Antique Collecting: Continental furniture

Antique Collecting: Continental furniture

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Furniture made on the mainland of Europe varied from country to country, but both craftsmen and ideas were interchanged from time to time. Local tastes and the use of local timbers often played a part in creating a fashion that spread eventually from east to west. There is no space here to deal with the detailed history of the subject in each individual land, but some general notes may be helpful. French furniture, having attained a world-wide interest and importance, is described at greater length.

France

French furniture of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is not greatly different from that made elsewhere in Europe at those dates. However, the principal wood used in England was oak, but in France it was walnut which was plentiful there. Just as many foreign workers came to London, so did others to Paris; it is almost impossible to distinguish an Italian-made cabinet from one made in France by an Italian craftsman. It was not until the end of the seventeenth century that French furniture gained its recognizable distinction. The first to give his name to a style there was Andre Charles Boulle (1642-1732), who perfected a marquetry, originating in Italy, employing tortoiseshell and brass which was used mostly on furniture veneered with ebony. This is known now either as Boulle or Buhl work, and the majority of it that has survived was made in Victorian times, or later. Old work of the eighteenth century is very valuable ($3,000 to $6,000 for a piece would not be considered extraordinary), but the nineteenth-century copies fetch a tenth or so of this. Louis XV

This monarch has his name coupled with the most extravagant of furniture designs, known as Rococo; a style that spread throughout Europe. The term means ornamented with shells and scrollwork and similar patterns, and until one grows accustomed to it, the dictionary definition of 'tastelessly florid or ornate' may often be thought to apply. To our eyes it is noticeable principally for a generous use of curved lines, and an 'unbalanced' look. Out

Fig. 2. Louis XV armchair.

of its elaborate setting there is no doubt that Louis XV furniture appears very showy, but when it is seen in the rooms for which it was designed it takes its place unobtrusively in the decorative scheme.

The French had a liking during the eighteenth century for small tables and cabinets, chests of drawers (called commodes), large writing tables with leather-covered tops having a row of drawers beneath and tall legs, and upright cabinets with drop-down fronts concealing a writing space.

Veneering was the usual decoration, aided by parquetry and marquetry set off with ormolu mountings. When compared with the sophisticated outside appearance, most of the pieces exhibit very rough finishing of the woodwork not usually seen, and a glance at the inside or underneath of a piece will prove this.

Fig. 3. Louis XV small table.

Many of the small tables and cabinets are supported on delicately curved cabriole legs so slight that it is a wonder they can stand without breaking. Chests of drawers always have a slab of coloured marble as the top, and many other pieces are similarly finished. Chairs and settees were carved usually of beech-wood, sometimes finished with gilding and sometimes painted in pale colours. Mirror-frames were gilt, and are often very like English ones of the same date.

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Auction Central News Launches Online Resource for Arts, Antiques and ...
... of writers and associate editors in the USA, United Kingdom and Continental ... regular columns written by nationally syndicated experts on antiques and art, including "Furniture ...
How to buy home decorations at auctions - Home & Garden - MSNBC.com
At this Antiques Roadshow regular, look for European and American furniture and decorative-art sales. ... out estate sales and those of English and Continental furniture and ...
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... in a standard room with a queen-size bed, continental ... Its 32 guest rooms have period antiques and baths equipped ... The rooms have wood furniture and an airy mountain feel.
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How to buy home decorations at auctions - Home & Garden - TODAYshow ...
At this Antiques Roadshow regular, look for European and American furniture and decorative-art sales. ... out estate sales and those of English and Continental furniture and ...
Cozy winter weekend in a small Montana town - US and Canada- msnbc.com
Rates: $74.50 to $124.50 per night, including continental ... In the Brittania Suite, furniture covered in damask and ... Room, featuring maps of ski areas along with antique sleds ...
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... C, mosquito netting around four-poster beds, and furniture ... 242/369-0342, seascapeinn.com, from $110, continental ... niches, art deco dressers, Chinese end tables, and antique ...
50 ritzy weekend retreats - TODAY: Travel - TODAYshow.com
... in a standard room with a queen-size bed, continental ... Its 32 guest rooms have period antiques and baths equipped ... The rooms have wood furniture and an airy mountain feel.
Cozy winter weekend in a small Montana town - TODAY: Travel ...
Rates: $74.50 to $124.50 per night, including continental ... In the Brittania Suite, furniture covered in damask and ... Room, featuring maps of ski areas along with antique sleds ...
14 romantic hotels - TODAY: Travel - TODAYshow.com
... C, mosquito netting around four-poster beds, and furniture ... 242/369-0342, seascapeinn.com, from $110, continental ... niches, art deco dressers, Chinese end tables, and antique ...

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