Posts Tagged ‘palladian bookshelves’

19th Century Empire Furniture.

A ROYAL FRENCH CENTRE TABLE
Centre tables became increasingly popular in the early 19th century Designed to stand in the middle Of a room, this piece was intended to be seen from all angles. Consequently, the tessellated marquetry top is decorated on all sides, and the top even
swivels. Placed over planks, which make up the top, the veneers include alternating petals of maple and mahogany. The outer border is crossbanded with tulipwood and encloses several thuyawood panels “inlaid” with trophies of Science, Painting, Gardening, Architecture, Music, and Navigation.
Technically the use of the word “inlaid” is inaccurate here as the trophies and the thuyawood ground are cut from veneers of equal thickness and pieced together (more like parquetry). In other words, the trophies are not laid into a thick piece of timber but are veneered on top of the secondary carcase of the table top. The pentagonal column and the concave-sided plinth are veneered in burr elm. This local light-coloured wood, like the maple veneers on the top, is typical of the taste for boil (lairs during the Empire period.
Equally typical of this style are the ormolu mounts on the column and plinth, depicting
winged figures of victory. This choice of subject is of great significance, as the table bears a print label inscribed Chateau des Tuileries/1929 and 1047 Salon dc la famille du Roi.
This table was made for
Louis XVIII of France by LouisFrancois-Laurent Puteaux around 1815. The victory
figures could, therefore, refer to the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy after the final exile of Napoleon in that year.
An exceptional piece, it is unusual for the period, as most pieces relied on well-figured veneers for decoration rather than parquetry.
A burr-elm and marquetry centre table This piece has a circular swivelling top, with a central geometric-inlaid rosette and broad border. It is raised on a pentagonal column and supported on a concave-sided pentagonal plinth. The table rests on bun feet. Made by Puteaux
Table top
The trophies of Science, Painting,
Gardening, Architecture, Music,
and Navigation are divided by
green-stained wreaths.
A GREAT DEAL OF the furniture produced in Europe,
the United States, and South Africa from the time of
the French Revolution to around 1830 owes some closely
stylistic allegiance to the French Empire style. The
British Regency and German Biedermeier styles (see
pp.206 and 216) were both highly idiosyncratic and,
although indebted to the Napoleonic manner, were
influential in their own right. It is one of the ironies countries France had conquered,
of the period that countries so hostile to Napoleon including Spain, Italy, and the
and French rule, including Britain, Germany and Netherlands.
Russia, adopted a style derived from Paris fashions.
NEW CUSTOMERS Napoleon famously failed to conquer, still
The period is also notable for a subtle shift in market
from the aristocratic patrons of pre-revolutionary
France to the bourgeoisie. It is sometimes argued that
the rise of the middle-class buyer heralded a decline
in the quality of furniture, but the discerning eye
will appreciate that fine Empire furniture is of an
equal quality to that which preceded it. The Industrial
Revolution also affected furniture workshops, which,
throughout the 19th century were increasingly
mechanized. This process was aided by the disbanding
of the guild system in France early in the Revolution,
freeing cabinet-makers and bronze founders from the
restrictive procedures formerly enforced upon them.
style remained the height of fashion until 1815 when the Emperor
was finally exiled for
good. Thereafter, it became heavier in porportion and freer of decoration such as ormolu mounts.
However, as the Empire style was taken up in various other countries in Europe, it was combined with the local traditions and
techniques. In the American furniture, which was largely Influenced
by British style: the shaped back panel, bowed front
and tapering legs display the Classical influences of the period.

FRANCE: LOUIS-PHILIPPE
LOUIS-PHILIPPE WAS THE LAST monarch
to be recognized by the people of France. Descended from the House of Orleans, he faced opposition from the Legitimists who wished to see a Bourbon regain the French throne, as well as from Republicans and those in the Napoleonist camp. Aware of the
deep divisions that troubled his nation, Louis-Philippe strove to restore unity during his 18-year reign (1830-48). He adopted the populist title “King of the French” and founded the Museum of French History, which he dedicated to “All of France’s glories”. The king was also a significant patron of the arts
and his love of architecture can be seen today in the buildings he commissioned at Versailles.
A HAPPY DISARRAY OF STYLES Furniture of the period reflected Louis-Philippe’s reconciliatory agenda. Revivals of various historical styles remained popular, despite often having close associations with the Bourbon monarchy. Fashionable citizens and those wishing to show off their newfound wealth would furnish their dining rooms in the Renaissance
style and their living rooms with pieces imitating Louis-XIV taste. An altogether different tenor was struck by exponents of the Cathedral style, or gothique troubadour, which harked back to the Gothic era. Characterized by deep carving and moulding, frequently incorporating devotional motifs, the Cathedral style was architectural, and its heavy aspect suited to darker woods such as oak. There was a move away from the lighter woods that were popular during Charles X’s reign (1824-30), and manufacturers favoured walnut and more exotic hardwoods such as mahogany and rosewood, which were imported from France’s colonies.
REFRESHING AND MODEST Simple and sturdy, the Louis-Philippe style displayed a confidence that did not require excessive surface decoration. Instead, cabinet-makers asserted their assurance through large, hold forms with simple lines. Where materials other than wood were incorporated into the body of a piece, they were designed to blend into and complement the whole. Gilt-metal Mounts depicting mythological or grotesque figures and marble table tops were employed to bring out the colours and textures of the woods, sometimes accentuated with flame veneer Industrial cutting techniques reduced the amount of labour required in the manufacture of furniture. This resulted in a greater availability of pieces. New forms included the canape borne, or “sociable sofa”, which consisted of an upholstered scat with central cushions, allowing users to sit facing opposite directions, and a whole range of pieces made from wood and wrought and cast iron for furnishing the Jardins d`hiver or conservatories.
MAHOGANY COMMODE
This Louis-Philippe mahogany commode has a rectangular, grey, fossilized marble top with rounded corners, which rests on top of a concave frieze drawer. Below this drawer are
three long drawers all featuring matching flame mahogany veneers. The case stands on a plinth supported on four square, bun feet. c. 1840.
WALNUT TABLE
This walnut drop-leaf dining table features additional leaves (totalling five when fully extended). The table top is supported on six turned legs, which terminate in casters. c.1840.
DRESSING TABLE
This elegant ebony-inlaid dressing table is made of satinwood and decorated with foliate scrolls. The upper section has a rectangular mirror flanked by carved upright supports in the form of swans. Below the mirror are two real and three dummy drawers. The lower section of the dressing table has a dish top
above a frieze drawer, which is raised on lotus leaf carved pilasters supported on a shaped platform base and raised on turned feet. The back of this section is covered with mirror glass. This piece is more reminiscent of the style of furniture prevalent during the reign of the last Bourbon king, Charles X (reigned 1824-30), with its light wood veneers. c.1840.
GUERIDON
This Gueridon (French candlestand) has a marble top with a recessed centre. This top is supported on a baluster-shaped column, which terminates in a tripod base. The lion’s paw feet at the ends of the base rest on casters. c.1840.
BREAKFRONT BOOKCASE
The upper section of this walnut breakfront bookcase has a raised central door with applied cusped mouldings, flanked by corresponding doors with lower panels. The three doors of the upper section are divided by rung turned columns
with octagonal turrets and finials. The lower section of the bookcase follows the style of the upper section: the central door has an applied circular cusp panel and is flanked on either side by a door with arched panelling. The whole stands on a plinth base. c.1840
LOUIS-PHILIPPE
This walnut and gilt-brass vitrine has mahogany banding, and boxwood and ebony stringing. It is raised on a plinth with flattened, bun feet. The rectangular top has canted angles. The single glazed door has a frame inlaid with specimen woods and applied rosettes.

Paris became an important centre of porcelain production from the 1780s. Several factors led to the vast increase in the number of porcelain factories: the discovery of kaolin in the Limoges area in 1768, which enabled the production of hard paste; sponsorship by members of the French royal and later imperial families; and the relaxation of laws protecting the monopoly of the Sevres factory. The heyday of the Paris factories was from the 1790s to the 1820s, during which period at least 15 factories and large workshops were operating.
THE DIHL FACTORY
Christophe Dihl ( 1753-1830) and Antoine Guerhard (5.1793) founded a factory on the rue de Bondi in 1781 under the protection of the Duke of Angouleme. The factory’s wares of the 1780s are decorated with cornflowers (known as the “Angouleme sprig”), geometric motifs, and landscapes. The factory’s finest period was the early 19th century, when the popularity and quality of its wares rivalled Sevres. During this period the factory specialized in decoration imitating hardstones. Dihl carried out research into ground colours, producing “jaspered” effects simulating agate and tortoiseshell, usually in combination with fine gilt borders and sometimes reserved scenes. The factory also made biscuit figures of children and allegorical subjects in the Rococo and later Neo-classical tastes; these were sometimes mounted on plinths decorated in matt blue and gilt in imitation of lapis lazuli. Following financial problems during the 1820s, the factory closed in 1828.
THE NAST FACTORY
One of the most successful of all Paris factories, the Nast factory was founded in 1783 by the Austrian Nepomucene-Jean-Hermann Nast (1754-1817). The factory, which operated until 1835, produced a huge variety of items, from luxury tablewares to domestic items such as chamber-pots, jars, and lamps. Its best period was following the Revolution (1789), when it was well known for its development of matt ground colours, in particular a chrome green. Decoration could be very lavish, with high-quality gilding and painted landscapes, Classical subjects, and grotesques; in 1810 Nast developed gilt relief borders imitating bronze, used mainly on cups and saucers. The factory made a range of biscuit figures and busts of Classical and mythological subjects, Napoleon, and other personalities of the Empire period, as well as blue-tinted biscuit wares in imitation of Wedgwood, such as clockcases and candlesticks. It also sold large quantities of undecorated porcelain, which sometimes bears the marks of other Paris factories, such as Darte Freres.
THE DAGOTY AND HONORS FACTORIES
The Dagoty and Honore factories formed a partnership between 1816 and 1820, after which they operated independently again. The best-known products of the partnership were richly gilded dessert, tea, and coffee services with animal-shaped handles and spouts, and butterfly-shaped knops. Eggcups and inkwells were modelled as snails or mythological figures, and larger cups as swans, shells, and tulips. On some pieces a red ground with gilt chinoiseries, imitating lacquer, was used, which is rare and highly sought after. Coloured grounds combined with landscapes, fable subjects, and figures based on Pompeian paintings were popular.
• BODY pure white, and even, hard paste with glassy, clear glaze; the dense, slightly sugary appearance of the paste can be seen on the often unglazed foot-rims
• DECORATION simple gilt borders of Classical motifs and scattered flowers; painted scenes with coloured and gilt grounds; painted imitations of hardstones and lacquer; rich gilding
• FIGURES biscuit figures of children, allegorical subjects