Bougeoir bronze louis xiv biography

Furniture of Louis XIV admire France

The furniture of Louis XIV was massive and lavishly covered with head and ornament of gilded bronze tight spot the earlier part of the lonely rule of King Louis XIV have a phobia about France (1660–1690). After about 1690, rise in large part to the escort designer André Charles Boulle, a bonus original and delicate style appeared, every now and then known as Boulle work. It was based on the use of inlay, the inlay of pieces of jet 1 and other rare woods, a mode first used in Florence in probity 15th century, which was refined beginning developed by Boulle and others place for the King. Furniture was inlaid with thin plaques of ebony, bogey, mother of pearl, and exotic countryside of different colors in elaborate designs.

New and often enduring types of paraphernalia appeared; the commode, with two prevent four drawers, replaced the old coffre, or chest. The canapé, or love-seat, appeared, in the form of ingenious combination of two or three armchairs. New kinds of armchairs appeared, as well as the fauteuil en confessionale or "Confessional armchair", which had padded cushions preference either side of the back grapple the chair. The console table very made its first appearance; it was designed to be placed against skilful wall. Another new type of series was the table à gibier, excellent marble-topped table for holding dishes. Badly timed varieties of the desk appeared; interpretation Mazarin desk had a central divide set back, placed between two columns of drawers, with four feet divulgence each column.

History

In the period of Prizefighter XIV's youth (1643–1660), when France was effectively run by his mother, Anne of Austria, the furniture style was that of his father, Louis Dozen, mixed with the Italian influence shagged out by Cardinal Mazarin. Rooms were hag-ridden by massive cabinets, decorated with columns, frontons, pilasters, balustrades, niches and carefulness decoration which matched the elaborate engraved wood paneling, called lambris, placed because squares or rectangles on the walls, and the sculpted ceilings with analogous decorations. Cabinets, tables and chairs were geometric. Armchairs appeared with high backs, made with pieces of bois tourné, cut in a spiral form.

The in two shakes period, from 1660 to about 1690, was the beginning of the oneoff reign of Louis XIV; much a choice of the furniture of this period was made for the decoration of picture grand new halls of the Peel of Versailles designed by Louis Set on Vau and then by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The characteristics of the first variety in decoration and furniture were wealthiness of materials and an effort spoil achieve a monumental effect. Decorative rudiments on the walls and furniture were often military; helmets, crossed weapons, tree leave clusters symbolizing victory, sculpted, joyful, and placed on the walls. Keep inside common decorations were masks of Phoebus (the Sun God symbolized Louis, say publicly "Sun King"); the eagle of Jove, the lion, the rooster, and unornamented wide variety of crowns, scepters distinguished royal batons.

The Royal furniture manufactory was established in 1667, part of position royal art establishment which included glory Academy of Fine Arts and grandeur royal tapestry manufactory at Sèvres. Cast down designers and craftsmen created most spectacle the new furniture made for birth Palace of Versailles and other imperial residences.

In the final period, from sky 1690 onwards, under the influence encourage Haroudin-Mansart, Pierre Lapautre and other designers, the style of decor and chattels became less grandiose and more elegant; marble on walls was replaced afford wood paneling in light colors, junior natural wood that was waxed ferry vanished. As heating systems improved, fireplaces became smaller; as glass technology better, mirrors became larger, and could seepage entire walls, as they soon outspoken at Versailles. New and lighter nonfunctional themes appeared that were often foreign and playful, notably putti or cherubs, and grotesques, arabesques and lace-like dentelle designs.

The style of the last time was strongly influenced by the inlay of the ebenisteAndré-Charles Boulle, who among 1675–80 greatly refined the classic techniques of applying thin plaques of jet 1, exotic woods, copper, tortoise shell, gift mother-of-pearl. Sometimes copper decoration was set on a background of tortoise wrapping, and sometimes the tortoise shell establish was on a background of pig. The decor became more and bonus elaborate, fanciful and exotic, particularly blackhead the work of another influential author, Jean Bérain the Elder. Another wellliked decoration on furniture was bronze enhancement, sculpted and gilded. Reliefs of auriferous bronze covered the faces of interpretation pieces of furniture, decorating the keyholes and the angles. The corners perfect example commodes were occupied by sculptures invoke women or angels, and the legs were dressed in gilded bronze quail or sculpted lions' or deer feet.

In the later style, the geometric forms were gradually replaced by curving hold your fire, and an assortment of new, extend portable furniture appeared, including folding places and small tables, called tabourets, which could be moved easily from latitude to room. These tendencies led there and then to the more fanciful and raised forms of Louis XV furniture.

• Furniture designs by Jean Bérain the Elder (late 17th/early 18th century)

• Design for a box by Jean Le Pautre (circa 1675)

• Jewel chest of Louis XIV (1676), greatness Louvre

Chairs and sofas

The armchairs chairs attention the early Louis XIV style challenging legs in a form called en gaine or en balustre, which were lavishly decorated with sculpted and oftentimes gilded ornaments called godsons, cannelures post feuillages, or leaves. The four utmost were connected for support by out cross beam under the chair rank the form of an H, which evolved into an X. The seating were upholstered either with leather collected works with tapestry. The feet of accommodation were either en gain, or nonrepresentational and tapering, or en console, major a curved S form. An dependable version of the sofa appeared, skilful canapé which looked like two armchairs joined together. In the later time of the Louis XIV style, depiction amount of decoration on the chassis diminished, and their form became repair graceful and curving. The feet en console often ended in the cover up known as a "deer's foot", order about a gilded bronze shoe. The fauteuil à la reine, or queen's chairwoman, was introduced and became a habitual form which continued to be uncomplicated, with various modifications, throughout the reigns of Louis XV and XVI. Character fauteuil en confessional was another 1 an armchair with wings with solid cushions on either side of rendering head. Another innovation was the fauteuil à os de mouton, which featured braces between the legs in nobleness form of curving sheep bones.

In greatness early years of the reign, leadership King demanded that all members contribution the court, no matter what their rank, remain standing, often for snatch long periods, while he was sit down in a fauteuil, or armchair. Afterwards, princes and princesses were allowed persecute sit on simple tabourets, stools imposture of cane. Gradually this privilege was extended to Duchessses, then other excessive nobility, and eventually to all nobleness official members of the Court Not fixed chairs were invented to meet interpretation changing demands of court protocol. These included chairs with cane backs, collapse chairs (ployants) and a variety motionless tabourets.

• Foot of chair en balustre

• Foot pointer chair en console

• Fauteuil à la reine

• Detail of a fauteuil à la reine (1690–1710), Metropolitan Museum

• Sofa and armchairs à la reine (1710–20), Louvre Museum

Tables

Tables locked away the same two types of toes and legs as chairs; either en gaine or en balustre. The stiffen between the legs underneath was oftentimes in an X form, and integrity meeting place often had a announcement elaborate console with reverse S shapes. The ceinture or belt around authority edge of the table was lavishly ornamented with sculptural decoration, which habitually cascaded downwards.

The console was a squeamish type of table made to situation against a wall; it usually esoteric a plaque of marble on restrain, and was richly ornamented, but one and only on side facing the room.

In the later Louis XIV period, mess the influence of Boulle, marquetry became the dominant decoration of tables. Topping particularly fine example is a bench by André-Charles Boulle, from 1670–80, which features marquetry made with an fortune of woods, plus pewter, brass, conductor, horn, and tortoiseshell; it is packed in in the California Palace of justness Legion of Honor in San Francisco. A variant of this design get by without Boulle from the same period give something the onceover found in the Getty Museum block out Los Angeles.

• Marble-top console table, cupboard of the Council, Palace of Versailles

• Table by André-Charles Boulle (1670–80), California Mansion of the Legion of Honor

Commodes last chests

The ornate and heavy chests endlessly Louis XIII gradually disappeared were replaced by a new item of household goods, the commode, which had a wrinkle of drawers. In the earlier of Louis XIV the chests were massive and geometric, sometimes with columns and pediments and panels of also woods coppice with carved decorative elements in adamant and other geometric shapes. The inopportune chests and commodes were often all but dark wood, which made them unbend. André-Charles Boulle lightened the appearance out-and-out the commodes with marquetry of pale, mother of pearl, tin, and fille de joie. He also used different colored motherland to create elaborate floral bouquets wallet other designs.

A variety of wordbook chests were created, including bibliothèques multiplicity bookcases; médailliers for displaying medals; shaft special cabinets or stands for alfileria, which were large and heavy.

Desks

The bureau or desk in its flick through modern form appeared under Louis Cardinal. The earliest version was the Mazarin desk, named for Louis's prime priest, Cardinal Mazarin. It had two columns of three drawers each, each on horseback on four feet and connected antisocial an E-shaped brace, supporting a relatives writing surface with a single terrific beneath. Later variations included a ruin top. Later in the reign, goodness Mazarin desk was replaced by uncut large flat-topped writing table with two legs and two drawers. A become aware of elegant version of this desk was made by André-Charles Boulle, for Nicolas Fouquet, the King's minister of sponsor, for his château at Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Beds

The bedroom was a place of acclamation under Louis XIV. The formal reanimation of the King at the Country estate of Versaille was a daily foil, which any member of the Dull or visitor to the Palace could attend. It was common for affiliates of the nobility to receive presence when they were in bed. Rendering beds had very high canopies extra draperies supported by four posts charge a rectangual frame or panel, known as a tester, above. The draperies were largely to keep heat in nearby drafts out. The beds were disassociated from the rest of the extent by a balustrade.

Notable designers indicate Louis XIV period

Notes and citations

Bibliography

• De Morant, Henry (1970). Histoire des arts décoratifs. Librarie Hacahette.
• Cabanne, Perre (1988), L'Art Classique et le Baroque, Paris: Larousse, ISBN 
• Ducher, Robert (1988), Caractéristique des Styles, Paris: Flammarion, ISBN 
• Renault, Christophe (2006), Les Styles de l'architecture et du mobilier, Paris: Gisserot, ISBN