This explains why only certain elements were borrowed from the Italian Baroque, and the ideas of Classicism remained the main formative principles of the art of the era of Louis XIV. So, in the design of the facades of buildings, a strict classicist order design of the wall was preserved, but baroque elements were present in the details of interior design, tapestries, and furniture.
The influence of state ideology was so great that from that time on, individual stages in the development of art in France began to be designated by the names of kings: the style of Louis XIV, the style of Louis XV, the style of Louis XVI. The custom of such a name was later turned back, to the time before the reign of Louis XIV. Other the most important feature era was that it was in France of the second half XVII century the very concept of artistic style was formed. Prior to that, in Italy, the ideas of Classicism, just starting to take shape, were immediately pushed aside by Mannerism and Baroque.
Classicism as an artistic trend took shape in France, and since then, not Rome, but Paris began to dictate fashion in art, and its role did not weaken over the subsequent 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. For the first time in history, in France of the era of Louis XIV, style began to be recognized as the most important category of art, aesthetics, became the norm of life, life and customs, penetrating all aspects of court etiquette (a word that also appeared at the court of Louis XIV). Along with the awareness of style comes the aestheticization of individual formal elements, the cultivation of taste, "a sense of detail." This feature has become a tradition that has created over several decades a special "sense of form", plastic culture, subtlety of thinking, inherent in the French school. But this culture was not easy to develop. Initially, the Renaissance ideal of a holistic, static, self-balanced form (somewhat shattered by the art of Mannerism and Baroque) was replaced by the idea of aestheticizing "random charms" and individual means of achieving beauty: line, paint, material texture. Instead of the category of composition (compositio), put forward by the Italian architect and theorist L. B. Alberti, the concept of "mixed connection" (lat. mixtum compositura) is introduced. The beginning of such fragmentation was laid by the Italian mannerist artists who worked at the court of Francis I, and then Henry II at the Fontainebleau school. Their French students, who worked in the count and royal castles along the river. The Loire (see "Val-de-Loire") and in Paris itself, gradually formed an aristocratic culture of form, which later shone in the Rococo style of the 18th century, but it brought its first fruits in the 17th century. “Perhaps the influence of French art on the life of the upper strata of European society, including Russian society, was stronger in the 18th century, but the foundations of the supremacy of the French language, manners, fashions, and pleasures were undoubtedly laid by the time of the Sun King.
It is no coincidence that the second half of the 17th century is called "the most brilliant period of French history." The most common words often repeated in memoirs and aesthetic treatises of that time are: great, majesty, luxurious, festive... Probably, the splendor of the style of court art really created the impression of an "eternal celebration of life." According to the famous memoirist Madame de Sevigne, the court of Louis XIV was all the time "in a state of pleasure and art" ... The king "always listens to some music, very pleasant. He talks with ladies who are accustomed to this honor ... Festivities continue every day and midnight." In the "brilliant seventeenth century" style, etiquette, manner became a real mania. Hence the fashion for mirrors and memoirs. People wanted to see themselves from the outside, to become spectators of their own poses. The flourishing of the art of the court portrait was not long in coming. The luxury of palace receptions amazed the envoys of European courts.
In the Grand Gallery of the Palace of Versailles, thousands of candles were lit, reflected in the mirrors, and on the dresses of the court ladies there were "so many jewels and gold that they could hardly walk." None of the European states dared to compete with France, which was then at the zenith of glory. "Big style" appeared at the right time and in the right place. He accurately reflected the content of the era - but not its actual state, but the mood of the minds. The king himself had little interest in art, he waged inglorious wars that exhausted the forces of the state. And people seemed to be trying not to notice this, they wanted to look like they seemed to themselves in their imagination. What arrogance! When studying this era, one gets the feeling that its greatest artists were tailors and hairdressers. But history eventually put everything in its place, preserving for us the great works of architects, sculptors, draftsmen and engravers. The mania for style, the French "great manner" was rapidly spreading across Europe, overcoming diplomatic and state barriers. The power of art turned out to be stronger than weapons, and Berlin, Vienna, and even stiff London capitulated to it.
Basic principles of style.
The "Louis XIV style" laid the foundations for an international European court culture and provided its triumph for the successful dissemination of the ideas of Classicism and the artistic style of Neoclassicism in the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. in most European countries. Another important feature of the era of the "Grand Style" is that it was at this time that the ideology and forms of European academicism were finally taking shape. In 1648, on the initiative of the "first painter of the king" TTT Lebrun, the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was founded in Paris. In 1666, the French Academy of Painting was established in Rome. In 1671, the Royal Academy of Architecture was organized in Paris. F. Blondel the Elder was appointed its director, A. Felibien was appointed its secretary (see "Blondel's style"). "Big style" required a lot of money. The royal court, the court aristocracy, the Academies and the Catholic Church managed to create an environment, even within the radius of the capital, in which expensive masterpieces arose. First of all, the construction of grandiose architectural ensembles was required. The official positions of "architect of the king" and "first architect of the king" were introduced.All construction work was in the department of the Court. In 1655-1661. architect L. Levo built for N. Fouquet, the "royal controller of finances", the palace of Vaux-le-Viscount. The regular style park was laid out by A. Le Nôtre, the interiors were brilliantly designed by Ch. Lebrun. The palace and the park aroused such strong envy of King Louis that the minister Fouquet was thrown into prison on the first pretext, and Le Vaux and Le Nôtre were ordered to build something more grandiose in Paris and Versailles. In 1664-1674. The construction of the eastern facade completed the architectural ensemble of the Louvre - the main royal residence in Paris. The eastern facade is called the "Colonnade of the Louvre" because of the powerful row of double columns of the "big order". Columns with Corinthian capitals are raised above the basement and cover the second and third floors, creating a powerful, austere and majestic image. The colonnade stretched for 173 meters. The history of this masterpiece is interesting. An outstanding master of the mature Roman Baroque J. L. Bernini was invited to participate in the competition. He presented a baroque project with fancifully curved facades, saturated with many decorative elements, but the French preferred their own, domestic, more strict and classic (Fig. 654). Its author was not a professional builder, but a physician who was fond of architecture and translated at his leisure into French treatise of Vitruvius. It was C. Perrault". He defended exclusively the ancient, ancient Italian foundations of classic architecture. Together with C. Perrault, F. de Orbe and L. Levo took part in the construction of the Louvre, who created the new northern and southern wings of the palace.
During the reign of Louis XIV, the architect and fortifier S. de Vauban became famous, he built over thirty new fortress cities and reconstructed many old ones. L. Levo became the author of two outstanding buildings that had a noticeable influence on the development of the architecture of European Classicism: the Hotel Lambert (1645) and the ensemble "College of the Four Nations" ("Institute of France"; 1661-1665). Next to the "College de France" in 1635-1642. the architect J. Lemercier built the Sorbonne church with an Italian Baroque façade (it contains the tomb of Cardinal Richelieu, rector of the university). Like the chapel of the College de France, the Sorbonne church is crowned with an unusual "French dome" for that time. In 1671-1676. L. Bruant erected on the left bank of the Seine a complex of buildings for Invalides for war veterans. In 1679-1706. architect J. Ardu-en-Mansart completed this ensemble with his masterpiece - the church of Les Invalides. Its dome with gilded ornament, "lantern" and spire are visible from afar. The churches of the Institute of France, the Sorbonne and Les Invalides were a new type of classical building, centric plan, with a portico, a triangular pediment and a dome on a drum with columns or pilasters. This composition - the so-called "French scheme" - is the basis for many subsequent works of architecture of European Classicism of the 18th-19th centuries, including in Russia. In 1685-1701. According to the project of J. Hardouin-Mansart, Place Louis the Great (later Place Vendôme) was created in the center of Paris. Rectangular in plan, with cut corners, it was conceived as a ceremonial ensemble in honor of the Sun King. In the center was an equestrian statue of Louis XIV by F. Girardon (1683-1699); destroyed during the revolution of 1789. The facades of the buildings framing the square have porticos of the same type, which gives the composition integrity and completeness. Another square in honor of the king, also designed by J. Hardouin-Mansart, is the "Place des Victoires" (Place des Victoires) created in 1685. It was decorated with an equestrian statue of Louis XIV by the Dutch sculptor M. fan Len Bogart (nicknamed Desjardins); destroyed during the revolution of 1792 (restored by M. Bosio in 1822; see cavallo).
In 1672, according to the project of the head of the Royal Academy of Architecture, F. Blondel the Elder, the Arch of Saint-Denis was erected in honor of the victories of French weapons - the crossing of the army of King Louis across the Rhine. Blondell rethought the form of the Roman Arc de Triomphe and created a new type of building "Grand Style". The bas-reliefs of the arch according to the sketches of Ch. Lebrun were made by the sculptors Angie brothers. From 1676, Blondel developed a new master plan for Paris, which provided for the creation of large architectural ensembles and prospects. F. Blondel was an outstanding theorist, in his "Course of Architecture" (1675) he argued that the foundations of the classic style lie not "in imitation of Rome", but in rational thinking and precise calculation of proportions. The creator of the Louvre Colonnade C. Perrault argued with him. In 1691, another theoretical treatise under the same title: "The Course of Architecture" was published by Sh.-A. de Aviler. In 1682, Louis XIV left Paris and the court moved to a suburban residence - Versailles.
In this gesture, they see the desire of the king to create a new brilliant capital, entirely associated only with his name. Among the sculptors of the "Grand Style" stand out F. Girardon, A. Coisevo, N. Kustu (whose younger brother is known for the groups of "Marly's horses"), P. Puget, J. Sarazen, J.-B. Tubi. During the reign of Louis XIV, two outstanding painters worked: K. Lorrain and N. Poussin. They worked in Italy and in their aspirations were far from the pompous "Grand Style".
The understanding of the term "glamor" in our time is greatly distorted thanks to pop music performers and some representatives of the "golden youth". In fact, the glamorous style, at least in the interior, is sophistication, lightness, luxury, careful attention to detail. There are several options for a glamorous interior, each of which has its own distinctive features. One of the most famous and interesting is the style of Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King.
Decorating in a glamorous style is very expensive, and you should be prepared for this. In addition, please note that for cramped rooms or rooms with low ceilings this option is not suitable. If you don't want to risk trying to decorate the interior yourself, try to seek help from a professional designer. In this case, you have to spend more money, however, the result will be better. First of all, choose a color scheme. For an interior in the style of Louis XIV, both warm and cold colors are suitable, but in any case, the shades should be soft and restrained. There are three main options to choose from: golden beige, silver gray and black and white. Next, you need to choose Decoration Materials. As floor covering either marbled tiles or high quality parquet should be used. The first option is suitable for monochrome and "cold" interiors, the second - for design in warm colors.
Walls should be decorated with luxurious fabric wallpaper, decorative plaster or wood paneling, but the latter option is the least preferred. Please note: both windows and doors must be painted to match the walls. Now go to the choice of furniture. This is the most difficult and most costly step. Tables, chairs should be made of solid wood and decorated with gilding or carvings. Cushioned furniture should be upholstered with expensive materials: for example, velvet or brocade. In addition, it is often decorated with frills, fringes and other decorative elements. Products with bent legs, furniture complemented with forged parts, etc. are ideal. At the same time, you should not clutter up the room: choose the most necessary items first, and if there is enough free space, add additional furniture. Now in specialized stores you can find a whole series of fashionable glamorous items, so you don’t even have to choose the right combinations.
Lamps must certainly be luxurious, stylized antique. The highlight of the interior can be a large chandelier with candles. You will also need decorations. For a glamorous interior in the style of Louis XIV, expensive carpets with a long pile, thick curtains with tassels and lambrequins are suitable, decorative pillows, mirrors and paintings in massive frames, tapestries, candlesticks. Please note: there should not be too many accessories, otherwise you will turn your house into a museum, and it will not be too comfortable.
The interior in the style of Louis XIV arose during his reign 1643-1715. To better imagine this style, you need to plunge into the history of that time. However, history is not able to describe the emotional state of society in 1643, so it is better to turn to fiction, where the author, as a subtle psychologist, will show the most inconspicuous corners of the soul of Louis XIV and the people around him. Of course, the question may arise as to how the style of the interior is related to the emotional state. But everything is simple, the interior reflects the character of a person.
The most skillful author who majestically paints a picture of the life of Louis XIV is Alexandre Dumas in his novel Vicomte de Bragelon, or Ten Years Later, the third part of the trilogy of the novel about the three musketeers and d'Artagnan. It describes the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV. The 25-year-old king is handsome, amorous, energetic. Like any ruler, he sincerely loves compliments, in some cases even flattery, loves the environment of eloquent people who can paint in their imagination a real picture with the smallest details with the help of words. The society insisted that Louis XIV is like the sun of all France. Artists, sculptors, decorators, seeing in their king, on the one hand, a powerful ruler, and on the other, an amorous young man, convey his character through works of art, as well as the decoration of his home. So the artist Charles Lebrun introduces marble with variegated colors into the decoration, combined with gilded bronze, reliefs, ceiling painting. The main decoration of the premises were heavy frames, stucco on the walls, which can still be seen in the Palace of Versailles, including in the War and Peace Hall.
"Great style", as the style of Louis XIV is also called, is based on where elements are present. This is due to the fact that the king is compared to Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. Also, "Big style" includes elements. First of all, these are the paintings by Jean Leport, which decorated the walls of houses. Usually the paintings were written in human growth.
Palace furniture contained a lot of carvings covered with gilding. Items were made of colored wood, which was decorated with various precious materials. Later, the tree began to be replaced with gilded bronze, silver, brass, and tin. The legs of chairs and chairs had a sophisticated S-shape. Furniture elements were sheathed in rich fabrics with organic patterns. Cabinet furniture also appears in the form of wall consoles, chests of drawers with curved legs.
The interior was decorated with tapestries, carpets, silk fabrics that covered the walls and ceilings, and various silver items.
Under Louis XIV, they first appeared. These were big ceiling lights that burned with candles. In their rays, the crystal shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. The sight was breathtaking.
Such a rich, luxurious interior existed until the end of the 17th century, and later, due to the economic deterioration of the country, the interior began to acquire more features of classicism.
big style- (French "Grand maniere", Le style Louis Quatorze) - art style one of the brightest periods in the history of France, the "golden age" of French art of the second half of XVII centuries. Associated with the years of the reign of King Louis XIV (1643-1715), hence the name. With its figurative structure, the “Grand Style” expressed the ideas of the triumph of strong, absolute royal power, national unity, wealth and prosperity, hence its epithet Le Grand.
The new ideals of absolutism were supposed to reflect the "Great Style". They could only be Classicism associated with the greatness of the ancient Greeks and Romans: the French king was compared to Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. But strict and rational Classicism did not seem pompous enough to express the triumph of absolute monarchy. In Italy at that time style dominated Baroque. Therefore, it is natural that the artists of France turned to the forms of modern Italian Baroque.
But in France, the Baroque could not grow as powerfully as in Italy from the architecture of Classicism. Since the era French Renaissance 16th century in this country, the ideals of Classicism were established, the influence of which on the development of art did not weaken until the end of the 19th century. This is the main feature of the "French style". In addition, the classic forms took root on a basis other than in Italy, on the basis of strong national traditions of Romanesque and Gothic art. This explains why only individual elements, and the ideas of Classicism remained the main formative principles of the art of the era of Louis XIV. So, in the design of the facades of buildings, a strict classicist order design of the wall was preserved, but baroque elements were present in the details of interior design, tapestries, and furniture.
Classicism as an artistic trend took shape in France, and since then, not Rome, but Paris began to dictate fashion in art, and its role did not weaken over the subsequent 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. For the first time in history, in France of the era of Louis XIV, style began to be recognized as the most important category of art, aesthetics, became the norm of life, life and customs, penetrating all aspects of court etiquette (a word that also appeared at the court of Louis XIV).
Along with the awareness of style comes the aestheticization of individual formal elements, the cultivation of taste, the “sense of detail”. This feature has become a tradition that has created over several decades a special “sense of form”, a plastic culture, a subtlety of thinking inherent in French school. The most common words, often repeated in memoirs and aesthetic treatises of that time: great, grandeur, luxurious, festive... According to the famous memoirist Madame de Sevigne, the court of Louis XIV was all the time "in a state of pleasure and art"...
The king “always listens to some music, very pleasant. He talks with ladies who are accustomed to this honor ... The festivities continue every day and midnight.
In the "brilliant seventeenth century" style, etiquette, manner became a real mania. Hence the fashion for mirrors and memoirs. People wanted to see themselves from the outside, to become spectators of their own poses. The flourishing of the art of the court portrait was not long in coming. The luxury of palace receptions amazed the envoys of European courts. In the Grand Gallery of the Palace of Versailles, thousands of candles were lit, reflected in the mirrors, and on the dresses of the court ladies there were "so many jewels and gold that they could hardly walk."
None of the European states dared to compete with France, which was then at the zenith of glory. "Big style" appeared at the right time and in the right place. The mania for style, the French "great manner" was rapidly spreading across Europe, overcoming diplomatic and state barriers.
"Louis XIV style" laid the foundations of an international European court culture and ensured with his triumph the successful dissemination of ideas Classicism and art style neoclassical in the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. in most European countries.
Another important feature of the era of the "Grand Style" is that it was at this time that the ideology and forms of European academicism were finally taking shape. The royal court, the court aristocracy, the Academies and the Catholic Church managed to create an environment, even within the radius of the capital, in which expensive masterpieces arose. First of all, the construction of grandiose architectural ensembles was required. The official positions of "architect of the king" and "first architect of the king" were introduced.
All construction work was in the department of the Court. In 1655-1661. architect L. Levo built for N. Fouquet, "royal comptroller of finances", palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Regular style park pitched A. Lenotre, decorated interiors with brilliance C. Lebrun.
The palace and the park aroused such strong envy of King Louis that the minister Fouquet was thrown into prison on the first pretext, and Le Vaux and Le Nôtre were ordered to build something more grandiose in Paris and Versailles. In 1664-1674. the construction of the eastern facade completed the architectural ensemble of the Louvre - the main royal residence in Paris. The eastern facade is called the "Colonnade of the Louvre" because of the powerful row of double columns of the "big order". Columns with Corinthian capitals are raised above the basement and cover the second and third floors, creating a powerful, austere and majestic image.
The colonnade stretched for 173 meters. The history of this masterpiece is interesting. An outstanding master of the mature Roman Baroque J. L. Bernini was invited to participate in the competition. He presented a baroque project with pretentiously curved facades, saturated with many decorative elements, but the French preferred their own, domestic, more austere and classic. Its author was not a professional builder, but a physician who was fond of architecture and translated the treatise of Vitruvius into French at his leisure. It was K. Perrot. He defended exclusively the ancient, ancient Italian foundations of classical architecture. Together with C. Perrault, F. de Orbe and L. Levo took part in the construction of the Louvre, who created the new northern and southern wings of the palace. During the reign of Louis XIV, the architect and fortifier S. de Vauban became famous, he built over thirty new fortress cities and reconstructed many old ones. L. Levo became the author of two outstanding buildings that had a significant impact on the development of the architecture of European Classicism: Hotel Lambert(1645) and ensemble "College of the Four Nations" (« Institute of France»; 1661-1665).
Next to the "College de France" in 1635-1642. the architect J. Lemercier built the Sorbonne church with an Italian Baroque façade (it contains the tomb of Cardinal Richelieu, rector of the university). Like the College de France chapel, the Sorbonne church is crowned with an unusual “French dome” for that time. In 1671-1676. L. Bruant erected on the left bank of the Seine a complex of buildings for Invalides for war veterans.
In 1679-1706. architect J. Hardouin Mansart complemented this ensemble with his masterpiece - Church of Les Invalides. Its dome with gilded ornament, "lantern" and spire are visible from afar. The churches of the Institute of France, the Sorbonne and Les Invalides were a new type of classical building, centric plan, with a portico, a triangular pediment and a dome on a drum with columns or pilasters. This composition - the so-called "French scheme" - is the basis for many subsequent works of architecture of European Classicism of the 18th-19th centuries, including in Russia. In 1685-1701. designed by J. Hardouin-Mansart in the center of Paris, a Place Louis the Great(later - Place Vendôme).
Rectangular in plan, with cut corners, it was conceived as a ceremonial ensemble in honor of the Sun King. In the center was an equestrian statue of Louis XIV by F. Girardon (1683-1699); destroyed during the revolution of 1789. The facades of the buildings framing the square have porticos of the same type, which gives the composition integrity and completeness. Another square in honor of the king, also designed by J. Hardouin-Mansart, - “ Victory Square» (Place des Victoires) was established in 1685.
She was adorned equestrian statue of Louis XIV work of a Dutch sculptor M. fan Len Bogart(nicknamed Desjardins); destroyed during the revolution of 1792 (restored by M. Bosio in 1822; see cavallo). In 1672, according to the project of the head of the Royal Academy of Architecture F. Blondel the Elder, Arch of Saint Denis in honor of the victories of French weapons - the passage of the army of King Louis across the Rhine.
Blondel rethought the form of the Roman Arc de Triomphe and created a new type of building "Grand Style". The bas-reliefs of the arch according to the sketches of Ch. Lebrun were made by the sculptors Angie brothers. From 1676, Blondel developed a new master plan for Paris, which provided for the creation of large architectural ensembles and prospects. F. Blondel was an outstanding theorist, in his "Course of Architecture" (1675) he argued that the foundations of the classic style lie not "in imitation of Rome", but in rational thinking and precise calculation of proportions. The creator of the "Colonnade of the Louvre" K. Perrault argued with him. In 1691, another theoretical treatise under the same title: "The Course of Architecture" was published by Sh.-A. de Aviler. In 1682, Louis XIV left Paris and the court moved to a suburban residence - Versailles.
In this gesture, they see the desire of the king to create a new brilliant capital, entirely associated only with his name. Among the sculptors of the "Grand Style" stand out F. Girardon, A. Coisevo, N. Coust (whose younger brother is known for the groups of "Marley horses"), P. Puget, J. Sarazin, J.-B. Tubi.
By the end of the XVII century. The “grand style” has clearly exhausted its possibilities, the “golden age” of French art was ending to give way to the chamber and slightly tired art of the Regency style early XVIII centuries. But since the 17th century in Europe, the spread of the ideas of Classicism begins. These ideas were able to take shape in an international artistic style only from the middle of the 18th century.
For France, after the classic art of the Renaissance of the XVI century. and the “Great Style” of the 17th century, it was already the third wave of Classicism, therefore the artistic style of French art of the second half of the 18th century is called Neoclassicism, while in relation to other European countries it is simply Classicism.
In the second half of the 17th century, France became the leading European power. I urgently had to catch up and overtake Italy, including in terms of tastes and fashion.
On this occasion, under Louis XIV (1643–1715), a special department was even instituted, in charge of all types of art, headed by the painter Charles Lebrun. And then it began...
In the palace interiors of that period, full grand splendor reigned. The newly invented style was supposed to glorify the power of the monarch. The task was solved simply: more massiveness, carving and gilding. The ornament is strictly symmetrical. Acanthus leaves, fruits, shells, masks and heads of favs. new combined in it with military symbols. The motifs inspired by ancient Rome (helmets and shields) were supplemented with signs of the “king-sun”: a radiant face or two intertwined letters L. The craftsmen generously inlaid furniture with ebony, copper, tin, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl. The most famous works in this technique were created by the cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle, which is why the style is sometimes called simply "Boulle". A noteworthy detail: the legs of chairs and stools are connected by transverse crossbars forming the letter H or, later, X. The backs of the chairs are decorously high, and the low seats are decorated with fringe. In the same period, spread comfortable furniture from drawers. This is a chest of drawers that abolished chests, as well as a bureau. Another invention of the era is the side table-console. The top of console tables is often made of marble or inlaid with Florentine mosaics, supported by allegorical figures. (Such consoles can be found in the foyers of many luxury hotels, as well as in houses where it is customary to hold receptions.) A sofa appears, which looks like several armchairs put together. However, towards the end of the period, the interiors lose their pomposity and acquire grace, foreshadowing the subsequent styles of the Regency and Louis XV.
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| The chest of drawers seems to be entirely made of marquetry, bronze and gilding. Antique Salon Segoura, Paris |
Desk antique gallery Kraemer, Paris |
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Console, 17th century. From the collection of the antique salon Perrin, Paris |
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Baroque is the most radical of the styles opposite to minimalism. This oil is oil. When and marquetry, and bronze lining, and gilding, and marble, and sculpture. The sheer size of the closet is amazing. The sheer volume of work is amazing. But what attracts the eye most of all is the muscularity of the Atlanteans and the expressiveness of their postures. Like they're about to break. Second half of the 17th century, France |
A characteristic feature of the style: marquetry decorates the surface of the furniture so richly that it becomes like painting. The motives are very diverse: from floral and floral to military, Greco-Roman. The massive, quadrangular legs of the cabinet, apparently, seemed to the master not elegant enough, so he substituted a pair of courtly legs made of gilded bronze in front.
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Furniture is covered with velvet (mostly dark red "royal" color), tapestry and silk. Patterns prefer floral, colors are contrasting and bright. Copy fabrics are made by Prelle |
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| Chest of drawers with patterned marquetry, sculptural carvings and gold-plated metal fittings. Produced by SMT |
Casket, silver, silver plated. Paris, 1704-1712. From the collection of De Leye, Brussels |
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| In the early years of the reign of Louis XIV, the nobles sat in armchairs reminiscent of the era of the predecessor king, but in the new interior context they looked fresh. Below Armchair, made by Angelo Cappellini | Console (with marble top) Louis XIV style. Exclude. a thing of beauty. An exact copy of the palace, produced by Provasi |
