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MODERNISM
ITALY
MODERNISM IN ARCHITECTURE and
furniture design first emerged in Italy in 1926 under the banner o I Razionalismo, or Rationalism. Most prominent among the Rationalists, all of whom espoused a functional, pared-down approach to architecture and design, was Gruppo 7, a collective that included Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini, and Giuseppe Terragni.
Mussolini’s government, whose rise to power coincided with the emergence of the Rationalists, initially embraced the nascent design style. Gruppo Ts
advocacy of industrial progress, clean living, and moral reform appeared to [it well with the Fascists’ own ideals. Indeed, such was the relationship between the Rationalists and the Fascists that in 1934 Giuseppe Terragni completed both the building and the fittings for the Fascist headquarters in Como, near Milan. Needless to say, the architecture was unremittingly stark, with equally uncompromising furniture. Employing primarily tubular steel, Terragni
produced a range of tables and chairs that owed much to Marcel Breuer’s work at the Bauhaus, although the furniture was more expressive in its lines than Breuer’s deliberately
anonymous-looking pieces.
THE USE OF TUBULAR STEEL Italian designers would have seen the tubular-steel designs developed in Germany at the regular Triennial exhibitions, held for the first time in Monza in 1923. Ten years later, the
exhibitions were moved to Milan under the title of International Triennial of Decorative and Modern Industrial Art. The Triennials showcased the latest developments in design from Italy and across Europe. The idea of using tubular steel, which Italian designers first saw in 1930, struck a chord, as Italy was, in the interwar years, suffering a severe wood shortage. Mussolini’s hard-line approach to rule had seen the country fall from favour with more liberal governments across the world, and Italy was suffering under sanctions. As a result, tubular-steel designs by the likes of Terragni, Piero Bottom, and Gabriele Mucchi were developed during these years, although they rarely met with popular success. Designed as prototypes for mass production, many designs of the era were only produced in significant numbers much later.
The Rationalists eventually fell out with the Fascists after Mussolini deemed their approach “too
international”; Mussolini opted to support the Neoclassical style of the Novecento group. But where Hitler hounded all Modernist architects and designers from Germany, Mussolini took a far more lenient view. Indeed, the 1930s and 40s was a time in
which many of Italy’s most celebrated manufacturers and designers got their start. The likes of Cassina and Fontana Arte were not to gain until the 1950s, but they put down roots in
the interwar period. Although the years 1925-45 were not the most distinguished in Italy’s remarkable design history, they certainly paved the way for much of what was to come.
Detail of leather straps
Tubular-steel frame
The lounge chair The Modernist era saw many pieces made for sanitoriums. The lounge chair was a favourite, with versions made that could be easily moved from inside to outside or
transformed from a seat to a day bed.
The chair’s frame is made from laminated beechwood. On each side, the arm and legs are one continuous loop of wood; joined beneath the seat by a cross-stretcher. The seat has a beech frarne with a woven cane seat and back. Designed by Giuseppe Pagano. 1938. H:71crr? (271,m), W.61clo (,?4il?): D:68cm (26,Xin).
TELEPHONE STAND
OCCASIONAL TABLE
The most striking feature of this side, or occasional, table is its thick plate-glass top, which has a bevelled edge. The circular glass table top collects light like a lens, producing a brilliant reflection below. The table top rests on a walnut support from which emerge four splayed legs, that taper sharply towards the bottom. The legs are made of lacquered walnut. Designed by Pietro Chiesa, the table was manufactured by Fontana Arte. c.1950. H:48.25cm
09in): D:66clo (26in).
This occasional-table-cum-telephone-stand was designed by G. Levi Montalcini and Giuseppe Pagano. It has a chrome-plated, tubular-steel frame. Two circular, black-laminate shelves sit at the top of the stand and are cantilevered over the base. 1932, re-issued by Zanotta In 2004. H:80cm OIAW; W.37.5cm (14A17). ZAN
COMACINA DESK
This writing desk has a simple, tubular-steel frame. The rectangular, white-laminate top offers a plain work surface; a storage unit with four drawers is below, to the right. Designed by Piero Bottoni in 1930; this example was re-issued by Zanotta in 2004. H:75cm (291in); W.130crn (511n); D:65cm (251in). ZAN
FOLLIA CHAIR
The cylindrical headrest is strapped to the chair o minimize bulk.
LOUNGE CHAIR
Made from tubular steel and slung fabric, this innovative piece can be used as a chair or a chaise longue, depending on which end it stands (see above). Designed by Battista and Gino Guidici. 1935. F1:98cm (38in); L113cm (451n); W.49crn
WKA
The black-painted, rectilinear wooden seat and back of this Giuseppe Terragni chair are connected by chrome-plated spring supports.
1934, re-issued by Zmoh’t in 2004. 1 I:Wcm (311,in); W.50cm (191in); D:60cm (931,si). ZAN
The armrest padding is kept to a bare minimum so as not to disturb the clean lines of the chair
Tubular steel is used to form the chair’s frame.
Simple, black upholstery covers the mattress on the footrest.
The chair’s seat appears suspended, giving it a sense of weightlessness.
Cushioning on the ottoman is strapped to the tubular steel base, accentuating the contrast of natural and synthetic materials.
GENNI LOUNGE CHAIR
This lounge chair’s seat sits within a tubular-steel frame and is adjustable, having two positions. The upholstered mattress and headrest match the black elbow rests. The footstool echoes the chair’s rectangular frame. It was re-issued by Tecta in 2004. H:82cm (321′irl) (Max); W.41cin (161n); D:109cm (43in). Footstool: f-1:41cirt (161n); W.45cin (171in); D:55cm (211in).

MODERNISM
CHAIRS
AS FURNITURE PRODUCTION steadily
shifted emphasis from craft-based manufacturing to industrial methods, so the look of the chair changed dramatically Ornament was doggedly erased from designs as structure became more important to the aesthetic look. Solid wood began to fall from favour (too expensive and inflexible) as moulded plywood and tubular steel stepped into the spotlight.
Just as the notion of open-plan space was creeping into Western architecture, so furniture was freed from fulfilling just one function. Chairs became
increasingly ambiguous, with some made for indoor and outdoor use, and others equally at home in an office or dining room. Chairs became lighter, too, as they were frequently moved around the house.
With mass production in mind, designers began to concentrate their efforts on fixtures. The aim became
to produce a chair made of a minimum number of components that fitted together easily and quickly It’s no surprise, then, that the cantilever chair became so popular, as the continuous loop of legs and base eradicated the need for numerous nuts and bolts.
While the structure of the chair became increasingly celebrated in its design, as opposed to any stylistic conceits, so the designer as an
individual receded into the background. Industry became more important than art, as designers sought to express nothing more romantic than the manufacturing process.
The reason the chair dominated the focus of designers’ effort`_ is because a person’s emotional attachment is far greater to a chair than to, say, a shelving unit. If Modernist designers wanted to alter their audience’s emotional and intellectual outlook, it was through the chair that they tried to do so.
The slender armrests display a use of cushioning that is rare fora chair by Marcel Breuer.
The steel struts beneath the seat have been bowed so they cannot be felt by the sitter.
The chair is made from non-reinforced tubular steel, thereby making it less rigid.
B34 CHAIR WITH ARMS
The frame of this cantilever chair is made from one continuous loop of tubular steel. Although the base looks as though it is all in contact with the floor, the side pieces bend slightly so that only the corners touch the floor — the idea
being that most floors are slightly uneven and the smallest change in level would make the chair wobble. This chair has arms with elbow supports, and a blue canvas seat and back. Designed by Marcel Breuer and produced by Thonet. 1928. H:85cm (33Vzin); W.57.5cm (22Vain); D:63cm (24-Xin), Qu I
This armchair was inspired by a model made by Alvar Aalto. The chair’s seat and back are made from a single sheet of laminated wood and sit within an oak open-arm frame. H:76cm (30in) CA
LANDI CHAIR
This easy chair comprises a series of square-section planks of pine, joined by wooden dowels. It has a slatted section on both seat and chair back. Designed by Hein Stolle. c.1930. BonBay 2
SIDE CHAIR
The seat and back of this early cantilevered chair are made of ebonized moulded plywood and sit on a chrome-plated tubular-steel frame. The armrests are ebonized beech. Mart Stam for Thonet. c.1930. BonBay 2
ZIG-ZAG CHAIR
One of a pair, this chair has a tubular-steel frame reminiscent of Rietveld’s Zig-Zag chair. The wooden seat is supported on steel rods and has a later vinyl cover. H: 82.5cm (321in); W.41.5cm (161in); D:63.5cm (25in). Qu I
Lightweight and durable, this stacking chair is made from pressed and bent aluminium. Each armrest and pair of legs is from one piece of aluminium. Hans Coray. 1938. H: 76cm (290); W.51cm (19in); D:55cm (21in). BonBay 2
CLUB CHAIR
AALTO-INSPIRED CHAIR
EASY CHAIR
The rectilinear frame is made from stained pearwood secured with brass fittings. The chair is upholstered in hand-woven woolen fabric. Peter Keler, Bauhaus Weimar. 1925. H:69cm (27in); W.62cm (24V:ln); D:68cm (26%0). WKA
LOUNGE CHAIR
CANTILEVERED ARMCHAIR
One of a pair, this armchair has a tubular-chrome frame and seat with cushions upholstered in a dark brown, brushed fabric with red trim. The armrests are black-enamelled. H:86.5cm (34in). SDR I
Designed by Gilbert Rohde, this cantilevered armchair has a bright chrome base and black laminated armrests. The cushions are upholstered in ivory leather with a black trim. H:94cm (37in). SDR 1
THE STACKING CHAIR
STILL FOUND IN CAFES WORLDWIDE, THIS ICONIC DESIGN IS PERHAPS THE FIRST STACKING CHAIR, AND CERTAINLY THE FIRST WIDESPREAD DESIGN, OF ITS KIND.
The so-called Bistro chairs These have a pressed-steel frame and are painted red; with plywood seats. c.1926. H:82cm (32Vin). DOR 3
The origins of this chair, despite the efforts of numerous historians, have proved murky at best. The design is most likely to have been developed in France some time around 1925, specifically for the country’s booming cafe culture. The chair bears a strong, albeit rather crude, resemblance to chairs designed by Emile Jacques Ruhlmann, although it’s doubtful whether the French high-society designer ever had a hand in its conception.
What is perhaps most impressive about the chair, apart from its stackability, is its economy of materials. The steel used is incredibly thin and, to give the legs rigidity, the steel has been subtly curved. To save further on metal, holes have been cut from the seat back. While the perfect low-cost, space-saving chair was to become something of a holy grail for 20th-century furniture designers, few ever bettered the chair design that first set the ball rolling.
FREE SWINGER ARMCHAIR
The base of this chromed-steel cantilevered armchair from Austria is the only part of the structure that is exposed. The chair seat and back are filled with down and upholstered in sand-coloured velour. H:84cm (331in). DOR 3
LAMINATED LOUNGE CHAIR
This chair has been made from one sheet of cut and moulded laminated birch and resembles the Gerald Summers classic (see p.438). The arms are fixed to the back with metal brackets. Hans Pieck. 1944. H:76cm (30in). Bon Bay 4
BAUHAUS ARMCHAIR
This chair was designed by Erich Dieckmann for the Weimer Bauhaus, in collaboration with Ernst Mayo. Made from solid beech, it has a bowed back and slatted seat. c.1930. H:81.5cm (321:in); W.52.5cm (21in). WKA
DINING CHAIR
This is one of a pair of stacking birch plywood dining chairs that were produced by Artek. The chair has a circular wooden seat and a pierced plywood back, supported on L-shaped plywood uprights. c.1930s.
DIAGONAL CHAIR
This chrome-plated, tubular steel chair is named after the supports between the seat back and legs. The arms, seat, and back are of laminated wood. W.H. Gispen. c.1927. H:82.5cm (321-in); W-54cm (2111n): D:60cm (23,Xln). QU 2
SLATTED CHAIR
This Viennese chair has a tubular-steel frame and solid, stained-beech wooden slats for the seat and back. The arms have wooden armrests. One of a set of four. 1925. H:84.5cm (33V4in). DOR 3

The French Revolution in 1789 brought a temporary halt to the output of precious jewels in the country which had until then been the leading producer. Ostentatious adornment was felt to conflict with the revolutionary principles of egalitarism. Moreover, the abolition of the traditional guild system, which in the past had ensured a high standard by regulating the terms of apprenticeship, led to a rapid decline in quality. And finally there was a lack of patronage and a scarcity of precious metals and gemstones. Many French aristocrats, the traditional patrons of French jewellers, fled the country, taking their valuables to sell abroad as a means of livelihood. French jewellers were therefore deprived both of old jewels with gems and precious metals for re-setting and of new imported bullion and gemstones. It was during this time of upheaval that the prized French crown jewels were stolen.
From the French Revolution to Waterloo
Not surprisingly, earrings created at this time reflect the impoverishment of design and production; only inexpensive examples of low artistic value based on Revolutionary motifs are to be found. One design used glass and debris from the demolished Bastille. Another commonly known as boucle dorellleii la guillotine, and favoured in Nantes rather than Paris, consisted of a small guillotine surmounted by a red cap, with a pendant below in the form of a decapitated crowned head.
Fine jewellery staged a gradual comeback during the years of the Directory (1795-99); France began to recover its leadership in the field; new motifs and designs were developed, remaining in favour until the early 19th century.
The new earrings, in line with the general interest in classicism, were designed to complement the ‘A la Grecque’ hairstyles and the fashion for flimsy white dresses inspired by Classical goddesses. (Indeed, the passion for pale, flimsy chemise-dresses with drapery clinging to the body was so great that some ladies even wore their clothes wet to enhance the effect. As a consequence there was an increase in deaths from pneu-
P. 90, 91 monia.) Fashionable earrings of the period were usually large and geometrical, with the emphasis on flat linearity rather than volume. Although quite large, they were usually very light; gold was still scarce and earrings would be cut out of thin sheets, frequently of low carat gold; enamel often took the place of gemstones. Once again, this tendency can be explained partly by the general scarcity of stones on the market, partly by a desire to create earrings which would complement the face without overpowering it with an excess of jewels.
Between 1790 and 1810 two main types can be distinguished. The first is known as the poissarde, so called because it was originally worn by fishwives (poissardes) in the market of Les Halles in Paris. It is characterized by a hinged fitting at the back, either semicircular or S-shaped, running from bottom to top, where it fastens to the front section of the earring. The front is usually in the form of a flat panel or half-A pair of poissarde earrings set with citrines, early 19th century, front and side view. Note the S-shaped hinged fitting running from top to 5()ttom.
hoop decorated with enamel, often pierced and set with a few imitation or semiprecious stones. The second type is a long pendent earring with a combination of flat and extremely thin gold elements linked to each other by means of fine chains. As with the poissardes they are hardly ever set with precious stones but are decorated with polychrome enamel, pierced gold and filigree. One example incorporates marquise-shaped surmounts decorated respectively with grisaille miniature portraits of man and wife in profile on a light blue enamel ground. A double chain connects the surmount with a central element decorated with sentimental imagery: a dove above a pair of red enamel flaming hearts, followed by the inscription Fidel in a garland of blue forget-me-nots and red leaves. Though typical of early i 9th-century earrings, and probably French, to judge from the inscription, the sentimental imagery is an unusual feature. Earrings, unlike other forms of jewellery, are normally purely decorative and hardly ever display the explicitly sentimental motifs which are often found on rings — the traditional symbol of love and eternal union, and a normal betrothal gift since Antiquity.
Earrings of these two types were worn throughout Europe, not only in France. Maria de la Concepcion Rodriguez de Caspe, a lady from Granada, for example, was painted by Jose Gil in 18 16 wearing earrings that have two circular elements each set with a red unfaceted stone, probably coral, connected by fine chains. Once again the typical linearity, lack of volume and absence of precious gemstones are noticeable. Similar examples were also extensively produced in Sicily and in Northern Italy; some measure over 8 cms in length and still remain light, being made of thin 18 carat gold sheets and weighing on average 7 grams. Northern Italian earrings display some distinctive features, in particular a plaque stamped out of a thin circular, oval or rectangular sheet of gold. This is decorated at the centre in relief to simulate a cameo, with the profile of a warrior from Classical mythology. Classical martial imagery, such as Mars and Bellona, both war-deities, were popular subjects during Napoleon’s campaigns in Northern Italy of 1796-97. The borders, however, present a characteristic form of decoration with small hollow hemispherical motifs imitating beaded wirework, filigree, palmette and flowerhead motifs.
The coronation of Napoleon in 1804 and the creation of a grand Imperial court prompted demand for extremely important jewels. The overall design of earrings remained unchanged, but gold and enamel were replaced by precious stones, dia-
P. go monds being again in favour. This can clearly be seen in a pair of diamond pendent earrings, where the general design continues to be long and linear, but fine connecting chains, typical of the earlier gold earrings, have been replaced by a grand chain of brilliant-cut diamonds.
Until the closing years of the i 8th century gemstones had always been mounted in closed settings which did not allow light to pass from behind through the stone. This technique enabled the jewellers to match, modify and intensify the tint of coloured gemstones by placing coloured foils behind the stone, but this greatly reduced the sparkle and brilliance of diamonds. Towards i 80o jewellers, realizing the importance of light for the glitter of diamonds, started to claw- or collet-set them in open mounts, although smaller and rose-cut diamonds and coloured stones continued to be mounted in closed settings. Many pendent earrings of this time are transitional in type, with a large diamond, usually the centre stone, mounted in an open setting and smaller stones, generally in the border, in closed setting.
By the early i 9th century, French supremacy in jewellery design had been reestablished. This was largely due to Napoleon’s enthusiasm for the development of French arts and technology. He regarded the luxury of his court as an aspect of national prestige, not mere frivolity. This led to an immense number of commissions for jewellery, which was then distributed throughout Europe as diplomatic gifts.
It is at this time that complete sets of matching jewels known as parures begin to be worn. They consisted of a necklace, bracelets, a pair of pendent earrings and frequently also a tiara. Amidst such an abundance of gemstones, earrings continued to be simple, the favourites being long pearl or diamond pendeloques on small surmounts; they can be seen being worn by the Empress Josephine and other members of the imperial family in portraits by David, Gerard and Regnault. Another favoured type consists of a cluster with a large gemstone or cameo at the centre within a border of pearls or diamonds, often holding a similarly set pear-shaped drop. This is well represented by a pair of diamond and emerald briolette earrings, part of the parure probably by Nitot given by Napoleon to Stephanie Beauharnais, a niece of the Empress Josephine, on the occasion of her marriage in i 806. (This is an example of the political role of jewellery; she was marrying the Grand Duke of Baden’s heir, an alliance intended to consolidate the Confederacy of the Rhine.) This parure is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the bride is portrayed wearing it in a painting by Gerard. The popularity of earrings set with cameos, carved both in shell and hardstone and occasionally in precious stones such as emeralds and sapphires, was a consequence of Napoleon’s interest in carved and engraved gems. Following the Italian campaigns of 1796, when many cameos were brought back to France from Italy, Napoleon opened in Paris a school of gem engraving which boosted the production of cameos of Classical inspiration which were then frequently set in earrings.
1815-1830
The Congress of Vienna brought about the restoration of the legitimate monarchs in Europe in 18 15, and with it the desire to emulate the style of the Ancien Regime in all the applied arts. In jewellery earrings reverted to the form of i 8th-century girandoles and pendeloques, but they were adapted to the more impoverished economic situation. The scarcity of precious metals and gemstones prompted the development of filigree and cannetille which allowed jewellers to make do with very little gold. Both cannetille, named after a type of embroidery made with very fine gold and silver thread, and filigree techniques consist of working fine gold wires into lace-work patterns. Long but light pendeloque and girandole earrings manufactured on the Continent in this way were mainly set with semiprecious stones such as foiled topazes, amethysts and citrines. In England, which had been spared the consequences of the war, more expensive gemstones such as emeralds, diamonds and rubies (but never sapphires at this period) mounted in cannetille settings were often used. These gemstones are almost invariably set in closed collets lined with metallic foils tinted to intensify the colour and improve the match of the stones. The earrings are usually found as part of parures, accompanied by a pair of bracelets and a necklace with a detachable pendant at the centre designed to match the earrings either as a girandole, or, when the earrings are designed as pendeloques, in the form of a lozenge or Latin cross. These parures were extremely popular in the 18 2os and early 1830s: their gold filigree work of burr, tendrils, scrolls and lace-like patterns was often embellished with leaves and florets stamped out of thin gold sheet sometimes in contrasting colours. The two exceptional English examples illustrated, set with rubies and emeralds both comprising a necklace with girandole pendant and a pair of matching earrings, are particularly notable for the quality of the gemstones and for the pristine condition of the cannetille work, something which has rarely survived intact because of its lightness and fragility. The overall design of the girandoles, elongated in shape and with the central drop longer than the two at the sides, is close to late i 8th-century examples, but the cartouche-shaped surmount of the example set with emeralds, the parsimonious use of gemstones and the fine intricacy of light gold wire and granulation make them typical of their date.
The 183 Os
Around the 1830s long earrings reaching almost the shoulders became extremely popular. The fashion was prompted by changes in dress and hairstyle. Couturiers of the time had launched the fashion for dresses with wide bell-shaped skirts, narrow waists and leg-of-mutton sleeves which expanded sideways out of all proportion, giv-
P. 74 ing the upper part of the female silhouette a marked triangular shape. The head became the focal point of interest for jewellers and milliners: hairstyles became extremely complex, with tight curls and knots of false and natural hair gathered at the top and side of the head and embellished with all sorts of feathers, plumes and jewelled aigrettes. This exaggerated horizontal expansion of female silhouette and overabundance of hairstyle decoration needed to be counterbalanced by long drop earrings which also well suited the very generous decolletees of evening dresses.
The most fashionable earrings of the time were designed as elongated drops measuring up to TO— 12 CMS in length stamped out of thin gold sheet and decorated en
Portrait of a lady wearing a pair of long pendent earrings set with faceted semiprecious gemstone drops, to counterbalance the side expansion of the elaborate hairstyles fashionable in the 183os. By Adele Kindt (Belgian 1804-1884).
• are in shape to match the pendant of the necklace: lozenge-shaped pendants are in most cases accompanied by pendeloque earrings, girandole pendants by similarly designed earrings.
repousse (embossed); their rich scroll, shell and foliate motifs were often applied with minute naturalistic decorative elements in gold of various colours and set with gems. A good example of this type is the pair of torpedo-shaped earrings reproduced on P. 93, decorated with embossed quatrefoil motifs suspended from a shell-shaped surmount.
Some of the earliest examples of repousse earrings are also decorated with applied cannetille motifs in the form of burr and scrolling tendrils and can be regarded as transitional between cannetille and repousse earrings.
By the early 1840s gold repousse earrings had completely supplanted the costly and time-consuming cannetille type. Their lightness was dictated partly by economic considerations and partly by the necessity of keeping such large earrings light and comfortable for the wearer. Repousse earrings were cheap to produce. They were made on mechanical presses and needed only very thin sheets of precious metal, though the repousse work itself was often set with small semiprecious gemstones, turquoises being among the favourites.
If a large stone was used, it was likely to be aquamarine, chrysoberyl, amethyst, topaz or citrine, set within a scrolled border of rich gold repousse work. The aquamarine drops reproduced on p. 95 exemplify the trend particularly well, in that they are extremely long (12 ems approximately) and light (weighing approximately 1 _(we i gh i ng approx i mately 15 grams each) and are set with Brazilian aquamarines of fancy cut, well adapting to the repousse scroll-motif mount.
In Switzerland and Northern Italy, where enamel techniques were mastered at the time, polychrome enamel plaques could replace gemstones.
These earrings might look massive but they were in fact fairly light, as one can tell from the fact that they did not, like the heavy girandoles of the 18th century, require an additional hoop to ease their weight: almost all examples are set with a simple hinged hook fitting into the lobe from back to front.
Typical of English earrings of the time is the widespread use of elongated drops in agate or chalcedony (either left white or stained blue or green) and applied with small semiprecious stones such as garnets and turquoises set in gold floral motifs. These earrings usually came with a matching Maltese cross pendant. There are varying degrees of decoration: some are plain drops carved in hardstone, while others show a greater complexity, with applied decoration of naturalistic inspiration. Similarly designed sets set with diamonds are now less common but we know that they existed.
Also popular in England, where diamonds were more plentiful than in France as a consequence of the more stable political and economic situation, were earrings in the form of diamond pear-shaped drops with a large pearl or diamond swing centre on a cluster of foliate surmount.
The simplest form of earring fashionable at the time had a large pear-shaped drop of semiprecious stone, usually a faceted amethyst or citrine, mounted in a gold collet suspended from a similarly-set single-stone circular or oval surmount.
1840s and 1850s
In the late 184os a new hairstyle with a parting at the centre and the hair brushed to each side of the face and gathered in a knot at the back, totally covering the ears, led to the virtual disappearance of earrings — another indication of the close relationship between hairstyles and earrings. One has only to look at portraits by Wintherhalter and other society painters to see how universal this fashion was. In the middle of the century Queen Victoria was consistently portrayed with her ears covered, and even in catastrophic situations such as those shown in John Martin’s The Great Day of His Wrath (1852) or The Last Judgement (1853), women in the last extremity of distress are depicted with their ears carefully covered by neatly arranged hair at the sides.
The temporary eclipse of earrings is confirmed by the fact that at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, although jewellery was well represented, earrings were not given prominence. Those that were produced at this time were attractive but generally small and compact in design, frequently featuring naturalistic motifs such as flowerhead clusters, bunches of grapes, acorns, and other foliate arrangements chased in gold, set with a gemstone depicting a bud or berry, or carved in coral and ivory. The trend towards naturalism was common to all the decorative arts and Jewellery. Other earrings assumed the shape of crescent hoops or elongated beads. Long gem-set earrings were never worn at important formal occasions because the ears remained completely concealed by the hair and covered by elaborate tiaras in the form
120, 121
A pencil and gouache design for a tiara, bracelet and corsage ornament by Mellerio, mid 19th century. Note the two lateral cascading spray of leaves and flowers which concealed the ears.
1840s and 1850s
In the late 184os a new hairstyle with a parting at the centre and the hair brushed to each side of the face and gathered in a knot at the back, totally covering the ears, led to the virtual disappearance of earrings — another indication of the close relationship between hairstyles and earrings. One has only to look at portraits by Wintherhalter and other society painters to see how universal this fashion was. In the middle of the century Queen Victoria was consistently portrayed with her ears covered, and even in catastrophic situations such as those shown in John Martin’s The Great Day of His Wrath (1852) or The Last Judgement (1853), women in the last extremity of distress are depicted with their ears carefully covered by neatly arranged hair at the sides.
The temporary eclipse of earrings is confirmed by the fact that at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, although jewellery was well represented, earrings were not given prominence. Those that were produced at this time were attractive but generally small and compact in design, frequently featuring naturalistic motifs such as flowerhead clusters, bunches of grapes, acorns, and other foliate arrangements chased in gold, set with a gemstone depicting a bud or berry, or carved in coral and ivory. The trend towards naturalism was common to all the decorative arts and Jewellery. Other earrings assumed the shape of crescent hoops or elongated beads. Long gem-set earrings were never worn at important formal occasions because the ears remained completely concealed by the hair and covered by elaborate tiaras in the form Ink design for a dormeuse earring, Kreuter, Germany, April 1877, front and side view.
of garlands of flowers which framed the face and cascaded in two sprays decorated en pampille down the sides of the head. During the day, bonnets with large brims tied under the chin with wide ribbons made earrings superfluous and difficult to wear; for the same reason brooches ceased to be worn high on the collar where they interfered with the hat ribbon tied under the chin. Simple single-stone earrings — know as dormeuses or ’sleepers’ because they were worn at night to prevent the pierced hole in the lobe from closing — were the only form of earring that continued to be used.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF the Parisian thread of French Art Nouveau is distinguished by a group of forward-looking individuals who formed artistic groups to experiment with new forms, and who were supported by a circle of entrepreneurs. The most important patron was the influential dealer, Siegfried Bing (see p.355). An enthusiastic collector with a special interest in Oriental art, Bing played a crucial role in Le Japon Artistique, a publication that was instrumental in popularizing Far Eastern Art in 19th-century Europe, before he moved on to promote Art Nouveau.
AN ENTERPRISING ENDEAVOUR Key to the success of the “new art” in Paris was Binds transformation of his antiques shop in Paris into the gallery L’Art Nouveau in 1895. He dedicated this to exhibiting a host of decorative objects, which embodied the new directions in art while also being inspired by French tradition. He assembled a group of innovative artists – not only from France but also Henry van de Velde of Belgium and the American, Louis Comfort Tiffany –and showcased their latest works. Bing succeeded in bringing Art Nouveau to a wealthy, fashion-conscious clientele and was joined in this endeavour by the German art critic, Julius Meier Graefe who established La Maison Moderne in 1898. His aim was to offer more affordable decorative wares in the Art Nouveau style, made using industrial methods.
THE PARIS AND NANCY STYLES Although both the Paris and Nancy Schools pioneered the new, curvilinear, organic furniture style, the leading designers of both schools – Hector Guimard in Paris and Louis Majorette and Emille Galle in Nancy – each drew inspiration from nature in a very different way. At the Ecole de Nancy, the style was much more exuberant and florid: the finely crafted pieces had sculptural shapes and were richly veneered in exotic woods, with motherof-peal inlays, marquetry, and gilt-bronze mounts.
The Parisian strand of Art Nouveau was lighter and more restrained, and owed much to the work of the architect and furniture designer, Hector Guimard.
One of a talented group of cabinetmakers, Guimard – who was a disciple of Victor Horta in Belgium and is best remembered for his Paris Metro entrances – was one of the most innovative and progressive. His bold and energetic three-dimensional furniture designs were imaginative, sculptural evocations of the natural world. At first these were made in solid mahogany, but later he used a soft pearwood that was easier to model.
DECORATIVE INSPIRATION Although the decoration favoured by the Paris School took its inspiration from nature, it was stylized. Other furniture designers who were part of Siegfried Bing’s influential gallery and retail shop,

and who formed the core of the Paris School of Art Nouveau, included Eugene Gaillard, the Dutchman Georges De Feure, and German-born Edouard Colonna.
ROCOCO INFLUENCE
Gaillard’s robust, dynamic furniture looked back to the 18th-century Rococo style of Louis XV for inspiration, and included pieces such as the magnificent display cupboard in walnut that was shown at the 1900 International Exhibition in Paris (see pp.354-55), as well as light and airy tables and chairs with sinuous decoration in aquatic plant patterns.
The slender and refined gilded wood furniture created by De Feure was delicately carved with plant
motifs and combined with silk fabrics. His sophisticated designs drew inspiration from the 18th-century French tradition of furniture-making, especially the Louis XVI style.
Colonna’s furniture was a quieter version of Art Nouveau. Its simple forms and scrolling, decorative patterns were carved with a light and delicate hand.

WALNUT-FRAMED CHAIR
This carved walnut chair was designed by Eugene Gaillard. The chair has a distinctive pierced, asymmetric floral and foliate carved frame decorated with sinuous curves and plant tendril carving on the back. The chair seat and back are upholstered with the original floral embossed brown leather, which is fixed in place with brass studs. The chair stands on flared feet. This style was influenced by leading Paris School artist-craftsmen such as Hector Guimard. c. 1905.

OAK SERVER
A more restrained Art Nouveau style is shown in this oak and purple-heart server designed by Leon Jallot. The piece has an arched, raised back with pierced, stylized leaf motifs above Iwo frieze drawers and open shelves.
DESK CHAIR
This Tony Selmersheim desk chair is made from padouk, a type of rosewood. The chair has a wavy top rail above a cartouche-shaped padded back with inscrolled arms and a
padded seat. The piece stands on gently splayed tapering legs. c.1902.
MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE
Designed by Camille Gauthier and Paul Poinsignon, this table has a concave-shaped rectangular top with delicate, floral-motif fruitwood marquetry. It sits above an arched frieze with daffodil-design marquetry, on spiral-carved, tapering legs. c.1900.

GLASS-FRONTED CABINET
This cabinet is made of lemonwood and satinwood and carved with foliate motifs. The stained glass cabinet doors contain simple, swirling foliate designs in coloured glass. The piece was designed by Edouard Colonna for Siegfried Bing. 1900.

In the 1890s, public and private interiors in France underwent a period of radical change, reflecting a burgeoning interest in modern materials, nature-inspired decorative motifs, and imaginative forms of Art Nouveau. One of the most original French Art Nouveau architects, Hector Guimard, was celebrated for his sinuous, decorative, wrought-iron entrances for the Metro stations in Paris.
Guimard made his mark as an architect with a distinctive block of flats he built in Paris from 1894 to 1998, which was known as Lc Cassel Beranger, located at
Entrance to Boissiere Metro station This is one of the curvaceous cast-iron Paris Metro entrances designed by Hector Guimard. 1899-1904.
10 rue dc la 1bntainc. Loth the exterior and interior of the flats boast hold, abstract ornament. Ile used variegated colour on the facade, and built an interior courtyard to allow more light into the apartments.
Guimard understood the need to create brightly coloured living spaces that were open and hilt of light. With the Castel ir3cianger, he demonstrated how the decorative arts, in a wide range of materials, could successfully work together with architecture to create a unified, modern scheme.

WALNUT SELETTE
This two-tier walnut selette stand was designed by Edouard Diot. Beneath a flat top, distinctive, delicately curved supports decorated with carved, twisting floral motifs extend from the upper tier via open supports. The piece rests on out-splayed carved feet.

19TH CENTURY CHAIRS
CHAIR DESIGN HAD NEVER been so
diverse as in this eclectic age. The different styles seen in other types of furniture also existed in chairs. Elements from the popular revival styles – from Classical acanthus
carvings to Gothic arches and all points in between – combined to create a multifarious riot of forms.
Chairs were often designed to complement other pieces in a room, but were also influenced by fashion, which resulted in the design of tow, wide seats to accommodate full skirts.
COMFORT FIRST
An emphasis on comfort was at the core of many mid 19th-century chair designs, especially those that emanated from France, where padded arms, seats, and backs were dc rigueur components of the Rococo- and Neoclassical-revival styles. In Britain, the easy chair was thickly padded in fabric or leather and
provided a respite from the more ascetic oak chairs in the Gothic style. There was a renewed interest in the designs of Chippendale, Sheraton, and Adam towards the end of the century.
Two separate interpretations of the Rococo style – the bentwood laminate styles of the Thonet and Belter factories on the one hand, and the padded giltwood offerings of French workshops on the other – both enjoyed popularity Classical motifs such as urns, acanthus, and festoons were equally prolific. Oriental and Anglo-Indian furniture expanded the canon of Western decorative arts to include elements from these two ancient Eastern cultures.
Salon suites al became popular in middle-class homes during this period. The suite typically comprised a sofa, a chaise longue. four side chairs, a lady’s armchair. a gentleman`s armchair, and a stool – all in the Louis XV style.
These open armchairs are made of white-painted wood and each have a flower-carved crest and apron. The seat, arms, and back are upholstered in a pale fabric decorated with a floral and foliate pattern. In each case, the
serpentine seat is supported on painted (formerly gilt) cabriole legs. The chairs are Louis XV in style and make an interesting contrast to the armchairs shown below. c.1880.
FRENCH OPEN ARMCHAIRS
Each one of this pair of giltwood open armchairs has an upholstered back, arms, and seat. The frame of each chair is carved with a scroll, ribbon, and swag crest and stiff lead
borders. Each chair has fluted, finial-surmounted supports and tapering legs, which terminate in brass casters. The chairs are Louis XVI in style. c1900.
GERMAN CHAIR AND ARMCHAIR
This solid mahogany chair and armchair are designed in the Empire style, with scrolled top rails and upholstered backs and seats. The supports. armrests, and seat rails are inlaid
with bronze decoration. The arm supports are giltwood sphinxes, while the cabriole legs have carved and gilt griffin heads and paw feet. c.1880.
BRITISH GENTLEMAN’S CHAIR
This walnut-framed gentleman’s easy chair has a Morocco-leather buttoned back and seat with studded decoration and outscrolled arms. It is a good example of a chair with coil springs. The chair is raised on turned front legs and casters. 1890-1900.
Carved splat panel
CHINESE ARMCHAIRS
These red-lacquered elm armchairs from Shangxi Province each have a scrolling top rail and a panelled splat carved with an animal and objects. Each panel seat with a carved seat rail is supported on square-section legs with stretchers. c.1880.
BLACK FOREST HALL CHAIRS
Each one of this pair of chairs has a stained and carved frame inlaid with hunting scenes on the back and seat. The waisted, pierced, scrolling back rises above a shaped serpentine seat, which is supported on cabriole legs.
AMERICAN SIDE CHAIRS
This pair of Rococo-revival, laminated, rosewood side chairs each has a shaped, moulded back, enclosing scrolling devices. The upholstered seats have a flower-carved rail and are supported on
cabriole legs.
BRITISH EASY CHAIR
This George III-style, mahogany, upholstered easy chair has a curved crest above rolled arms and is raised on cabriole legs with claw-and-ball feet. The chair has rose and beige silk damask upholstery. c.1900.
BRITISH OPEN ARMCHAIR
The rounded back and seat of this armchair in George I style are upholstered with gros and petit-point woolwork. The walnut frame has shepherd-crook arms and shell-carved cabriole legs, terminating in claw-and-ball feet.
ANGLO-INDIAN OPEN ARMCHAIR
This Empire-style armchair has a shaped top rail, a square-section back rail, scrolled arms, and cabriole legs. Every surface is covered with sadeli work decoration set within ivory and
ebony borders. c.1900.
ITALIAN ARMCHAIR
This lime and walnut armchair has an oval back with an upholstered panel framed by carved, gilt surrounds. The seat has a moulded top rail and is supported on cabriole legs. c.1840.
BRITISH SIDE CHAIR
The caned, shield-shaped back of this Sheraton-style, painted satinwood side chair is surmounted by a medallion, depicting a female figure. The seat is raised on square, tapering legs, which terminate in spade feet. c.1900.

antique chair “hale company”
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Baroque Furniture
The principal characteristic of Baroque is its rejection of the rationalism of the Renaissance. Baroque is much more dynamic and lively, particularly with its use of light and shade in the manner of a painter. The design of a piece and its detail were subjugated to achievement of dynamism, which was at the core of Baroque. The eye for the main lines was expressed through the materials used. Wood was inlaid with gemstones or semi-precious stones, tortoiseshell, precious metal, and ivory. Light was reflected by polished wood. Supports were turned as scrolls and an overall impression of curved form was created by the use of projecting pediments, plinths, and cornices. Much use was made of acanthus stems with broad leaves and conch shell motifs.
It is difficult to determine with furniture when Baroque replaced the Renaissance because the two styles co-existed for a time. Furthermore the characteristic Baroque elements only became fully apparent during the late eighteenth century.
France
Most of Europe, with a few exceptions, fell sway to the dynamism of Baroque. France though preferred more rigid classical lines. This found its expression in an individual French style of furniture. It was precisely at this time that greater power came into the hands of the French king and with it a greater role in artistic commissions and hence of trends at the hands of the French court.
The best artists and craftsmen worked in the Royal studios — with the establishment in 1677 of the Manufacture Royale des Meubles de la Couronne. Cabinet making became regarded as an art in itself, with cabinet makers also working as ebeniste (specialist in inlay or marquetry — the name is derived from the
French predilection for ebony inlay) and woodcarver.
In addition to the importance of construction and decoration in the making of furniture, consideration was also given to the location in which the furniture was to stand. The ebeniste, designer of the ornamentation, and the architect all made decisions about the final form of a piece. In the Middle Ages furniture had been largely portable or easily moved but during the Renaissance furniture was made for a more set place in the interior of homes. Now the far extreme was reached in which it was no longer intended that the piece should ever be moved.
A strange schism arose between furniture for the citizenry and very luxurious pieces. This also meant that different materials were used in the making of these different items. Instead of the customary walnut, more exotic types of wood were now used.
A good example of this is the use of ebony, which by the time of Louis XIII was already being decorated with coloured inlays.
The artist Andre Charles, who worked for the court of Louis XIV was exceptionally talented, and stood out from the other ebenistes. In his early period he also used Dutch motifs such as vases of jasmine, roses, and tulips in his mosaic woodwork. Later he was influenced by the designs of Berain and Marot and replaced his motifs with banding linked together with acanthus stems. His designs were formed with both negative and positive inlays such as light pewter in tortoiseshell and vice versa. Later still he replaced the marquetry of the 1660’s and 70’s as it became less fashionable.
The bed was an important piece of furniture as the whole morning ceremony of rising or lever occurred around it. The enclosed square form of the bed remained with four posts and both outer and inner curtains. The bedroom had several ante-rooms attached in which there was much coming and going of court functionaries. The chest was banished from the furnishing of rooms and was replaced by the commode which became popular in France around 1700. The commode was a development of the chest with drawer which Boulle placed on legs. In the French salons table commodes also appeared, set on tall legs, encrusted with inlays of metal and tortoiseshell. These legs were furthermore decorated with bronze mascarons or grotesque masks. The drawers too were fitted with bronze handles which also held the encrusted decoration in the veneer.
The most important piece of salon furniture was a superbly made cabinet with drawes. At first the Boulle cabinets had separate plinths but later these were integral.
Tables were adapted to the considerable demands of the time and there were numerous variations. In common with other furniture, tables too were inlaid with metal and the same was equally true of cashier’s tables, most of which had a small drawer. The older-style baluster legs were considered too plump and were replaced by cabriole legs.
Other rooms than the salons were often used for a number of purposes and as required night and toilet cabinets might be placed in them.
There were also heavy tables with marble tops plus smaller tables for lamps and suchlike. Console tables provided an architectural element.Seating in the form of fa u teu ils (armchairs), tabourets, sofas, and chairs formed part of the interiors of the homes of the wealthy and the aristocracy but cabinets did not. These were found in the homes of the citizenry but the new item of luxury furniture was the bookcase.
Many different types of armchair and chair were made. Armchairs with turned legs were widely used but later these legs were replaced with richly decorated baluster legs. These were joined together
with diagonal carved stretchers or with H-form stretchers but these disappeared with the arrival of cabriole legs.
The backs of armchairs became more all encompassing and were upholstered and rounded off at the top in an arch. The curved arms of the chairs also became upholstered.
French furniture makers were also influenced by English furniture makers. This led to the introduction of the commodite — a kind of wide armchair — into France. The canape was also partially developed from the English day bed or lit de repos.
German-speaking Europe and the Low Countries
Baroque expressed itself in Germany through very excessive and lively inlay and carving and was of considerable influence there. The elements of the Baroque style were incorporated with both imagination and consistency. The output of German furniture makers was equally diverse as German politics. Designs based on the Renaissance endured for a long time but alongside this a new style developed in the palaces, castles, and grand homes of the countless principalities, which adopted a great deal of the influences from elsewhere. Furniture was imported into northern Germany for some considerable time from the northern Netherlands. After the death of Frederick I of Prussia in 1713 late Italian Baroque started to become more widespread and the artistic centre moved to Dresden, which became one of the most important artistic centres in Europe under Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony.
The Bavarian court in southern Germany was strongly influenced by French examples and items such as console tables with French baluster legs and lighter tables in the style of Boulle were made. The encrusted decoration of this maker and also of Marot found favour here too. Cabinets in ebony from Augsburg of this period are exceptionally fine. They have inlays of polychrome stones, ivory, wood, and pietra dura (mosaic of semi-precious stones).
Furniture was largely made from walnut with intarsia inlays of other wood. Great care was taken to ensure that the beauty of the grain of the walnut was revealed to its fullest potential.
The cabinetmakers achieved considerable results in such furniture. German Baroque ornamentation was dominated from the 1660’s by heavy use of acanthus leaf motifs that had replaced conch shell forms, and by small arrow-like columns. Intarsia decorations became figurative from the start of the eighteenth century (bouquets of flowers were very popular) and no longer utilised vines, squares, or rectangular patterns. Baroque became increasingly more valid in Germany and this is clearly apparent with cabinets.
The older-style cabinet on bun feet was drastically altered. It changed into a four-door — later two-door — cabinet with heavy cornice, turned pilasters or columns, and angled fronts.
In terms of furniture, the northern parts of the Low Countries can be considered as an entity with northern Germany, although there were local style variations of course. Hamburg was an important furniture-making centre. The Hamburg four-door cabinet closely resembled Dutch Renaissance cabinets. In addition to these a fine two door cabinet appeared from Hamburg around 1700 with a straight cornice. The faсade comprised large decorated areas with continuous pilasters. A similar cabinet from the Dutch Republic of this time is the linen cabinet for storing pillows.
The partial cornices of cabinets from Dantzig (Gdansk) gave them a less fussy appearance and their square panels were decorated with mythological scenes. By contrast, cabinets from Lubeck had arched cornices. The Baroque influence ensured that cabinets from Holstein and Westphalia were embellished with figurative decorations.
The influence of the naturalistic Dutch floral intarsia decoration remained apparent throughout the eighteenth century. In addition to the main show pieces many painted and non carved pieces were made in northern Germany.
In southern Germany, new life was given to Renaissance cabinets at Ulm and cabinets from Augsburg were smaller and sometimes overwhelmingly decorated. The popularity of the Wellenschrank originating from Frankfurt was great from the beginning of the seventeenth century. This is a simply decorated cabinet in walnut veneer with an attractive curved front. Cabinets were also the most important item of furniture in northern Germany too.
There were various variants of these as elsewhere. Those from Hamburg were decorated with acanthus stems while Dantzig cabinets were smaller with one or two doors.
Commodes with pull-out leaf for writing and bureaux formed important pieces of furniture in the homes of the middle classes. Their chairs had spiral, turned, or cabriole legs and leather seats and these were also used to sit at table.
These chairs had high backs with heavy armrests and were decorated with carved banding and acanthus stems.
Many canopy beds with turned posts had large panels that were usually copiously decorated with intarsia inlay or carving. Gradually beds began to be made without valances.
Carving fell out of favour over the years so that cabinets had large plain surfaces on their fronts which gave them a monumental appearance.

Sevres
In the 19th century Sevres remained the pre-eminent porcelain factory in France both in quality and in innovation. Receiving state subsidies and patronage, it employed many eminent chemists, who developed new pastes, glazes, and decorative techniques, which kept the factory in the forefront of fashion. However, during this period there was an increasing divide between domestic or utilitarian wares and the very elaborate ornamental pieces, such as vases and large services, made for the State, for international exhibitions, and as diplomatic gifts.
A Plate from the Service des P6ches painted by L. Garneray This plate illustrates how the Sevres painters continued the late 18th-century tradition of using porcelain primarily as a medium for painting However, the motifs are no longer strictly Classical as they would have been during the 18th century Such an elaborate piece as this would have been used only for display in a cabinet.
(1840, diam. 24.5cm19lin; value J)
THE RESTORATION PERIOD
After France’s monarchy was restored in 1815, the country enjoyed a period of relative prosperity and stability until the 1840s. The Sevres factory continued to produce wares in the Empire style in the 1820s and 1830x, and continued the fashion of treating porcelain as a medium for painting; restrained Neo-classical forms were decorated all over, with little or none of the porcelain left showing. The royal family commissioned large display services, each piece painted with a scene surrounded by gilt borders with motifs such as acanthus, eagles, and trophies. However, portraits of the imperial family, and scenes commemorating the battles and deeds of the Emperor, were replaced by views of France, birds, or scenes of various crafts and trades. The finest examples of this style are the table or breakfast services illustrating industries, agriculture, and history for the palace of Fontainebleau.
The mixture of Classical, Egyptian, and chinoiserie motifs already evident in porcelain decoration before 1830 became more apparent and more complex with the introduction of Gothic and Renaissance Revival shapes
and motifs, such as grotesques and miniature
pinnacles and (rockets. Vases were painte
in imitation of 16th-century Limoges enamels with grotesques, flower swags, mythological scenes, and
scrollwork in grey on blue; this
was so successful that a specialis
enamelling workshop was set up
which operated between 1845
and 1872. Table services made
in the 1830s and 1840s for the
Duke of Orleans and the Duke
of Nemours, based on 18th-
century Rococo designs by Jean- Claude Duplessis (1690-1774), marked the revival of Rococo. From the 1840s the fashion for
treating porcelain as a canvas for painting declined. Areas of white porcelain again
became visible, particularly on everyday services. For example, the large services made for the royal residences (including those for staff use) tended to be simply ornamented, with a gilt or blue royal monogram in the centre and gold-leaf borders around the rims. This decoration was printed rather than painted, since from (.1845 the lithographic process was in use at Sevres, allowing printing in several colours.
THE SECOND REPUBLIC AND SECOND EMPIRE During the Second Republic (1848-52) Sevres suffered financial problems because there was little demand for luxury goods. Production increased again during the Second Empire ( 1852-70), when much of the factory’s output was intended either for the residences of Emperor Napoleon III, and as diplomatic gifts, or for display in the many international exhibitions. Plain domestic wares were also made in large quantities.
During the directorship of the chemist Victor Regnauld during the Second Empire there were several important developments in manufacturing and decoration. The production of soft paste was revived, although mainly at an experimental level, and slip-casting was introduced, meaning that very thin or large hollow pieces could be made. In the 1850s the chemist Alphonse-Louis Salvetat created a flambe glaze imitating Chinese porcelain, which was perfected in the 1880s; underglaze brown colours and coloured pastes imitating marble and hardstones were also introduced. One of the most popular techniques created during the 1850s was pate-sur pate: a process of building up a design in low relief on a tinted ground by applying layer upon laver of white slip and carving the details before firing.
From 1852 the Rococo Revival was the most popular style. The 18th-century forms were reproduced for tablewares and vases, but the gilding and decoration of scrolls, shells, figures, and flowers is more crowded and exaggerated than on original 18th-century pieces. The factory revived landscape panels with figures in the manner of the Rococo artists Watteau and Boucher, as well as coloured grounds, particularly turquoise and pink. Factories in Germany and France that had bought the white wares earlier sold off by Sevres to alleviate its financial problems copied this style in the late 19th century; these copies are usually described by dealers and auctioneers as “Sevres”, too, or as “Sevres-style”.
There was also a revival of the Pompeian and Classical Greek styles between 1845 and 1855, evident in the use of motifs and designs based on engravings of the antiquities of Pompeii. However, the shapes are not always Classical in inspiration, and the colours and decorative techniques, such as painting in matt colours on biscuit porcelain to imitate Classical vases, are different from those used in the 18th-century Neoclassical period. The factory was able to keep up with fashion because it had retained the moulds of Neoclassical wares produced in the late 18th century under Louis XVI. This also led to a limited revival of biscuit porcelain figures c.1860.
THE LATE 19TH CENTURY
After the establishment of France’s Third Republic in 1871 the factory continued largely to produce ornamental pieces for embassies, ministries, and government buildings, as well as simpler pieces as prizes for lotteries and public competitions.
In 1877 the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse 1824-87) was appointed director. He introduced Japanese-inspired designs that contrasted strongly with the overdecorated pieces in a confused mixture of historical styles. The factory also developed a new paste in the 1880s, which was fired at the lower temperature. This made possible an increased range of colours and the perfection of the flambe glazes imitating Oriental porcelain. These wares were particularly fashionable in the 1880s, when there was a vogue for Japanese art.
SEVRES COPIES
Many thousands of imitations of the 18th-century Sevres style were produced by French and other European manufacturers in the 19th century. After the Revolution huge numbers of blank Sevres wares were sold off to decorators. Later decorated pieces tend to have poorer-quality decoration and gilding and, if a piece has been refired, there is usually black speckling on the base.
he Restoration period
• BODY fine, white hard paste with a clear, glassy glaze; some items made in soft paste and coloured pastes imitating marble and hardstones
• STYLE continuation of Empire style, with introduction of Rococo, Gothic, and Renaissance elements
• FIGURES biscuit portraits and busts in the 18th-century Neo-classical style
Marks
This mark was used from 1834 to 1848; the letters “LP’ stand for “Louis-Philippe”, who succeeded to the French throne in 1830
The Second Republic and Second Empire
• STYLE Rococo Revival, often combined with Gothic and Renaissance motifs
• DECORATION painting of landscapes in the style of Watteau and Boucher, or large flowers, with gilding, coloured grounds, and scrollwork; pate-sur-pate
• FIGURES small classically inspired biscuit figures revived c.1860
The late 19th century
• STYLE continuation of mid-19th-century styles; Japanesque
• DECORATION plain grounds and glazes in pure colours for Japanese-style wares; Art Nouveau stylized flower motifs in pastel shades