Exam 3: French Flashcards
Baluster
One of a number of short vertical posts or
columns supporting a stair’s handrail, often
turned in a vase-like shape.
Balustrade
A row of balusters topped by a rail,
serving as a low parapet or barrier.
Fundamentals of French Renaissance
Love of Romance
Love of Order
French Renaissance
Transitional period. Influenced by Gothic structural forms and Italian Renaissance architectural detail and ornament.
Started 84 years after Italian Renaissance started.
Reign of Louis XIII
- Son of Henry IV
- Was young when gained throne, so his mother (Medici) ruled
- Louis XIII married Mary Tudor (English)
French Renaissance
Francis I
French Renaissance starts with reign of Francis I.
- wanted France to be known for the arts
Chateau Chenonceau
- Designed for defense
- Finance minister and wife die, gave chateau to son, who also inherited debt. In order to nullify debt, he gives chateau to Francis I.
French Renaissance
Chateau de Chambord
- the chateau that Francis I was building when he seized Chenonceau
- Country castle used as a hunting lodge
- poorly heated
- needed full staff to maintain
- lots of chimneys
Mote, walled enclosure, and circular towers for the keep - Gothic influences
French Renaissance
Salamander represents Francis I on Chateau de Chambord
French Renaissance
Floorplan of Chateau de Chambord
French Renaissance
Double staircase at Chateau de Chambord
French Renaissance
French Furniture
- Lightweight, but influenced by Gothic such as tracery
- Placement against wall
- Carved detailing
Caquetoire chair
- Typical French Renaissance conversation chair
- wide seat alows pivoting while sitting so you could chat in either direction.
- curved arm
- tall back reminiscent of Gothic.
- Perimeter stretcher
- Bun feet
French Renaissance
Bun foot
A foot that resembles a flattened ball or bun, commonly seen on furniture of the late 17th century.
High-back chair
- Rectilinear
- Box-like
- Shows perspective carvings (where Gothic would have shown more tracery)
French Renaissance
Dressoir
French for dresser. Originally a 16th-century cabinet with a closed cupboard designed to hold dishes.
Mantel was the most decorative feature in the room. The designs were inspired by antiquity (not proportion).
French Renaissance
Palace of Fontainebleau
La Galerie Francois
- incorporates Italian painting
French Renaissance
Middle French Renaissance
Middle Renaissance
Sons of Francis I: Henri II, Francis II, Charles IX, Henri III
Gradual elimination of Gothic forms, greater use of Renaissance and Italian detail. Catherine de’Medici dominates the kingdom.
Kid kings of France
Francis II
Was king while young. Very sick kid. Ruled for a year.
Charles IX
10 years old while on throne.
Mom Catherine rules region until kids become old enough.
Chateau de Chenonceau
Henry III inherrits Chenonceau, inherited by his wife Louise de Lorraine. She was depressed and painted everything black.
French Renaissance interiors
- updating Gothic
- ceilings were beamed with coffers
French Renaissance
High-backed chair
- opened up arms
- downturning arms ending with ram head
- balluster arm support
- carving
- lighter in form than gothic
- downturning finials by front legs
French Renaissance
- Continuous stretcher
- Down-turning arm ending in ram’s head
- continuous stretcher
- columns for legs (rebirth of antiquity)
- bun feet
Romayne medallion
Common on chair backs
French renaissance
Armoire a deux corpse
- Front and sides are recessed
- Upper body is surmounted by pediment
- use of columns
- bun feet
- made in two peices so it is easier to make and transport
- often walnut
- lower half is larger than top
- stored clothing
French renaissance
French Renaissance bedroom
- beamed ceiling
- painted/stenciled wall
- bed on a dais
- fireplace
- little furniture
- tile floor
Royal bedroom at Chenonceau
- coffered ceiling
- gold thread upholstery
Festoon
A carved, molded, or painted ornamental
garland of flowers, fruit, or foliage, often
bound by ribbons, commonly seen in the
Baroque and Neoclassic periods. Also a
soft, curved window treatment
introduced in the 18th century.
Henry IV
- Was protestant, converted to catholocism so he could rule France
- married to a Medici
- felt that people with conflicting beliefs could work together
- created the Edict of Nantes which created religious tolerance in France
French Renaissance high back chair
- down-turning arms ending in ram’s head
- urms, reference to classical antiquities
French Renaissance
French Renaissance interiors
- chandeliers
- marbel or parquet flooring
- furniture is in the middle of the room
- highly decorative
French Renaissance
leading furniture designers of the French Renaissance
Hughes Sambin
Jacques de Cerceau
Bracket foot
Louis XIV
- is five when crowned king
- reigned for 72 years
- wasn’t allowed to rule until he was 13
- revoked edict of nantes near end of rule, creating conflict. Protestants fleed country.
- established French settlements in the U.S. near the Mississippi and St. Lawrence river valleys
- identified as “The Sun King”
- French taste became the standard of excellence.
- had a very extravagent reign. many attendants, crazy clothing. caused debt.
- Taught France the Art of Living
Singerie
French for monkey trick. Decorative motif
portraying monkeys mimicking human
activities, often in fashionable attire.
Vaux-Le-Vicomte
Vaux-Le-Vicomte
Home of Nicholas Fouquet, minister of Finance.
Fouquet was sent to jail so Louis XIV could have his pretty house.
Enfilade
Introduced during the reign of Louis XIV,
a French term for the alignment of interior
doors along a shared axis, thus creating a
vista.
Creates a public to private space organization. Leads to bedroom and closet (office/private meeting room).
Closet
Room off of bed chamber used as an office / private meeting room.
Here, people could discuss matters of state.
Anteroom
Meeting room where public could gather to confirm awakening and liveliness of the king.
Lots of stools, desk, seating.
Versailles
- was hunting lodge
- meant to house 10,000 people
- employed 36,000 during construction
- cost $100 mil back in 1661
- first complex dwelling planned in contact with nature
- example of great park, garden, and town planning
- grounds consist of pastures, flowers, lakes, canals, fountains, wooded hunting area, fishing, sports, festivals
BAROQUE
Versaille art director
Charles Le Brun
- was employed by Nicholas Fouquet. Then worked for Louis XIV.
- decorated the hall of mirrors
- painted ceiling in the hall of mirrors
Versailles architect
Louis LeVau
- dies while Versailles being completed
Versailles architect who takes over when 1st architect dies.
Jules Mansart
Designs the hall of mirrors
Landscape gardener of Versailles
André Le Notre
- Father of landscape architecture
- Started out with Nicholas Fouquet’s gardens
Hall of mirrors
- barrel vaulted ceiling
- one side of hallway has windows, one side has mirrors in same shape. gives shimmering, glowing light effect.
- parquet flooring, chandeliers
- joins the apartments of the kind and queen
Ormolu
Gilded bronze ornaments applied to furniture, used as mounts for fine porcelain, or as stand-alone objects, made popular during the Louis XIV period.
In situ
A Latin term for work done by a craftsman directly on the job instead of being performed in a workshop for later application or installation.
Chinoiserie
Decorative elements derived from Chinese traditional design and interpreted by Western designers with the source of inspiration being the Orient in such motifs as lacquer, textiles, carving of Chinese fretwork on pagodas, latticework, printing, ceramics, silver, etc. The fashion of Chinese art became known in the 17th century but continued to grow in popularity in the 18th century in France, England, Germany, and Italy, and even continued into the 19th century.
Louis purchased the Gobelins tapestry factory. Appointed LeBrun as the director.
Versailles interior
- Movable objects and furniture were regarded as secondary motifs
- Gilding, pilasters, marbel
- Hall of Mirrors
- connection to nature
- separate apartments for king and queen
- overwhelmingly decorated
- Louis and Marie Antoinette escaped Versailles through secret passage ways.
- boiserie
- contained busts commissioned from bernini, mirrors, terra cotta.
- large scale, richness
Boiserie
French word for woodwork, particularly
carved wooden wall panels of 18th-century French Rococo Style interiors.
Sometimes would feature the king’s monogram in the center of a panel or over doors.
Parquet
- invented during BAROQUE time period
- commonly oak
carpet factories that Louis XIV bought
Savonnerie factory - knotted pile carpet. Mainly for palaces and the wealthy.
Aubusson carpet - woven without pile. Typically floral patterns.
chandeliers
- placed in center of the room
- demonstrates opulance
- additional light from torcheres, wall, brackets, candle stands
BAROQUE
French word for decorator
Ornemaniste
- French professional decorator.
- Could explain interiors through engraving.
Fleur-de-lys
Mansard
A roof containing two slopes on all four
sides, with the lower slope being steeper
in pitch than the upper slope.
French style during the regency of Philippe, duc d’Orleans, 1715-23. It was a transitional style between French Baroque and Rococo.
Régence
back style
Ladder back
Espagnolettes
Female heads surrounded by lace collars, such as might have been worn in Spain.
Fasces
A Roman ornament consisting of a bundle of rods enclosing an axe, for the Romans a symbol of power.
Boulle work
A method of metal and tortoiseshell inlay developed by André Charles Boulle during the Louis XIV period. The technique involved gluing a sheet of brass, German silver, or pewter to a sheet of tortoiseshell and then cutting out a delicate scrolled design. The brass pieces could then be set into the tortoiseshell ground (première partie) or the tortoiseshell into the brass ground (contrepartie). Boulle work continued to be used during the Régence period.
Edging called ormolu would be added to keep boulle in place.
Baroque
cabinetmaker to Louis XIV
André Charles Boulle
Baroque
Saltier/Saltire
In furniture, the name for an x-shaped stretcher of Italian origin.
Baroque
Baroque furniture
- Rectangular forms
- Curves
- Downturning arms
- Arms that terminate in a scroll
- Tapered legs with diagonal stretchers
- Upholsterey materials consisted of tapestry, needlepoint, leather, cane, and heavy silk textiles (velvets and damask).
characteristics of Baroque upholstery
- Large patterns
- Color of figures contrasted with background
- Brilliantly colored chromatic values
Fauteuil
A popular French armchair, first seen
during the Louis XIV period, with open
arms and an upholstered seat and back.
- downturning arms that terminate in scroll/volute
- Saltier or H-form stretcher
- sometimes guilded
- Hierarchical
BAROQUE
Padding on the arm of a chair.
Manchette
BAROQUE
Fauteuil
- canned back
- gilded wood
- might have removable seat cushion
- square pedestal leg
BAROQUE
Wing chair
- wing to provide a bit of protection from drafts
- scroll legs
BAROQUE
French Canape
- designed with rectangular back framed by carved and gilt wood
- square seat with carved decorative apron
- eight legs connected by stretchers
BAROQUE
French Commode
- made in pairs because all peices were used for boulle
- Boulle work
- ormolu
BAROQUE
Commode with Mirror
- becomes focal point
BAROQUE
COMMODE FOR VERSAILLES
- Marbel top so that candle wax may be removed easily
- Boulle work
- Ormolu
BAROQUE
Side table
- Charles LeBrun
- Gilded
BAROQUE
Writing desk
- Boulle work
- Knee-hole writing table
- leather top for writing with ink pen
BAROQUE
Writing desk
- knee-hole writing deak
- Boulle work
BAROQUE
Cabinet
- two-section cabinet
- Marquetry
BAROQUE
Jewel cabinet
- Made of ebony
- Used pietra dura or intarsia for botanical patterns
BAROQUE
name for cabinetmakers who specialize in ebony
Ebenistes
Cabinet on stand
- Boulle work
BAROQUE
Wardrobe / Armoire
- made in pair
- Boulle floral marquetry
- Ormolu
- Bracket feet
- For clothing
BAROQUE
BUREAU
- Walnut bookcase
- Double-bonnet top
- Finials
- Bun feet
BAROQUE
Silver Furniture
- melted down to pay off debt that Louis XIV had created
BAROQUE
Drawing of a bed by Daniel Marot
BAROQUE
French Regence
Transitional period between the dealth of King Louis XIV and Louis XV.
- Everybody begins to take pride in their homes.
- Homes and room sized get smaller.
- More specialized rooms.
- More playful decorations.
Jean-Antoine Watteau
Artist that becomes popular after death of Charles LeBrun.
Social, charming, lightheartedness topics.
French Regence
How furniture changed from Baroque to Regence.
Straight, symmetrical patterns replaced by curving symmetrical shapes.
Flowers, garlands, elongated acanthus, shells.
Guy during Regence period who was an influential sculptor and metal worker.
Charles Cressent
He worked against typical guild rules. He did not sign his furniture because he worked in both wood and bronze.
Regence table
Charles Cressent
Regence console table
- With mirror
- two legs up against a wall.
- Cabriole leg
Gilded regence console table
Regence Commode
- “big table with large drawers and beautiful ornaments”
- Ormolu
- Beneath each drawer there was a horizonal groove which extended the length of the drawer which was lined with brass
- Bombe shape
- Rosewood
- Marble top
A decorative plate for a keyhole.
escutcheon
Regence
Regence commode: Charles Cressent
- Singerie
- Ormolu
- Curving lines
- escutcheons
How dressers changed during Regence.
Drawers lost full board base - moved to tracks with less wood.
Regence Bureau Plat
- Straight front (no knee hole)
Rococo
Louis XV
- derived from the French word “Rocaille,” meaning rock and shell garden ornamentation
- Human comfort was important
- Small rooms
- Special use rooms.
Rococo interiors
Rococo interiors
- Paintings in panels
- Drawing rooms, sitting rooms, reception rooms, secret rooms
- Pastel colors
- Curved corners in paneling
- Wall paper made to imitate tapestry, sometimes flocked. Imported from England.
Flooring: parquet, marble, terra-cotta
Difference between baroque and rococo
Baroque = to glorify king
Rococo = for everyone
Guy during Rococo who was popular for wallpaper
Jean Pillement
- His designs were also used for fans, dresses, curtains, wallpaper, and porcelain.
- Chinoiserie
Rococo textiles
- Reduced in scale
- Scrolls, ribbons, flowers, shells, flowing in all-over pattern.
- Printed cottons
- Techniques called “toiles de jouy”
Toiles de jouy
Introduced by Oberkampf, who came up with a large machine that would repeat a pattern. Common for one-color patterns on a white background.
Rococo
Mme de Pompadour
- Patron of the arts
- Louis XV’s mistress
- invested in trading with the Orient
- Encouraged Sevres porcelain
Sevres china
“Pink Pompadour”
Rococo
Francois Boucher
Rococo
Flemish “S” scroll leg
Teardrop pull
Flemish “S” Scroll leg
Flemish “C” scroll armpost
Square pedestal leg
Bun foot form
Flemish “C” Scroll
Baroque - style foot form
Bonnet or hooded pediment
Trumpet turning
Pedestal leg
Bell turning or inverted cup turning
Barley sugar twist
Double bonnet or double hooded pediment
Spanish foot or paintbrush foot
Menuisier
Ébéniste
A French joiner working with chairs and other furniture made from solid wood.
Bergere
- Women liked because it was suited for women’s proportions and would work with women’s clothing.
- Often gilded.
- Manchettes
- Shoed feet.
- Smaller scale, pastel upholstery fabric.
Rococo
Fauteuil
- manchette
- less upholstery
ROCOCO
Marquis
- loveseat
- may be near a fireplace
ROCOCO
Voyeuse
- shelf where someone could stand and rest their elbows
ROCOCO
Voyeuse
- shelf where someone could stand and rest their elbows
- Men would strattle the chair so they would have somewhere to put their elbows.
ROCOCO
Canape
- length would vary
- often had eight legs
- manchettes
- exposed wood framing
ROCOCO
Chaise lounge or Duchesse
- Gondola (rounded) back
- one long seat
- often had cabriole leg with scroll/whorl
ROCOCO
Duchesse Brisse
- detachable to more than one part
ROCOCO
Corner Bergere
ROCOCO
Veilleuse
- day bed
- side protects from draft
ROCOCO
Bureau de Roi
- made by Jean Fancois Oeben and Riesner
- roll-top desk
- for Louis XV, who wanted privacy
- more modest than baroque, which would have featured boulle work
ROCOCO
SLANT TOP DESK
- more for women / more delicate
ROCOCO
SLANT TOP DESK
- chinoiserie
- Vernis Martin
ROCOCO
Bureau Plat
- Ormolou protects edged of expensive wood
ROCOCO
Commode
- Placed below mirror
- lighter in appearance that baroque
- bombay shape
- concealed division between drawers
- marble top for ease of candle wax removal
ROCOCO
Commode
- black and gold
- Ormolu
- Vernis-Martin
- Chinoiserie
ROCOCO
Vernis-Martin
A French term used to describe the shiny lacquerwork developed in the early 18th century, the latter part of the Louis XIV period, by the Martin brothers that imitated the lacquered relief work of the Far East.
ROCOCO
Mechanical writing and toilet table
ROCOCO
chiffonniere
ROCOCO
CORNER CABINET
- covered up corners (right angles) in rooms
ROCOCO
SMALL TABLE
- marquetry
- drawer for storage
ROCOCO
Hôtel particulier
Private townhouse. Distinguished by open space at both the front and back and the appearance of symmetry. Used enfilade. Used to be just for city nobility.
