French and English furniture

_The purpose of this work is to provide all who are interested in French and English furniture since the Renaissance period with a comprehensive and detailed view of the various...

Two other ebony cabinets, both known by the name of “_Cabinet de la Paix_,” also belonged to the Cardinal. One of these was made by Dominico Cussey. This was of ebony inlaid wit...

A _lit à impériale_ of the period was one of green velvet and gold and silver, trimmed with a gold and silver _crespine_ and a little green silk fringe covered with a gold and s...

The “court cupboard” corresponded, in a measure, to the modern sideboard. It was a great feature at festivals and it rose in several receding stages or shelves, upon which the p...

All the styles shown on Plate I. are also known in England. A very characteristic chair is the “high backed” chair, known also to France and Flanders. It is very slender and upr...

According to the _Dictionnaire de Trévoux_, a _lit d’ange_ was a bed without pillars or posts, and whose curtains were looped back. To add to this, other authorities say that th...

The walls of the first antechamber were hung with red damask of small pattern trimmed with Venetian brocatelle of white background ornamented with red and green branches and flo...

“A _cantonnière_ is a piece of material almost always of Gobelin or Aubusson tapestry, which, hanging flat in the manner of a lambrequin, has two hangings or tails falling down...

One bed of Spanish point, with festoons of gold and silver colour, fixed upon white damask, four curtain valances and bases of the same lined with white satin, the counterpane,...

The French school, which Chippendale was going to follow almost slavishly in his book of designs, had many admirers in England long before. In 1740, Batty Langley brought out _T...

Perhaps the greatest furniture-maker of this time was Charles Cressent (b. 1685). For the perfection of his workmanship, he ranks as high as André Charles Boulle, and perhaps su...

“On the right of the _Salon_ is a room for play. Opposite the windows that light it, is a niche for a sofa, and in the two angles are recesses for cabinets for holding the chess...

The folding-screen of six leaves, was 4 feet high. It was also covered with the same material, and its frame, like the wood of the rest of the furniture already described, was c...

The frames of the chairs and arm-chairs of this period were not only carved and gilt, but were painted or lacquered as well. Sometimes one colour only was used, which was bright...

“The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director being a large collection of the most elegant and useful designs of Household Furniture in the most Fashionable Taste, including a gre...

The full drawing to the reader’s right on Plate XXXVIII. shows a Gothic chair. Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are typical chair backs, No. 5 being “Chinese,” as is plainly shown by its fret...

“The panelling of rooms, usually in oak and painted white, was designed in severe lines with straight moulding and pilasters. The pilasters were decorated with well designed, ca...

The forms, colours, and styles of the beds in use during the Louis XVI. period may be gathered from the following list: _lit à housse_, crimson velvet, trimmed and embroidered w...

Mlle. Grimard’s suite upstairs consisted of antechamber, dining-room, drawing-room, dressing-room, bedroom, writing-room, and _garde-robe_. The ante-chamber was furnished with s...

“The great circular saloon is a noble room entering from the hall, and leading into the gallery and great stairs, relieves all the other apartments: this serves also for a room...

“Of these we have purposely omitted to give any designs: their general appearance varying so little from wardrobes, which pieces of furniture they are intended to represent, tha...

“Glasses for chimney-pieces run various, according to the size of the fire-place, and the height of the wall above. To save expense, they are sometimes fitted up in three plates...

Sheraton made a great variety of beds. They include French beds, state beds, dome, canopy, alcove, and sofa beds. The former are very intricate. He describes them as follows: “B...

The _Recueil de Décorations Intérieures_, composed by C. Percier and P. F. L. Fontaine (Paris, 1812), is the recognized authority on the _Empire_ style. The authors speak of the...

——, quotations from, 331–332, 332–333, 335, 335–336, 336–338, 338–342, 342–343, 343–344, 344–345, 345–346, 346–347, 348–349, 350, 350–351, 352–355, 357, 357–358

1. Changed “feet long” to “feet wide” on p. 78. 2. Changed “dairy” to “diary” on p. 112. 3. Silently corrected typographical errors. 4. Retained anachronistic and non-standard s...