Louis XV style furniture

The LOUIS XV style...

1715 - 1774

...In the decorative arts, the Rococo style that is characterized by the superior craftsmanship of 18th-century cabinetmaking in France. The artists of this style produced exquisite Rococo decor for the enormous number of homes owned by royalty and nobility during the reign of Louis XV. Emphasis was laid on the ensemble, so that painters and sculptors were a part of the decorative arts. Some of the famous names connected with the finest in Louis XV Rococo style are those of the painter François Boucher; the sculptor, painter, and decorator Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier; the German craftsman J.-F. Oeben, whose intricate floral marquetry and ingenious mechanical specialities are extraordinary; and Pierre Migeon, a favourite of Mme de Pompadour. The full range of richness in decorative techniques is represented in this period--superb carving, ornamentation in all sorts of metal, all types of inlaid work in woods, metal, mother-of-pearl, and ivory, as well as the pinnacle of achievement in lacquered chinoiserie.

It was the fashion to have at least two complete sets of furniture, for summer and winter, for each home. The furniture combines usefulness with elegance. Chairs have curved legs, floral decorations, and comfortably padded seats and backs, yet sacrifice nothing in design. In addition to nature and Orientalia, fantasy played a large part in motifs, with curious animals and exotic landscapes adorning all surfaces. Rare woods such as tulip, lemon tree, violet, and king woods were used for sumptuous effects, and richly veined and tinted marbles were also imported. The art of polishing reached its peak in this period, even rivalling objects from the Far East. At its most extreme the Rococo mode became deliberately asymmetrical, although contriving always to maintain a harmonious balance within the larger scheme of decor.

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Louis XIV, XV, XVI Styles, French 17th- and 18th-century styles of architecture and interior design, named for the reigning monarch of the time. Louis XIV style was a French adaptation of baroque (see Baroque Art and Architecture), emphasizing formal grandeur and lush ostentation, which existed during the monarch's reign, from 1643 to 1715. The king's palace at Versailles was the supreme monument of this style, in which all the arts—architecture, sculpture, painting, interior design, and landscape design—were integrated into a unified expression of royal taste. Ornateness through the most minute details; use of silver, gold, and jewels in design; and a high degree of organization are the hallmarks of Versailles. Louis XV, or rococo style—about 1715 to 1774—was on a smaller scale than Louis XIV style and was lighter and more refined. Monumental grandeur gave way to delicate grace in architecture and interior design, with an emphasis on curved lines, arabesques, exquisite ornamentation, and fine detail. The Hôtel Soubise (1738-1739) in Paris, designed by Gabriel-Germain Boffrand, is an example of rococo style.

Louis XIV During the reign of Louis XIII (1610–43) there was a transition from the baroque style, strongly influenced by Italy, to the classical dignity of the period of Louis XIV (1643–1715). The Louis XIV [Louis Quatorze] style, established after the king took personal control of the government in 1661, was molded by the chief minister, Colbert. He established manufactories of tapestries, textiles, furniture, and ornaments; assembled leading artists and artisans in the royal service; and appointed Charles Le Brun director of the Gobelins manufactory and decorator of the palace of Versailles. Colbert worked in close cooperation with J. H. Mansart, achieving interiors of great splendor, in which the decoration was closely integrated with the architectural framework. Neutral backgrounds were often used to emphasize the strong, rich colors of Gobelin, Aubusson, and Beauvais tapestries, Savonnerie and Oriental rugs, velvet or brocade upholstery, hangings, and large paintings on walls and ceilings. Such ornaments as scrolls, acanthus leaves, caryatids, busts, and full figures with festoons of flowers and fruit were employed. Large mirrors decorated the walls. Furniture scaled to the huge proportions of the rooms was made of ebony or covered with silver, gilt, or lacquer and decorated with carving and with marquetry in the manner of A. C. Boulle.

Regence In contrast to the heavy, massive members and curves used in the period of Louis XIV, the régence style, established during the regency of Philippe II, duc d’Orléans (1715–23), began to employ delicate lines and intricate curves. Finely sculptured bronze reliefs became the outstanding mode of furniture decoration under the leadership of the cabinetmaker Charles Cressent.

Louis XV The Louis XV [Louis Quinze] (1723–74) style was characterized by free curves and the use of rococo ornament and chinoiserie. Rooms were smaller, specialized, and arranged for convenient use. Colors were delicate. Tinted wood, veneer, lacquer panels, marquetry, mounts by Caffieri and Pierre Gouthière, and porcelain plaques of Sèvres ware distinguish the designs. The style in its later phase was more restrained.

Louis XVI The restraint of the later Louis XV style presaged the strong reaction of the Louis XVI [Louis Seize] (1774–93) period, during which simplicity replaced excess and the classic revival influenced decorative motifs and brought a return to straight lines and symmetry. Slenderness of proportion was emphasized in furniture. Colors were light in tone; ornament was delicate and in low relief, embossed, or painted. Furniture details included slender fluted legs, convex moldings, and rosette, leaf, and flower motifs in the carved frames often painted white and touched with gilt. Upholstery and hangings used varied fabrics. The Revolution abolished the guilds, which had maintained high standards of craftsmanship, and weakened the practice, instituted under Louis XIV, of cooperation between artists and masters of the various crafts in producing fine furniture and decorative accessories.