Louis XV furniture
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Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
period (1715-1774) is characterized by curved forms, lightness, comfort and asymmetry; it replaced the more formal, boxlike and massive furniture of the
Louis XIV style The Louis XIV style or ''Louis Quatorze'' ( , ), also called French classicism, was the style of architecture and decorative arts intended to glorify King Louis XIV and his reign. It featured majesty, harmony and regularity. It became the officia ...
. It employed
marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case fur ...
, using inlays of exotic woods of different colors, as well as ivory and mother of pearl. The style had three distinct periods. During the early years (1715-1730), called the Regency, when the King was too young to rule, furniture followed the massive, geometric Style Louis XIV style. From 1730 until about 1750, the period known as the first style, it was much more asymmetrical, ornate and exuberant, in the fashion called ''
rocaille Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decoration during the early reign of Louis XV of France. ...
''. From about 1750 to the King's death in 1774, a reaction set in against the excesses of the rocaille. The
Louis XV style The Louis XV style or ''Louis Quinze'' (, ) is a style of architecture and decorative arts which appeared during the reign of Louis XV. From 1710 until about 1730, a period known as the Régence, it was largely an extension of the Louis XIV style ...
showed the influences of
Neo-classicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism w ...
, based on recent archaeological discoveries in Italy and Greece. It featured Roman and Greek motifs. The later furniture featured decorative elements of
Chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French '' chinoiserie'', from '' chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, lite ...
and other exotic styles. Louis XV furniture was designed not for the vast palace state rooms of the Versailles of Louis XIV, but for the smaller, more intimate salons created by Louis XV and by his mistresses, Madame de Pompadour and Madame DuBarry. It included several new types of furniture, including the commode and the chiffonier, and many pieces, particularly chairs and tables, were designed to be moved easily rearranged or moved from room to room, depending upon the kind of function.


History

With the death of Louis XIV on 1 September 1715, his grandson, Louis XV, born in 1710, became King. Because of his young age, France was ruled by a Regent, Philippe of Orleans, until 1723. During this period, the style of furniture changed little from the Louis XIV period; it was massive, lavishly decorated and solemn, designed for the gigantic state halls of the new Palace of Versailles. In 1722 Louis XV moved from Paris, where he had lived with the Regent, to Versailles, began his own rule, and gradually imposed his own taste on the arts, architecture, and furniture. Louis left the exterior of Versailles and the other palaces largely unchanged, but beginning in 1738 he extensively redesigned the interiors, creating the ''petits apartments'', or smaller apartments and salons for himself, the Queen,
Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...
, whom he married in 1725, and later, for his primary mistresses,
Madame Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
and Madame du Barry. In these salons the traditional etiquette and formality of Louis XIV was abandoned. These new suites of smaller rooms were furnished in a new style that met the needs of comfort, intimacy and elegance. Beginning in about 1730, His preference was for the style called ''
rocaille Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decoration during the early reign of Louis XV of France. ...
'', a term which referred to an ornamental decoration resembling a stylized seashell, a style which expressed gaiety and fantasy. The ornament appeared rarely on the exteriors of the new buildings, but lavishly in the interiors, on the walls, ceilings, and furniture. The architects Robert de Cotte and
Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of V ...
remade the interiors of the Palace of Versailles, the
Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...
, and the
Château de Compiègne The Château de Compiègne is a French château, a royal residence built for Louis XV and restored by Napoleon. Compiègne was one of three seats of royal government, the others being Versailles and Fontainebleau. It is located in Compiègne ...
in the new style. Palatial residences with rocaille interiors soon appeared In Paris. They included the Hôtel Soubise in Paris, (now the National Archives) in 1705; the
Hôtel Matignon The Hôtel Matignon or Hôtel de Matignon () is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at 57 Rue de Varenne. "Matignon" is often used as a metonym for the governmental action o ...
(now the residence of the French Prime Minister) in 1721, by Jean Courtonne; and the Hôtel Biron (now the
Musée Rodin The Musée Rodin ( en, Rodin Museum) in Paris, France, is a museum that was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It has two sites: the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds in central Paris, as ...
) by Jean Aubert. They also appeared in the French provinces, the royal residence by
Emmanuel Héré Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...
in Nancy, and also in Aix-en-Provence and
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
. All of these buildings featured rooms arranged in the new style; the bedrooms took on new importance, and were surrounded by smaller anterooms and cabinets, including an entirely new kind of room, the dining-room. All of them needed new furniture to match the new style and arrangement. For a quarter of a century, the furniture designs of the ''rocaille'' style was dominant, particularly under the influence of Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695-1750), the Italian-born architect who became royal architect and designer of Louis XV, and the ornament designer
Nicolas Pineau Nicolas Pineau (1684–1754) was a French carver and ornamental designer, one of the leaders who initiated the exuberant style of the French ''rocaille'' or Rococo. He worked in St. Petersburg and Paris. Pineau, the son of the carver Jean-Baptist ...
(1684-1754). Under their influence, straight lines disappeared, replaced by curves, ornaments lost all symmetry, and garlands of flowers appeared everywhere. Designs inspired by Chinese art and other exotic sources appeared in profusion, though the ''rocaille'' style never reached the excess of exuberance of the
Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
style that appeared in Italy, Austria and Germany. In the 1740s, the style began to slowly change; decoration became less extravagant and more discreet. In 1754 the brother of Madame de Pompadour, the Marquis de Marigny, accompanied the designer Nicolas Cochin and a delegation of artists and scholars to Italy to see the recent discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and made a grand tour of other classical monuments. They returned full of enthusiasm for a new classical style, based on the Roman and Greek monuments. In 1754 they published a manifesto against the Rocaille style, calling for a return to classicism. Marigny, after the death of Louis XV, later became director of buildings for Louis XVI. Between 1755 and 1760, the forms of furniture and interior decoration began to change into what became known as the Second Style Louis XV, or the ''Style Transition''. The ''rocaille'' decoration remained, but became more discreet and restrained. Secondly, the new wave of enthusiasm for ancient Greece and Rome brought a series of new decorative themes, though the lines of the furniture were not much changed. This marked the beginning of what became French neoclassicism or
Louis XVI style Louis XVI style, also called ''Louis Seize'', is a style of architecture, furniture, decoration and art which developed in France during the 19-year reign of Louis XVI (1774–1793), just before the French Revolution. It saw the final phase of t ...
.


Designers

The earliest furniture designers under Louis XV during the Regency included Claude III Audran, who had been responsible for furniture design under Louis XIV; Pierre Lepautre, who in 1699 became chief designer for Louis XIV, and
Gilles-Marie Oppenordt Gilles-Marie Oppenordt (27 July 1672 – 13 March 1742) was a celebrated French designer at the '' Bâtiments du Roi'', the French royal works, and one of the initiators of the Rocaille and Rococo styles, nicknamed "the French Borromini".Gie ...
, born in Holland, who became the furniture designer for the Regent. Opponordt's designs in 1714 for the decor of the Hotel de Pomponne on Place des Victoires, featuring curving S and C forms, helped introduce the new style to Parisians. Another important figure in introducing the new style was the painter
Watteau Jean-Antoine Watteau (, , ; baptised October 10, 1684died July 18, 1721) Alsavailablevia Oxford Art Online (subscription needed). was a French painter and draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, as ...
, a former pupil of Audran, who, besides his famous paintings, made arabesque designs for the woodwork of the new chateau of La Muette. ' In the 1730s, notable designers included the sculptor and architect
Nicolas Pineau Nicolas Pineau (1684–1754) was a French carver and ornamental designer, one of the leaders who initiated the exuberant style of the French ''rocaille'' or Rococo. He worked in St. Petersburg and Paris. Pineau, the son of the carver Jean-Baptist ...
and the jeweler Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier; their work featured a greater amount of asymmetry, floral design twisting elements and counter-curves. In 1736 the carver and jewelry sculptor Jean Mondon published , the first book specifically on the style, and was among the first to include elements of
Chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French '' chinoiserie'', from '' chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, lite ...
, notably dragons, a phoenix, and other figures. Engravings of their designs for furniture, woodwork and other decoration circulated widely throughout Europe, making the rocaille style a model for artists and craftsmen in other counties to follow. File:Arts decoratifs 5482 B claude audran iii.jpg,
Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
design by Claude III Audran (about 1700) File:Gilles-Marie-Oppenord Elevation-of-a-Writing-Desk detail Google-Art-Project.jpg, Design for a writing desk by
Gilles-Marie Oppenordt Gilles-Marie Oppenordt (27 July 1672 – 13 March 1742) was a celebrated French designer at the '' Bâtiments du Roi'', the French royal works, and one of the initiators of the Rocaille and Rococo styles, nicknamed "the French Borromini".Gie ...
(1675-1700) File:Design for Mantelpiece and Elaborate Overmantel MET DP803646.jpg, Design for a mantlepiece by
Nicolas Pineau Nicolas Pineau (1684–1754) was a French carver and ornamental designer, one of the leaders who initiated the exuberant style of the French ''rocaille'' or Rococo. He worked in St. Petersburg and Paris. Pineau, the son of the carver Jean-Baptist ...
(early 18th C.) File:Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier - Table de Cabinet., 6th Plate (Study for a Table), pl. 47 in Oeuvre de Juste-Aurele Meissonnier - Google Art Project (down table cropped).jpg, Side table design by Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (about 1739) File:Jean Mondon - Rocaille Design with Chinese Figure - Google Art Project.jpg, Rocaille design with Chinese Figure by Jean Mondon (1736)


Craftsmen

Louis XV furniture was created by the collaboration of complex network of designers and craftsmen. The ''Menuisier'', made the wooden framework of the furniture, which was held together by its structure and wooden ''chevilles'' or dowels; the use of nails or glue was forbidden. The ''Ebenist'' then covered the frame and native woods with thin pieces of exotic woods, called
marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case fur ...
. In the reign of Louis XIV ebony was most often used for this covering, but, beginning in 1675-80, more exotic and colorful woods were used, which could give more picturesque effects. This were sometimes placed in cubic designs, or checkerboards, or representing arabesques, floral patterns, trophies, or picturesque scenes. Originally the plaques were about a centimeter thick, but by the end of the period plaques were only slightly more than two millimeters thick. Then the furniture was completed by the ''bronziers'', who made the handles and knobs; the ''doreurs'' who gilded them; the ''fondeurs'', who made metalwork; the ''chiselers'' or wood sculptors, who made the decorate details, legs, and other carvings; the ''laqueurs''and ''vernisseurs'', who applied multiple coats of lacquer or varnish. After 1751 each work was signed by the master craftsman who oversaw the work. This mark, called the ''Estampille'', used a heated iron to mark the piece with the initials of the master. It was usually placed on the back of the rear traverse of chairs, under the marble of commodes and ''secretaries'', and under the surrounding ''ceinture'' of tables. marks are often missing, either forgotten by the craftsman, or defaced. Given the high value of signed pieces by famous craftsmen, Counterfeit ''Estampilles'' are not unknown.


Chairs and sofas

Between 1769 and 1775, the furniture designer André Jacob Roubo published a series of books of engravings called ''L'Art du menusier'', detailing the categories and styles. He divided the chairs into two categories; those with a straight back, called ''á la Reine'', and those with a rounded back, called ''en cabriolet''. The chairs ''en cabriolet'' were usually lighter, often had cane seats and backs, and could be moved around easily. He included some new styles, notably the ''voyeuse'' a small chair with an armrest on the back, so the person seated could either face forward or turn around and sit astride the chair with his arms on the back of the chair. The ''fauteuils'', or armchairs, were larger and designed for comfort; their styles evolved during the reign of Louis XV. During the early years of the Regency (1715-23) the armchairs had short curved feet, the top of the back was slightly curved, while the supports of the back and the arms were straight. The armchairs of the middle Louis XV period (1723-1750) were smaller than those of the Louis XIV period, but more comfortable. The legs were more curved, the top of the back was rounded, and often had a small ornamental design. The back of the chair took on a more graceful violin form. This form became known as the ''Chaise à la Reine'', or "Chair of the Queen." A variety of other new forms appeared, designed especially for comfort. The ''Bergere'' had a low seat with an additional cushion, and sometimes added padded wings atop the arms on either side of the back which protected the head against drafts, which also made it easier to take naps. Other new types that were introduced were the ''marquise'', basically an armchair expanded to seat two persons, and the ''chaise longue'', an armchair with a lengthened seat to support the legs, and the ''Duchesse'', where two chairs could be combined with an extension between. Another new type was the ''Fauteuil de cabinet'', a type of chair designed to go with a desk, and to provide more comfort while writing. It was usually upholstered in leather fastened with gilded nails to the frame, had rounded angles, and one leg of the chair was placed in the front, another directly behind, for greater stability. The curved back and arms of the chair enveloped the person seated. The passion for the oriental and exotic soon influenced the furniture. A new kind of seat, ''La Sultane'' was introduced, with two places; another type called the ''Ottomane'', with the back in a form called ''en gondola'', and arms which wrapped around the oval seat, and another variety, called , without arms or a back; and finally ''Le Sofa'', which featured cushions which could be moved and rearranged. The last phase of the Louis XV style, the gradual transition toward the neoclassical, had a limited effect on chairs. The basic forms remained, but the decoration increasingly took the form of garlands of flowers called ''a l'ántique'' in a repetitive rhythm, which opposed the sinuous form of the carved legs and frame. File:Fauteuil Louis XV Foliot.jpg, Armchair by Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot (1749) File:Paris Musée des arts décoratifs Furniture collection - Fauteuil 1750 circa.jpg, Armchair with padded wings (about 1750) File:Duchesse brisée de l'hôtel de Vallemaré-Dangé (Louvre, OA 6493).jpg, Louis XV salon with Duchesse divided seat (1760-65) (Louvre) File:Desk chair (Fauteuil de bureau) MET SF21 34.jpg, ''Fauteiul de Bureau'' or desk chair (c. 1750) File:Fauteuil Sarry 783.JPG, Louis XV armchair with Beauvais tapestry File:Settee (part of a set) MET DP221524.jpg, Canapé by Jean Baptiste Oudry (1754-56) Metropolitan Museum File:Sofa (ottomane veilleuse) MET DT8906.jpg, An ''Ottomane'' sofa (1750-60) by Jean Baptiste Tilliard, in an oval shape, an example of the ''Turquoise'' or Turkish style File:Aix,hôtel de Caumont44,intérieur34.jpg, A chaise-longue, with separate chair and extension. (Hôtel de Caumont, Aix-en-Provence)


Consoles and tables

The ''Table en console'' or
Console table A console table is a table whose top surface is supported by corbels or brackets rather than by the usual four legs. It is thus similar to a supported shelf and is not designed to serve as a stand-alone surface. It is frequently used as pier t ...
, was designed to be placed against a wall, often in front of mirror, and held statuettes or porcelain objects. It was among the most lavishly decorated pieces of furniture of the early Louis XV period. It was usually made of oak, carved and gilded, and drenched with ''rocaille'' decoration, usually in the form of seashells and foliage. The and legs in the form of an exaggerated S or a reverse S. The supporting frame under the table was also highly decorated, sometimes holding porcelain objects, and sculpted figures of dragons or other mythical animals. The face of the table often had rocaille masks. a g rocaille modeled after seashells and foliage. They usually had a plaque of colored marble on top. Another popular style of table was the ''bureau plat'', or flat desk. It was introduced by André-Charles Boulle around 1710 in the late reign of Louis XIV, as a replacement for the desk mounted atop two columns of drawers. The early versions by Boulle were made of ebony and dark wood, and had eight legs, and six drawers, which were decorated with gilded bronze handles. The slightly curved legs ending in gilded ornaments in the shape of deer's feet. Gilded bronze ''espagnolettes'' decorated the corners and legs. Later in the period, the flat desks featured an abundance of marquetry; they were made of oak or spain, were embedded with thin plaques of exotic woods of contrasting colors. Another celebrated creator of tables was Charles Cressent, who carried on the refined and harmonious ornamental style of Boulle. A number of small, specialized and portable tables appeared around of after 1755, some of them designed for Madame de Pompadour. These included the ''table de chevet'', a very small utility table made of oak and inlaid with rosewood and other precious woods, which could be put in the closet when not needed; the ''Table d'en-cas'', or "Just in case" table, a small piece with two drawers, small cupboard with a grilled door, and a marble top; the ''Chiffonière'', a small table with gracefully curving legs and a porcelain top. Another small table was the ''cabaret'' or ''á café'' table, with a small marble top and long legs, on which coffee or drinks could be served. The version introduced in 1770 featured geometric designs and a neoclassical frieze around the plateau. Another popular type of small table was the ''Table de toilette'', or dressing table. One particular variety, ''en coeur'', or heart-shaped, was especially designed for men; it stood on three legs mounted on rollers, contained an assortment of drawers and small compartments, and featured a folding mirror on top. In the late, second style of Louis XV, after 1750, the tables lost the rococo curves and took on classical (or imagined classical) details, including table legs in the form of Doric columns; griffon paws and lion paws on the feet;, trophies of arms, friezes, and figures of nymphs, tripods and horns of plenty. This style was termed, rather imaginatively, ''à la Greque'', and presaged the neoclassical period to come. File:Salon des Oiseaux de l'Hôtel de Bourvallais 002.jpg, Console table, Hôtel de Bourvallais (now Ministry of Justice) File:Writing desk - Charles Cressent - Münchner Residenz - DSC07468.JPG, Writing table by Charles Cressent (1730-35) File:Pierre Roussel Coiffeuse époque Louis XV.JPG, ''Coiffeuse'' table with
marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case fur ...
by Pierre Roussel (about 1770) File:Camondo Topino.JPG, Men's dressing table ''en coeur'' by Charles Topino (about 1773)


Commodes and chests

The
Commode A commode is any of many pieces of furniture. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has multiple meanings of "commode". The first relevant definition reads: "A piece of furniture with drawers and shelves; in the bedroom, a sort of elaborate chest ...
(whose name means "convenient") was invented under Louis XIV to replace the ''coffre'', or large chest. It was heavy and boxlike, with short legs, and abundant decoration of gilded bronze. During the Regency and early style of Louis XV, particularly in the commodes of Charles Cressent, commodes became more graceful, with longer S-shaped legs and ''espagnolettes'', or stylized female torsos, on the corners above the legs. The fronts of commodes became more rounded in form. Gilded bronze vines curled and wound across the facade. Bronze ornaments in the form of masks were replaced by faces of smiling women, palmettes, and, later in the period, a new theme, s stylized bat wing. The seashell was a common central element of the rocaille decoration, often combined with acanthus leaves. Handles of drawers were shaped like intertwined flowers. Sculpted images of various animals also appeared near the end of the early period. A large number of skilled ''
ébéniste ''Ébéniste'' () is a loanword (from French) for a cabinet-maker, particularly one who works in ebony. Etymology and ambiguities As opposed to ''ébéniste'', the term ''menuisier'' denotes a woodcarver or chairmaker in French. The English equiva ...
s'' from around Europe were employed to make fine wood Commodes and other furniture for the new apartments built by Louis XV at Versailles, Fontainebleau, and his other residences. They included
Jean-François Oeben Jean-François Oeben, or Johann Franz Oeben (9 October 1721 Heinsberg near Aachen – Paris 21 January 1763) was a German ébéniste (cabinetmaker) whose career was spent in Paris. He was the maternal grandfather of the painter Eugène Delacroix. ...
,
Roger Vandercruse Lacroix Roger Vandercruse Lacroix (1728–1799), often known as Roger Vandercruse, was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' whose highly refined furniture spans the rococo and the early neoclassical styles. According to Salverte, he "is counted among the great ebe ...
,
Gilles Joubert Gilles Joubert (1689–1775) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' who worked for the ''Garde-Meuble'' of Louis XV for two and a half decades, beginning in 1748, earning the title ''ébéniste ordinaire du Garde-Meuble'' in 1758, and finally that of ''éb ...
, Antoine Gaudreau, and
Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...
. As the period advanced, the marquetry, or inlays of different-colored woods, became finer and more dominant. Various geometric patterns, including the checkerboard, stars, and losanges, appeared, along with bouquets of flowers made of fine marquetry. New techniques of lacquering wood were introduced, based on Chinese and Japanese techniques, which were frequently used on the front panels of commodes. A particular variation, called the ''façon de Chine'' or "Chinese fashion" was introduced, which contrasted the gilded bronze ornament and handles against the black lacquered wood. The designs often borrowed motifs from Chinese and Japanese art. Beginning in 1755-60, the reaction against the excesses of the ''rocaille'' form began. The shapes of commodes became more boxlike, the front flat, and the legs shorter, though they retained their slight S curve. The faces of the commodes were decorated with geometric friezes of oak leaves, roses or serpents and drapery motifs, the early manifestation of the Greco-Roman Neoclassical style. A new form of commode, the ''Cartonnier'', appeared in the 1760s, inspired by somewhat fantastic ideas of ancient Greek furniture. Its front was lavishly decorated with friezes, trophies of arms and lions heads, while on the top, a pedestal supported by two scrolled ''volutes'' held a group of replicas of classical Greek statues. File:Charles Cressent, Chest of drawers, c. 1730 at Waddesdon Manor.jpg, Commode by Charles Cressent,
Waddesdon Manor Waddesdon Manor is a English country house, country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation ...
, (1730) File:Château de Versailles, appartement du Dauphin, bibliothèque, commode, Mathieu Criaerd.jpg,
Commode A commode is any of many pieces of furniture. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has multiple meanings of "commode". The first relevant definition reads: "A piece of furniture with drawers and shelves; in the bedroom, a sort of elaborate chest ...
by Antoine Gaudreau in the apartment of the Dauphin at Versailles (1745) File:Van Risenburgh, one of a pair of commodes.JPG, Commode by Bernard II van Risamburgh, Getty Museum, (circa 1750) File:Commode.jpg, Lacquered Commode in Chinoiserie style, by Bernard II van Risamburgh, Victoria and Albert Museum (1750-1760)


Desks

During the reign of Louis XV, the ''bureau'' and ''secretaire'' gradually evolved into the form of the modern desk, along with a wide variety of more elaborate variations. At the beginning the 18th century, André Charles Boulle and Charles Cressent had created the ''bureau au plat''. a writing table with columns of drawers, graceful curving legs, gilded bronze decoration, and fine marquetry in geometric forms. Jacques Dubois made a series of celebrated desks in this fashion the 1740s. Around 1750, a new variety appeared, called the ''Secretaire à capuchin'' or ''à la Bourgone'', which contained a section of drawers which could be raised up, while the top folded out into a writing surface. In addition to the drawers, it contained a number of secret compartments concealed within. Numerous other variants appeared soon afterwards; the ''Secrétaire en pent'', or sloping desk first appeared in about 1735. It was a small cabinet with a sloping front which opened out into a writing surface. It was also called ''en dos d'âne'', or "style of donkey's back". Madame de Pompadour possessed one of these, made between 1748–52, with a varnish of red and a blue in the Chinese style, which combined ''rocaille'' and exoticism.
Mathieu Criaerd Mathieu Criaerd (1689–1776) was the most prominent of a large family of cabinetmakers (''ébénistes''), apparently of Flemish ancestry, who were working in Paris during the 18th century. He became a master in the Corporation des Menuisiers-Éb ...
made a secretary in this style in about 1750, with marquetry of violette, amarante, satin wood and gilded bronze. A much simpler variety, the ''pupitre à écrire debut'', of pulpit for writing while standing, arrived at about the same time. The finest models were usually made of oak and fir, covered with marquetry of rose wood, satin wood, and amaranth. They had small wheels to be moved around easily, had a locked compartment under the sloping top surface, and shelves below for large documents. The ''Secretaire en armoire'' was a larger and more vertical variation, based on the form of an armoire; it was a large chest with a writing surface that folded down and drawers and shelves inside. It was designed to stand against a wall, and appeared in about 1750. It often featured a marquetry in a geometric pattern resembling cubes of dark and light wood, a design very popular in the last years of the Louis XV period. The ''Bonheur-du-jour'' was a small desk with cabinet which appeared in about 1760. Following the new style of the late Louis XV period, it had no gilded bronze. It featured graceful curbed legs, but the top part was geometric, with delicate inlays of marquetry flowers. The most celebrated new type of desk invented under Louis XV was the ''Bureau à cylindre'' or rolltop desk, which appeared in about 1760. The master of this form was
Jean-François Oeben Jean-François Oeben, or Johann Franz Oeben (9 October 1721 Heinsberg near Aachen – Paris 21 January 1763) was a German ébéniste (cabinetmaker) whose career was spent in Paris. He was the maternal grandfather of the painter Eugène Delacroix. ...
. It had no gilded bronze other than a delicate frieze around the top; very fine marquetry of flowers, and an interior with secret compartments. Many variants were made, including the desk of Louis XV now on display at Versailles. File:Château de Versailles, appartement du Dauphin, grand cabinet du Dauphin, bureau plat, Bernard II van Riesenbergh, 1745 02.jpg, ''Bureau Plat'' by Bernard II van Risamburgh (1745) File:Slant-top desk (secrétaire en pente) MET SF2007 90 7 img1.jpg, ''Secretaire en pent'' by Bernard II van Risamburgh (1745) File:Bureau du Roi vue de face avec pièce.jpg, Roll-top Desk of Louis XV at the Palace of Versailles by
Jean-François Oeben Jean-François Oeben, or Johann Franz Oeben (9 October 1721 Heinsberg near Aachen – Paris 21 January 1763) was a German ébéniste (cabinetmaker) whose career was spent in Paris. He was the maternal grandfather of the painter Eugène Delacroix. ...
(1760-1769) File:Camondo bonheur-du-jour.JPG, ''Bonheur-du-Jour'' by
Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...
, (1766), Nissim de Camondo Museum, Paris File:Drop-front desk (secrétaire à abattant or secrétaire en cabinet) MET DP105306.jpg, Early neoclassical drop-front desk by
Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...
(1773)


Beds

Under Louis XV the bedroom was a place of ceremony; the formal awakening of the King in his bed chamber (even if he had actually slept elsewhere) was a formal event, attended by members of the Court and visitors to the Palace. The form of the bed and its covering evolved under Louis XV. Early beds had four posts and a canopy suspended from a rectangular form on top. Under Louis XV, the ''Lit à la polonaise'' ( Polish bed) appeared, with a canopy suspended from a crownlike structure; and the ''Lit à la Duchesse'', where the canopy was supported only from one end. The bed was usually separated from the rest of the room by a balustrade, and stools were arranged outside the balustrade for the Court to witness the formal awakening. The famous
Encyclopédie ''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
of
Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the '' Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promi ...
and
Jean le Rond d'Alembert Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the '' Encyclopéd ...
(1751–72) included images of beds ''à la Polonaise'', and '' à la Turque'' (a more ornate and exotic version of the Duchesse) and a bed placed into an alcove. (Volume 8, pg. 216). File:Chambre de la Dauphine, Château de Versailles.jpg, 1755 ''
Lit à la polonaise A Polish bed (french: Lit à la polonaise; ), alternatively known in English as a polonaise, is a type of small-canopy bed which most likely originated in Poland and became a centrepiece of 18th-century French furniture. The curtain is topped with ...
'' by Nicolas Heurtaut, with folding stools arranged before it, Bedchamber of the Dauphine at the Palace of Versailles. Note square frame under crown is covered with the same fabric. File:Parigi, Hôtel de Soubise (14).JPG, Bedchamber with bed ''à la Duchesse''.
Hôtel de Soubise The Hôtel de Soubise () is a city mansion '' entre cour et jardin'' (), located at 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. History The Hôtel de Soubise was built for the Prince and Princess de Soubise on the sit ...
File:Encyclopedie volume 8-216.png, Engravings of beds from the
Encyclopédie ''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
(1751–72) File:Aix,hôtel de Caumont38,intérieur28.jpg, Bed '' à la Polonaise'',
hôtel de Caumont The Hôtel de Caumont is a listed hôtel particulier in Aix-en-Provence in France. Location It is located at 1 rue Joseph Cabassol, in the Quartier Mazarin of Aix-en-Provence. History It was designed by architects Robert de Cotte (1656–1735) ...
, Aix-en-Provence


Transition From Rocaille to neo-classicism

Later in the reign of Louis XV, between 1755 and 1760, tastes in furniture began to change. The ''rocaille'' designs began more discreet and restrained, and the influence of antiquity and neo-classicism began to appear in new designs of furniture. The Commodes became to have more geometric forms; the decoration turned from rocaille to geometric forms, garlands of oak leaves, flowers and classical motifs. The legs gradually changed from s-curves to straight, often modeled after Greek or Roman columns, tapering to a point. Common decorations included stylized pine cones, and knotted ribbons. A new type of tall cabinet, the ''Cartonnier'', made its appearance between 1760 and 1765. It took its inspiration from Greek mythology and architecture, with friezes, vaulting, sculpted trophies, bronze lion heads, and other classic, elements. The ebenistes
Jean-Henri Riesener Jean-Henri Riesener (german: Johann Heinrich Riesener; 4 July 1734 – 6 January 1806) was a famous German ''ébéniste'' (cabinetmaker), working in Paris, whose work exemplified the early neoclassical "Louis XVI style". Life and career Riesene ...
,
Jean-François Leleu Jean-François Leleu (1729 - 1807) was a leading French furniture-maker (ébéniste) of the eighteenth century who was trained alongside his rival Jean-Henri Riesener, in the workshop of Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763). After his master's death, ...
,
Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...
and
David Roentgen David Roentgen (1743 in HerrnhaagFebruary 12, 1807), was a famous German cabinetmaker of the eighteenth century, famed throughout Europe for his marquetry and his secret drawers and poes and mechanical fittings. His work embraces the late Rococ ...
and menuisier Georges Jacob were among the most important creators of the late Louis XV transition style. Their careers continued and reached their peak during the following reign of Louis XVI. File:Verwandlungstisch Roentgen makffm 13877.jpg, Early desk by
David Roentgen David Roentgen (1743 in HerrnhaagFebruary 12, 1807), was a famous German cabinetmaker of the eighteenth century, famed throughout Europe for his marquetry and his secret drawers and poes and mechanical fittings. His work embraces the late Rococ ...
(1769) File:Coffre à bijoux Marie Antoinette Dauphine Martin Carlin V5807.jpg, Jewel box of the Dauphine Marie Antoinette by
Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...
(1770) File:France Sofa covered with Aubusson upholstery.jpg, Sofa with Aubusson tapestry upholstery (1750–75) File:Table chiffonière (Louvre, OA 7624).jpg, Table chiffonère, Louvre (1774) File:ChairPhoto1369.JPG, Chair by Georges Jacob (1770) File:Commode, Martin Carlin, Paris, c. 1773, ebony, Japanese lacquer veneer, gilt-bronze mounts - California Palace of the Legion of Honor - DSC07744.JPG, Commode by
Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...
with Japanese lacquer veneer (1773)


List of master furniture designers and creators under Louis XV

* Claude Audran III (1658-1734) * André Charles Boulle (1642-1732) * Jean-Philippe Boulle (1678-1744) * Charles Cressent (1685-1768) *
Mathieu Criaerd Mathieu Criaerd (1689–1776) was the most prominent of a large family of cabinetmakers (''ébénistes''), apparently of Flemish ancestry, who were working in Paris during the 18th century. He became a master in the Corporation des Menuisiers-Éb ...
(1689 — 1776) * Louis Delanois (1731-1792) * Antoine Gaudreau (1680-1746) * Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750) *
Jean-François Oeben Jean-François Oeben, or Johann Franz Oeben (9 October 1721 Heinsberg near Aachen – Paris 21 January 1763) was a German ébéniste (cabinetmaker) whose career was spent in Paris. He was the maternal grandfather of the painter Eugène Delacroix. ...
(1721–63) *
Gilles-Marie Oppenordt Gilles-Marie Oppenordt (27 July 1672 – 13 March 1742) was a celebrated French designer at the '' Bâtiments du Roi'', the French royal works, and one of the initiators of the Rocaille and Rococo styles, nicknamed "the French Borromini".Gie ...
(1672-1742) *
Nicolas Pineau Nicolas Pineau (1684–1754) was a French carver and ornamental designer, one of the leaders who initiated the exuberant style of the French ''rocaille'' or Rococo. He worked in St. Petersburg and Paris. Pineau, the son of the carver Jean-Baptist ...
(1684-1754) * André Jacob Roubo (1739–91) * Bernard II van Risamburgh (1730–67) *
David Roentgen David Roentgen (1743 in HerrnhaagFebruary 12, 1807), was a famous German cabinetmaker of the eighteenth century, famed throughout Europe for his marquetry and his secret drawers and poes and mechanical fittings. His work embraces the late Rococ ...
(1743-1807)


Notes and Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * Louis XV style. (2008). In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 2 May 2008, fro
Encyclopædia Britannica Online
{{Revivals , state=autocollapse Rococo art French art History of furniture Interior design Louis XV French furniture