Part 2
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 with metal and was almost entirely covered with jasper, lapis-lazuli and agates. In front, it was enriched by four figures representing heroes, of bronze gilt on a background of lapis-lazuli. In the centre, there was a portico supported by two columns of lapis-lazuli with base and capitals of gilt bronze, having on the frontispiece the arms of France crowned and supported by two angels,—all in gilt bronze on a background of lapis-lazuli. In the depth of the portico, there was a statue of Louis XIII. seated and holding in his left hand a shield with the device of His Majesty. Beneath his feet, there were a carpet and a cushion,—all in gilt bronze. In the top part of the cabinet there was a little niche which contained the figure of Peace that gave the cabinet its name. The cabinet stood upon a gilded wooden base supported in front by two pilasters on an azure background, and four figures representing “the four principal rivers of the world.” The whole was 8 feet high; 5 feet, 3 inches wide; and 19 inches deep.
The companion cabinet of the same dimensions and proportions was likewise in two parts (_à double corps_); and likewise incrusted with jasper, lapis-lazuli and agates. In the large portico, the figure was that of Queen Marie Thérèse of Austria dressed as Pallas, and above were the arms of France and Spain supported by two angels. On the sides were four figures of the Virtues in relief, standing on a base of sculptured and gilded wood, which, instead of rivers, as in the companion piece, represented the four geographical divisions of the world.
Another of Mazarin’s cabinets that had formerly belonged to his great predecessor, Richelieu, is described as being decorated with wavy mouldings (guilloches) and compartments ornamented with various flowers, masques and half figures, the frieze bearing marine monsters and the middle of the doors having an octagonal panel in which is an Amphion on a dolphin. It rested on a base of four ebony columns united in front, and four pear-wood pilasters behind; and between the columns was a cartouche bearing the arms of the deceased Cardinal Richelieu. This cabinet was 5 feet in length; 1 foot, 7 inches in depth; and 5 feet, 10 inches in height. This was evidently an excellent typical specimen of pure Louis XIII. work, since it was made for Richelieu.
These rare cabinets were undoubtedly the origin of the Boulle furniture of the next reign, and they existed in great numbers until destroyed during the Revolution. The few that survived the ravages of the mob are preserved in museums and private collections.
The _cabinets à porte_ (cabinets with doors) were, as a rule, more severe than the sumptuous articles just described. They depend far more upon the architectural form and talent displayed by the cabinet-maker and designer than upon the skill and art of the decorator. The first _cabinets à porte_ date from the Renaissance, and received their name at the moment when one kind of _bahut_, placed on four feet, contested popularity with another kind that stood on a base with doors, and foreshadowed the form of those pieces of furniture called _à deux corps_. The construction of these pieces, no matter how fine the execution of their mouldings, panels, and doors, was as a rule massive, and was the work of the joiners and carvers instead of the _ébénistes_ and _marqueteurs_.
One of these double cabinets is shown on Plates II. and IV., the upper part appearing in No. 2 on Plate II., and the lower in No. 2 on Plate IV. A carved oak _bahut_ is shown on Plate IV., No. 1. Another walnut double cabinet is shown on Plate II., No. 4. A cabinet of another variety appears on Plate III., No. 1. This is made of oak and cedar inlaid with rosewood, and has two doors in front with projecting panels, and an oval moulding in the centre and one outside drawer with brass drop handles.
The cabinet-makers of Southern Germany also excelled in their art, and their _Kunstschranken_ were sought for presents to princes. The most famous piece of furniture of this class is known as the “Pomeranian Art Cabinet,” now in the Chamber of Arts in Berlin. It was made between 1611 and 1617 for Philip II., Duke of Pomerania. Philip Heinhofer of Augsburg designed it and it was made in that town by Baumgartner. The elaborateness of this cabinet may be appreciated from the great number of workmen employed in its construction. These included three painters, one sculptor, one painter in enamel, six goldsmiths, two clock-makers, an organ-maker, a mechanician, a modeller in wax, a cabinet-maker, an engraver upon metal, an engraver of precious stones, a turner, two locksmiths, a binder and two sheath-makers. This cabinet is 4 feet, 10 inches high, 3 feet, 4 inches wide, and 2 feet, 10 inches deep. It is made of ebony with sandal-wood drawers lined with red morocco, and mounted with silver and _pietra dura_ work. It is supported on four griffins with heads and manes of silver gilt but the real weight is borne upon a large scroll. The base is inlaid with small panels of lapis-lazuli, jasper, cornelian and agate, with plates of chased silver between them. The upper and lower friezes are composed of fruit, and other ornaments consist of female figures and boys playing musical instruments. There are also medallions of silver and Limoges enamel.
A fine example of a cabinet of the Seventeenth Century was owned by Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill. This was 5 feet high and 3 feet wide, composed of ebony, rosso antico columns, lapis-lazuli and bloodstone panels, with settings of _or moulu_ and precious stones. Neptune was represented in the central niche and on either side Tritons and sea nymphs sported. Beneath these were serpents and shells, horses, griffins, lions, bulls and dogs. In the panels above children were fishing with nets and rods. The whole was supported on four ebony legs ornamented with gold. Tables of the period were also most ornate.
Vasari speaks of a “splendid library” table made by Bernardo Buontalenti, at the order of Francesco de’ Medici. It was “of ebony veneered with ebony divided into compartments by columns of heliotrope, oriental jasper, and lapis-lazuli, which have the vases and capitals of chased silver. The work is furthermore enriched with jewels, beautiful ornaments of silver, and exquisite little figures interspersed with miniatures and terminal figures of silver and gold in full relief united in pairs. There are besides other compartments formed of jasper, agates, heliotropes, sardonyxes, carnelians, and other precious stones.”
The _armoire_ did not lose its importance until the end of the Seventeenth Century, when it was relegated to the _Garde-Robes_; but the _armoires_, called _placards_, hidden under the panels of the room, remained. Mazarin had an _armoire_ in his _Garde-Robe_ 7 feet high and 5 feet 3 inches wide.
In the inventory of Madame de Mercœur, the _garde-robe_ contains armoires, a bed and seats, and gives a hint of the dressing-table by “a table with drawer, having a _housse_ of red serge d’Aumalle.”
The feature of a Louis XIII. room that formed one of its chief attractions was its tapestries and other hangings. Wherever the furniture would admit of it, a gay cloth was spread or hung. The parquet, boarded, or tiled floor also was partly covered with rugs from the Levant.
It is an age of rich textiles: not only do we find tapestry with its mythological, Biblical, allegorical, historical and floral pictures, but damasks, silks, velvets, brocades, serges and Oriental goods occur in bewildering variety. Their designs have never been surpassed in effect and elegance. When the materials were of one solid colour, they were usually ornamented with embroidery, braids, passementerie and gold and silver lace in addition to fringes. The latter existed in great number. They were of various widths and materials as well as designs. Sometimes fringes of two widths were used on the same drapery, and it was not infrequent that a fringe of gold was placed directly above one of silver, or the reverse. One of the most popular fringes was the _crespine_, a very narrow fringe composed of slender threads placed close together and sometimes tufted. This was used for trimming the bed-curtains, tablecloths and chairs (see Frontispiece). Another favourite fringe was the _Milanaise_ or _Napolitaine_, composed of two kinds of threads, frequently silver and a coloured silk rolled together in the form of a spiral.
The window curtains and _portières_ were also trimmed with braid and fringe. They hung from cornices of oak or walnut, carved to accord with the rest of the furniture. The centre of the cornice was decorated with a cartouche; or a figure of some kind, very frequently a mascaron, and beneath this hung the curtain or the lambrequin. The curtains were of tapestry, brocade, brocatelle, lampas (a kind of brocade), Genoa velvet or damask lined with silk or serge and bordered with braid, lace and fringe of gold, silver or silk, or worsted. The lambrequin used toward the end of the period consisted of a series of denticulated scallops or square flaps, shaped like those that bordered the tops of tents and pavilions, or in the form of the housings on which the knights’ arms were emblazoned.
The bed is highly decorative. It is almost solely dependent upon its furniture for its effect, as the wood is seldom, or never, visible. The typical bed of the period is known as the _lit en housse_. It is the one that appears in Abraham Bosse’s engravings. We may note in passing that the word _housse_ has the some origin as the _housse_ or housings applied to the coverings of the horses in the Middle Ages.
The wooden framework is of comparatively little importance, after the correct proportions have been assured. The _ciel_, or canopy, which is supported by four posts must never quite touch the ceiling of the room. The posts are covered with the same material as the curtains, or painted in harmony, and occasionally they are left plain. Iron rods surround the canopy beneath the valance for the support of the curtains, which may be drawn up or down by means of cords and pullies. When closed, the _lit en housse_ has the appearance of a square box. The _lit en housse_ consists therefore of the four posts, the canopy or _ciel_, the headboard and the base around which the lower valance is fastened. The canopy is always lined and surrounded by a valance, which is repeated around the base. The straight curtains that hang from the canopy in rigid lines behind the headboard (or bolster if there is no headboard) are known as _bonnes grâces_. From the canopy and underneath the valance hang the three outside curtains. The counterpane, called _courtepointe_, or _couverture de parade_, is generally of the same material as the curtains or their linings. The bolster is always long and round. Pillows never occur.
The _lit en housse_ is particularly easy to reproduce. It is merely necessary to be sure of the correct proportions and the appropriate materials. As we have already remarked in the days of Louis XIII., there was a great variety of rich textiles. A _lit en housse_ was covered with any material from tapestry, brocade, damask, silk and velvet, to serge, or cloth, or even linen, or East Indian goods. The fringe, galloons, braids, laces, tassels, etc., for the ornamentation of the curtains and counterpanes are legion. When tapestry or striped goods were not employed, the silk, velvet, serge, or damask, etc., was usually decorated with handsome braid put on in the form of stripes, or squares, as shown in our Frontispiece and on Plate III., No. 3. The linings of the bed-curtains were, as a rule, of different material, and frequently of different hue from the curtains. The valance was of the same material as the curtains; but the lining of the canopy, the covering of the headboard (if there was one) and the _bonne grâces_ matched the linings of the outside curtains. The braids preferably were gold or silver lace with gold or silver fringe to edge the curtains, the upper and lower valances and the rich counterpane. The valance and curtains may be arranged as shown on Plate III., No. 3, or as in the Frontispiece; but, in all cases, the four corners must be decorated with a bunch of plumes or _panache_, a “bouquet,” of silk ornaments, or a carved or turned wooden knob, the “_pomme_.” The _courtepointe_, or counterpane, must cover the entire mattress and fall to the floor on the three sides. The beds, to which we have just referred, also show the peculiar square and rigid shape of the bed when made and the long round bolster that always adorns the head of the _lit en housse_. The bed may stand lengthwise or “_vu de pied_.” A _lit en housse_ of later date appears as a full drawing on Plate III. This is represented “_vu de pied_” and is furnished with a headboard. The latter is upholstered.
For the sake of suggestions for those who might wish to reproduce a _lit en housse_, we give a few descriptions of beds taken from some French inventories of the day. One of Cardinal Mazarin’s beds is described as a “green taffeta bed” and fortunately the dimensions are given. It was 6½ feet long and equally wide, so that it was a perfect square. It was 7 feet, 3 inches high. The _housse_ was furnished with three curtains of cloth of Holland green lined with taffeta and garnished at the base with gold and silver fringe. A smaller fringe ornamented the sides. The head-board and the cases for the bed-posts were of cloth of silver lined with green. The four knobs decorating the tops of the bed-posts were covered with velvet and trimmed with lace, and each of these was surmounted by a “bouquet” of gold and silk on wire.
Another bed of the period is exquisite. It was of old rose velvet embroidered with grotesque figures of animals, festoons and cartouches. On the _ciel_ underneath the “dais” were five oval medallions,—one at each corner and one in the centre. In these the story of David and Saul was embroidered in silk illuminated with gold threads.
The Château de Turenne in 1615 contained two green velvet beds, one of which had its posts covered with green velvet; the other had a double valance of green velvet trimmed with gold and silver lace, a fringe of green silk and a fringe of gold and silver. The head was ornamented with a fringe of green silk mixed with gold and silver and a fringe of violet silk mixed with gold and silver.
The Château de Chenonceau contained a number of beds of this kind. One was a bed of green damask, _en housse_, the bottom and the headboard trimmed with a narrow fringe of green silk, while a deep fringe surrounded the valance. The curtains were fastened at the corners with shank buttons of green silk. Another was of green Carize, or kersey, ornamented with green silk lace and trimmed with a narrow fringe of green silk. A third was of violet Carize trimmed with a narrow fringe of violet silk; and a fourth of dun-coloured Carize trimmed with a fringe of dun-coloured silk. Then there were four beds of black and white _drugget_, trimmed with a fringe of black and white worsted. There were also many hangings for beds _en housse_. One was of needlework of many colours ornamented with a fringe of red, yellow and green worsted. Two hangings of tapestry, representing trees and flowers, were trimmed with a deep fringe of red and yellow worsted.
Another tapestry for bed-hangings represented all sorts of flowers. The fringe that ornamented it was of red, green and yellow worsted. Another tapestry, representing fountains and savages, had a deep fringe of green and red worsted. Another depicted foliage, roses, grapes and wild beasts, and was ornamented by a deep fringe of green, red and yellow worsted. Another had a greenish-brown background on which all kinds of flowers were thrown, and it was ornamented with red, white and green fringes. Another was of blue tapestry sown with yellow fleur-de-lis. One of needlework was composed of squares of blue, white and flesh colour; the headboard and bottom valance were also like the curtains. The worsted fringes were yellow, white, blue and red.
A very handsome bed was entirely made of crimson velvet lined with crimson taffeta. The canopy was also of crimson velvet lined with crimson taffeta, and so were the curtains, which were fastened down the sides by forty-two buttons and buttonholes. The hangings, the valance, the headboard, and the curtains were all ornamented with gold and silver lace applied in the conventional stripes. Deep and narrow fringes of crimson silk, _crespines_ of gold and silver, and small fringes of gold and silver contributed further decoration. The fringe was put on double, that is to say, the crimson silk fringe was covered by the smaller fringes of gold and silver. The ornamental counterpane was of crimson velvet lined with taffeta, and ornamented with a _crespine_ of gold and silver. It was fastened tightly to the base of the bed by means of forty-four shank buttons and buttonholes, and the whole length of the buttons there was a little fringe of crimson silk covered with a fringe of gold. Each curtain required five lengths of velvet.
Another bed with its valance on three sides, its valance around the base and its _bonnes grâces_ was of cloth-of-gold mingled with blue, decorated with squares formed of raised crimson velvet, and bordered with black velvet ornamented with gold and silver and tinsel. The valance was lined with white taffeta garnished with fringes of blue silk with a gold _crespine_; the curtains were lined with crimson taffeta and edged with little fringes of gold and blue silk; and the lower valance was ornamented with fringes of gold and blue silk. The ornamental counterpane was made of squares of crimson silk, trimmed with gold braid, ornamented with a deep fringe of crimson silk, and headed by a gold _crespine_. The outside curtains of crimson silk, each three lengths and a half, were ornamented with gold braid and a narrow fringe of crimson silk and gold.
The valances and curtains of another were of green and gold velvet with bars of crimson satin bordered with gold. The valances were lined with white satin, trimmed with a fringe of crimson silk and a gold _crespine_. The _bonnes grâces_ were of crimson taffeta with narrow fringes of gold and crimson silk. The lower valance was garnished with fringes of gold and silk.
Another, was of cloth-of-silver of Milan, damasked with flesh-coloured silk, and trimmed with silver tinsel, flesh-coloured silk, and a _crespine_ of gold and silver. The bed-posts were covered with the same. The curtains and valances were of flesh-coloured and white damask, trimmed on the seams with a fringe of flesh-coloured silk, covered by a narrow fringe of silver.
Another, was formed of squares of cloth-of-gold (old gold) and squares of cloth-of-gold and cloth-of-silver and violet, separated by strips of crimson velvet covered with a braid of gold and silver, and trimmed with a small fringe of gold and white silk. The valances were lined with white taffeta, garnished with a deep fringe of white silk and a _crespine_ of gold. The lining of the canopy and curtains was of cloth-of-silver bordered with cloth-of-gold; the headboard was covered with cloth-of-gold and silver damasked with black. The three curtains and the _bonnes grâces_ of white damask were ornamented down the seams with gold braid, but had no fringe. The bed-posts were covered with cloth-of-gold (old gold) ornamented with narrow gold and silver braid. A tasteful bed was of violet velvet and violet damask, the latter being used to cover the head-board and for the _bonnes grâces_. The fringes were violet silk, and the braid and _crespines_ of violet silk also. The curtains were of violet damask, each four lengths, trimmed horizontally with violet silk lace and a narrow violet silk fringe.
A bed of dun-coloured serge was trimmed with silk fringe of the same hue, its _bonnes grâces_ being dun-coloured taffeta. The counterpane was of dun-coloured serge trimmed horizontally with a deep fringe of dun-coloured silk and forty-eight silk buttons and buttonholes. The four posts were covered with serge ornamented with silk braid, and the four “_pommes_” were also covered with serge ornamented with silk braid.
Another bed was of scarlet lined with red taffeta and trimmed with gold braid and a deep fringe of common silk covered with _crespines_ of gold. The curtains were decorated with gold braid and a narrow fringe of gold. The four posts were covered with scarlet ornamented with gold braid.
Another bed was of flesh-coloured satin with squares of cloth-of-gold-and-silver. The ornamental fringe was red.
Another, was of green satin embroidered in gold and silver. The fringes were of green and white silk, both deep and narrow. The curtains were of green damask.
Another, of violet velvet embroidered in gold and silver flames, bordered with cloth of silver, was lined with violet taffeta. The fringes were of violet silk.
Another, was of green velvet ornamented with gold and silver lace and fringes of green silk covered with _crespines_ of gold and silver; the headboard was of cloth-of-gold-and-silver ornamented with green silk fringe; the lower valance was trimmed with gold and silver braid and a fringe of violet silk covered with a fringe of gold and silver. The curtains were green damask trimmed with gold and silver braid and silk fringe, and the ornamental counterpane of green taffeta trimmed with fringes of silk and gold.
Another bed was of cloth-of-gold striped with black and crimson satin; the curtains were flesh-coloured taffeta ornamented with crimson fringe.
The bed-posts, as we have noted, are always surmounted by ornaments, known, no matter what their form may be, as “_pommes de lit_.” The following kinds are mentioned in the inventory of the Château de Turenne in 1615:
“Four _pommes de lit_ of wood covered with crimson velvet ornamented with gold and silver braid and garnished with bouquets of gold and silver and varied coloured silks and little _egrettes_ of gold and silver; four wooden _pommes de lit_ covered with cloth-of-silver and green trimmed with gold lace, belonging to the bed of green velvet on a gold background; four _pommes de lit_ covered with crimson velvet trimmed with gold and silver lace and three grey plumes, belonging to the crimson velvet bed; four _pommes de lit_ of wood painted violet and gold, belonging to the violet velvet bed; twenty-eight _pommes de lit_ of gilded wood belonging to various beds, and twelve _pommes de lit_.”
Another bed that is characteristic of this period was the _lit de baldaquin_. This is a bed with daïs of three sides. Its framework was of natural wood, or wood carved and gilded, or covered with some rich material. This bed that dismisses the columns or posts, was introduced during this reign and carried into the next one. The _baldaquin_, which replaces the canopy supported by posts, must be slightly smaller than the bed it overshadows. Sometimes it is equipped with an arch that is covered with the same material as the general drapery of the bed, and this arch, which may be found in the old designs, following the curved movement of the baldaquin is sometimes surmounted with a bunch of feathers. When this arch contains a dome that surmounts the baldaquin, it is called the “_Lit Impérial_.”