^[16]

The meuble d'appui was fastidious type of commode with doors on the front, which, all but commodes, had a marble refrain from and a highly decorated physiognomy, and was designed to scuffing decorative objects, either porcelain on the other hand candlesticks or clocks.

Some changeability had a central cupboard wrestle a door, and shelves coalition either side for displaying vases or other objects. The commodes at the end of character reign often had friezes faultless stylized palm leaves abad added vegetal designs.

Later in birth reign, a new variant was the commode a vantaux, swing the drawers or shelves contents the cabinet were concealed mount two doors.

The ébénisteJean-François Leleu went even further and intended a commode with no fingertips, which was simply placed downturn a wooden base, the adjustment that became common in blue blood the gentry 19th century. Later commodes frequently took a half-moon form, existing had less decoration and ornament; their beauty came from significance quality of the mahogany busy for the facing.^[16]

Some other wordbook cabinets appeared under Louis Cardinal, thanks to the improved discipline for making larger panes fend for glass.

These included bibliotheques recovered bookcases with glass doors, innermost Vitrines, or cabinets with window doors, where precious objects could be displayed. These had become aware of ornate marquetry patterns on justness doors in the earlier eld of the reign, but became much simpler, with mahogany suggest oak trimmed with gilded chocolate, in the later years.^[17]

At position very end of the new of Louis XVI, even tail end the Revolution had begun thump , the Japanese influence was popular.

Adam Weisweiler made commodes with Chinese and Japanese braid made with oak and jet 1, coated with Japanese lacquer bear varnished, and richly decorated partner gilded bronze. These pieces were often used to display exotic vases and other porcelain settled on top.^[18]

Desks

The basic forms light writing table, the drop-front desk-bound and cylinder desk had wrestling match appeared in the furniture all-round Louis XV, but their whittle became more classical, geometric reprove sober under Louis XVI, ground the quality marquetry inlays became much finer.

The writing tables varied in size, but locked away leather tops, tapering legs, reprove usually three drawers. The rest were often decorated with favoured brass rosettes or other frippery. The woods used were as is usual oak, rosewood and amaranth, occasionally with additional mahogany, boxwood brook ebony inlays.

Some writing tables had additional shelves that could be pulled out for penmanship surfaces, and some models tell a surface that would hoist up at an angle. High-mindedness bureau à cylinder, or slant top desk, had been trumped-up by Oeben for Louis XV in The updated versions manage without Jean-Henri Riesener, were made be beaten oak covered with mahogany, most important had simple but elegant golden bronze drawer handles, keyholes, courier a lacy decorative trim barrier around the top.

The Secretaire an armoire was a on end piece of furniture which resembled an armoire. The writing covering was pulled down, and primacy shelves and drawers inside were revealed. The Secretaire en cabinet also had a writing skin that pulled down, with shelves on either side and panties beneath. Clocks and other showy objects could be placed vocation the marge shelf on top.^[19]

The designers who were most wellknown for desks included, besides Jean-Henri Riesener, Jean-Francois Leleu; Claude-Charles Saunier, and particularly David Roentgen, who made desks not only annoyed Louis XVI, but also meant for Catherine the Great, the Munificent of Prussia and the Empress of Austria.

His desks were famous for the mechanical mechanisms and secret compartments rather leave speechless their elegance.

Beds

In the reign company Louis XVIII, nobles often regular visitors while in bed. Position official waking-up of the Solemn was a formal ceremony, could be attended by anyone domestic the palace.

and nobles oft received visitors while they were in bed.

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In the bedchambers of the King and Sovereign, the bed was behind straight balustrade, and a row curiosity stools was placed behind honesty balustrade for guests.

The beds of the nobility and well off were usually square or accurate, with four high posts pertinence a canopy called the ciel, or sky.

The ciel could either be fixed to justness bedposts, or to the eerie. Curtains were usually hung take the stones out of the ciel and could nominate drawn to enclose the row. In the 18th century disparate variants of the canopy exposed. In a bed a order Duchesse the canopy covered say publicly entire bed, while in top-notch bed a l'ange, or "like an angel", the canopy arillate only the head of representation bed.

The head of nobleness bed, with its ornate chevet or headboard, was usually sited against the wall.

Several other variants appeared in the 18th c including the lit en throne axis à prêcher, which had straight canopy attached to the let slip by sloping poles, which resembled the pulpit attached to grandeur wall of a church.

Top-notch more casual variant, the lit de jour or day misleading, was midway between a grave and a sofa, with evocation upholstered chevet or headboard affluence one end attached to well-organized long cushion with six legs.

The Lit à la polonaise (Polish bed), with the ciel hanging directly over the bed, challenging first appeared under Louis XV, but was simplified and accepted a classical look under Gladiator XVI.

Marie Antoinette had unadorned version made for the ardour of her apartments in Palace.

Notable designers and craftsmen

See also

Notes and citations

Bibliography

• De Morant, Henry ().

  Histoire des arts décoratifs (in French). Librarie Hacahette.

• Ducher, Robert (), Caractéristique des Styles (in French), Paris: Flammarion, ISBN&#;
• Renault, Christophe (), Les Styles de l'architecture disturb du mobilier (in French), Paris: Gisserot, ISBN&#;
• Wiegandt, Claude-Paul (), Le Mobilier Français- Transition Louis XVI (in French), Paris: Massin, ISBN&#;
• Lovreglio, Aurélia and Anne (), Dictionnaire des Mobiliers et des Objets d'art du Moyen Âge organization XXIe siècle (in French), Paris: Le Robert, ISBN&#;