extraordinary elaborateness, being entirely embroidered on a gold
background, with flowers, quivers, cartouches with the arms and cypher
of the King, and, moreover, ornamented with gold lace. On the ceiling,
there was painted a little picture representing Night; and on the centre
of the counterpane, a picture representing Sleep. A heavy gold cord,
tied in knots and decorated with tassels, looped back the curtains. The
wood at the foot was visible. It was carved in the form of two pillars
at the foot representing children on eagles, each carrying on his head a
perfume-vase. This frame and all the rest of the visible wood was
gilded. The detail (No. 2) on Plate XV. represents the base of a less
ornate bed and one of a later period than this of the King. Here there
is a feeling that anticipates the coming period of the Regency, although
the cloven foot, or hind’s foot has long been familiar, and is of
frequent occurrence in Boulle’s work. The mascaron, too, above the foot,
is not new, nor is the shell, or anthemion ornament, in the centre. The
general effect of the curve is what announces the coming style.
Two beds belonging to Louis XIV. were described in 1718 after his death,
and as having been made especially for him. One was _à la duchesse_
(_demi ciel_), and the other was _à l’Impériale_ (the dome surmounted by
a crown). The latter must have been very handsome, as it was of yellow
damask, embroidered in silver, the design being foliage, leaves,
berries, and seeds. The whole bed was finished with a fringe of amaranth
chenille. What a charming combination! yellow and silver with a touch of
reddish purple!
In addition to the beds already mentioned the _banc à lit_ sometimes
appears.
There were two in Madame de Maintenon’s apartments: one was 5 feet, 10
inches long, and 2 feet, 2 inches wide. This was covered with moquette
and furnished with two bolsters and a pavilion of red serge. The other
was 3½ feet long and 2½ feet wide. It had a cover of crimson damask and
was surmounted by a pavilion of red serge.
In nearly every room of the period, a _lit de repos_ is found. Two
varieties of this piece of furniture are shown on Plate VIII. and on
Plate XIII., one having but one back and the other, two. It was always
richly upholstered and furnished with a round bolster at each end and
sometimes with two square cushions as well. Although frequently called
_chaise longue_, this couch is more generally known in France at this
period as _lit de repos_. Toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV. it
was placed in the niche, lengthwise of course. Its covering always
agreed with the rest of the furnishings of the room; but sometimes we
come across one described by itself; as for example, one in 1671 that
had a double back, that is to say, a back at each end, like the one from
the Château de Chenonceau on Plate XIII. This was furnished with two
round bolsters, two square pillows and two mattresses, all upholstered
in a silk brocade of violet, aurora and white, trimmed with a braid of
the same colours and a fringe of gold, silver and silk. The wood of the
frame was carved and painted violet and white and gold. The slip cover
for this beautiful couch was of changeable taffeta, of the hue known as
_gorge de pigeon_.
We may note here that all the sofas, chairs and folding-seats, as well
as couches, had separate _housses_ or slip covers that were made as a
rule of taffeta. They were used to protect the furniture.
The seats of the period consisted of _fauteuils_, or arm-chairs, chairs
with backs, folding-stools, _tabourets_, and the sofa, or _canapé_. It
is not necessary to describe the court etiquette regarding the
ceremonial use of the seats: the details regarding the _tabouret_ would
fill a chapter. The _fauteuil_ and the _canapé_ were reserved for the
highest in rank; the characteristic _fauteuil_ on Plate XIII. consisting
of a stuffed seat, a square back, scroll arms partly upholstered, term
legs and heavy straining-rails. Modifications of the frame of this chair
appear in No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 on the same plate. The _canapé_ on
Plate XIV. is of the same general form. The frames of the seats,
particularly those destined for ball-rooms and other extremely luxurious
apartments, were carved and gilt; but many were painted in hues that
harmonized with the hangings of the rooms, and picked out with gold,
silver, white, or any other required thread of colour. They were always
richly upholstered in velvet, damask, brocade or tapestry, as is shown
on Plates XIII. and XIV. The materials were fastened to the seats by
means of gold or silver-headed nails, as shown in No. 2 and No. 3 on
Plate XIII.; and often, too, the nails were above fringe, as shown in
the arm-chair on Plate XIII. Sometimes a braid or lace was used to hide
the ordinary nails, and sometimes, again, a small lambrequin, or valance
surrounded the frame of the seat, nearly reaching to the floor (see
Plate XXI., No. 3). The splendid list of chairs at the Château de
Turenne in 1700 gives a very excellent idea of the chairs of the day.
They include: _fauteuils_ of crimson velvet trimmed with gold braid and
gold fringe; of cloth-of-gold; of violet velvet and of green velvet;
many folding-stools; chairs covered with serge, violet cloth, moquette,
yellow moquette, black leather, yellow leather, cloth-of-gold with
designs of crimson velvet, and chairs painted green and yellow and
upholstered in green. We also learn of six folding-stools covered with
white satin, embroidered with Chinese figures and trimmed with gold
fringe; three _fauteuils_ and three cushions of Flanders
brocatelle,—red, aurora and white; twenty-four folding-stools and twelve
square cushions of blue velvet embroidered with gold and silver, and two
_fauteuils_, six folding-seats, two square pillows and _tabouret_ of
flesh-coloured and silver brocade.
The fringes used for the chairs, stools and beds were very elaborate,
and there was an extremely large number of them, in knots, twists,
tassels, tufts, headed by plaited and twisted braids of many kinds and
known under many names. So many specimens of these have been preserved
that one cannot go astray in upholstering any article in the Louis XIV.
style.
Towards the close of this period, a new _fauteuil_ makes its appearance.
Its back is arched and slightly curved, and its feet end in a carved
leaf. This is one of the first indications of the coming style of Louis
XV. This is also felt in the curving chair-back that appears on Plate
XIII. (No. 4) and on Plate XVIII. (No. 5).
The legs and feet of the chairs are usually cut in the tapering form
with four faces, and ornamented with marquetry, paint or gilding. Many
of them have straining-rails that intersect in the form of an X, as is
shown on Plate XIII.; and these usually carry at their point of
intersection a little ornament such as a steeple, or a rose. Some of
them have a carved front rail, and others have a wooden moulding below
the seat instead of a fringe. The arms nearly always end in the scrolled
acanthus, and some of them are padded. Plate XIII. gives several
examples.
A piece of furniture that dates from this reign was the Commode, a kind
of desk or _bureau_, containing drawers for the preservation of linen,
or clothing or small articles. Its top slab is usually of marble. The
_Dictionnaire de Trévoux_ says, in 1771, the name was given to it on
account of its great commodity. It seems to have been always a very
handsome article. Although Littré speaks of it, in 1760, as a “newly
invented piece of furniture,” the _Inventaire du Garde Meuble of
Versailles_, in 1700, shows us that the Duc d’Orléans had a “_bureau de
commode_” of walnut. This was 3 feet, 5 inches long and 25 inches wide.
It contained two drawers with iron rings. Among the _Meubles de la
Couronne_, Versailles (1720–1730), there were two “_commodes de
marqueterie_,” of many-coloured flowers on a background of ebony. Upon
the top, the ornament was a vase of flowers standing on the end of a
column with festoons of flowers, birds, butterflies and two grotesque
masques. Six _fleurs-de-lis_ ornamented the corners and the centre of
the sides. In front were three large drawers, and the locks and rings
were of gilt bronze. These commodes were 4 feet, 2 inches long, 2 feet,
7 inches wide and 2 feet, 8 inches high. Another “commode” is described
as veneered with _palissandre_ (violet-wood) with a marble slab. This
was _bombé_ in front and contained three drawers, the locks, handles and
other ornaments of gilt bronze. Its dimensions were 31 inches high; 3
feet, 8 inches long; and 24 inches wide.
[Illustration: PLATE XV]
Bérain and Lepautre designed many commodes of excessive richness, which
even the magnificent examples of Boulle, one of which is given on Plate
XIV., did not surpass.
The Duchess of Orleans owned a walnut commode 3 feet, 7 inches long, and
2 feet wide, containing three drawers with iron rings. The Duke had a
_bureau en commode_, 3 feet, 5 inches long, and 25 inches wide,
containing two large drawers with iron rings.
Madame de Gaudry (1708) had an oak bureau containing three drawers with
iron rings. It was 3 feet, 4 inches long, and 2 feet, 1 inch wide. It
was covered with a leather carpet lined with green serge. She also had a
pine bureau containing two large drawers with copper rings. This
measured 3 feet, 3 inches by 26 inches. A red leather carpet lined with
red serge covered it.
Madame de Maintenon owned a veneered walnut bureau inlaid with threads
of ebony. It had seven drawers on each side with copper gilt key-plates.
This piece was 5 feet long and 2½ feet wide, supported by eight small
columns. It was covered with a carpet of red velvet bordered with a
narrow gold braid.
The Duchess of Orleans had a walnut table in the form of a bureau with
two large drawers. It was 3 feet, 4 inches long and 25 inches wide.
There were two covers for it: one of red leather and the other of red
damask and gold _moiré_. Both covers were trimmed with gold braid and
gold fringe.
The dressing-table as a separate piece of furniture seems to have been
unknown. All the contemporary illustrations of ladies at their toilettes
show them seated before a rather low table which is covered with a
cloth, sweeping the floor, over which is spread another cloth probably
of linen or leather. Upon it stand a small mirror and all the vases,
pots, cushions, and small articles for paint, patches and perfumes.
Sometimes the dressing-table was arranged like the one on Plate XXIII.,
No. 1, or again a commode, or table with drawers, was placed under a
mirror, as shown in No. 3 and Nos. 5 and 8, also on Plate XXIII.
The handsomest tables of the day were of marquetry, ornamented with
mascarons, or of carved and gilded wood. Many of them have the hind’s
foot, or the term leg, and are connected with straining-rails. However,
tables were also made of violet-wood, walnut, pine, cherry, or other
woods, with simple turned feet. These were always covered with a carpet,
or cloth, that matched the hangings of the room. The card-tables were
sometimes three-cornered and sometimes cut into five faces. The
_guéridon_, the shape of which was a stem, bearing a small round top and
ending in three feet, was often used for cards. Typical tables are shown
on Plates XIII and XVI.
Madame de Maintenon’s tables included two tables of violet wood each 2
feet, 8 inches long, by 2 feet wide. Their covers were black velvet
trimmed with gold braid. She also had a little table of cherry, 2 feet,
3 inches long, and 17½ inches wide, with a drawer and compartments. It
was inlaid with ebony in a design of lozenges and foliage and stood on
four term-shaped pillars. The Duke of Orleans had a walnut table inlaid
with ebony. It stood on four twisted legs and contained a drawer. The
dimensions were 2 feet, 11 inches long, by 23 inches wide.
The console is somewhat squarer than that of the former period, and
stands frequently with its back against a pier glass. The slab is of
marble and sometimes of rich mosaic. The hind’s feet here give place to
the termed legs, which are joined by straining-rails. Some of them have
eight feet, that is to say, four double feet.
Another form of the console is shown on Plate XVI., No. 1, the leg of
which appears also on Plate XVI. as No. 4. This is decorated with the
ram’s head, heavy swags of flowers, the cartouche with the double L and
the woman’s head. The curved scroll under the slab proclaims the advent
of the new style.
Cabinets, desks and _armoires_ were sumptuous. A typical marquetry desk,
3 feet, 10 inches long, and 2 feet, 4 inches wide, inlaid with many
coloured woods on a background of ebony, contained seven drawers and a
door on which a _fleur-de-lis_ was represented. The drawers were
furnished with gilt bronze key-plates. On the top of the desk, the
design was a vase of flowers, foliage, birds and butterflies, all
surrounded by a border of marquetry between two bands of violet wood and
threads of white. Each desk stood on eight termed pillars with capitals
and feet of gilt wood.
A marquetry cabinet inlaid with bright flowers on ebony and ornamented
with bands of violet-wood and white was composed of two sections, each
having three doors with gilt copper locks.
The Duchess of Orleans owned a cabinet of marquetry in two parts,
containing three wings and three drawers of marquetry of copper and
pewter on ebony, enriched with columns, pilasters, squares, bands and
pyramids of lapis; in the centre of each of the three wings were masques
of men and women in copper-gilt carrying on their heads baskets of
flowers and fruits, also copper-gilt. The feet were four consoles; on
the two central ones were two children of gilded wood, and on the
straining-rail a little child holding a blue shield in a cartouche of
gilded wood. The dimensions of the whole were 5 feet, 4 inches long, 18
inches deep, and 4 feet, 3 inches high.
The favourite clock is Boulle’s. It stands on the mantel-piece, or upon
a pedestal, or term. The tall clock in the long pedestal-shaped box was
also in use.
Some of the frames of the clocks follow the designs shown on Plate
XVII., Nos. 2 and 3.
The pedestal that Boulle makes for his clocks have almost an
architectural form; they are like a kind of small pavilion, at the top
of which is the dial. The legs are most frequently formed by a scroll of
foliage terminating in a clawed paw. The subject on top is usually Time
with his scythe, or some mythological symbol.
On Plate XVI., No. 3, is shown a portion of a _console d’applique_ of
carved wood painted in gray _céladon_, dating from the end of the Louis
XIV. period, the two scroll feet joined by a stretcher, the side
supports swelling into the bust and head, the front curved rail having
in the centre a cartouche with a woman’s head enclosed with the skeleton
C (a broken scroll freely used later), and the acanthus. The head at the
side supports is adorned with plumes and flowers.
The screen is met with in nearly every room. Sometimes it consists of
several leaves, and again it is in the form shown on Plate XVII.
Sometimes the tapestry, or the leather, or damask, or whatever material
is used for the covering, is garnished with gold braid and fringe, or it
is tacked to the frame by means of gold nails, as shown in the above
example.
The mirror is far more generally used than in the former reign. It is
seen in every home and in every room. Its frame is carved and gilded and
in a variety of designs. A characteristic example is shown on Plate
XIII.
We may know what furniture was considered necessary for a room by the
following information from inventories between 1675 and 1700: One set of
furniture consisted of a bed, four _fauteuils_, twenty-eight
folding-stools, a screen and a table-carpet of embroidery on a gold
background depicting the history of Moses.
Another set consisted of a bed, three _fauteuils_, eight folding-stools,
two table-carpets, two cushions, a screen, a daïs and wall-hangings. The
material for these decorations was velvet branches of bright amaranth on
a silver background, combined with another material of cloth-of-silver
with little flowers of amaranth. The bed, which was 6½ feet long and 7½
feet high, comprised three valances, four curtains, four
_cantonnières_[12] and three lower valances, all of the velvet; while
the three outside valances, the sheaths for the two bed-posts, and the
_couverture de parade_, and the linings of the curtains, were of the
cloth of silver with amaranth flowers. The whole bed was trimmed with
gold and silver braid, and on the top of the canopy were four _pommes_
with bunches of mixed feathers, probably white and amaranth.
Another set of furniture was of red satin and white taffeta in squares,
and ornamented with gold braid and gold fringe. The pieces comprised a
bed, three _fauteuils_, twelve folding-stools, a table-carpet, a screen
and a square cushion. The bed was 7 feet high and 6 feet wide; its three
valances, four _cantonnières_ and three lower valances were of the red
and white taffeta embroidered with gold, while its four curtains,
head-board, interior hangings and two posts were covered with gold
brocade.
We also learn of a set comprising a bed, three _fauteuils_, six chairs
with backs, twelve folding-stools, a daïs and a _chaise de commodité_ of
blue velvet, ornamented with gold and silver braid and fringe.
Another set was of white damask trimmed with fringes of gold, silver and
green silk; another was of white damask and gold; and another set
consisting of a bed, eleven folding-seats and four _fauteuils_, was of
Spanish leather, cut out, embroidered and edged with black, and laid on
blue damask. The carpet for the table and the two square cushions were
of the same.
In many rooms of the day, the alcove occurs. It was introduced from
Spain, and took its name from the Spanish alcoba and the Arabic _Al
Koba_, the tent, or the place where one sleeps, or rests. It was made
fashionable by its appearance in the Hôtel de Rambouillet, and, of
course, the home of every _Précieuse_ had to have one. Fouquet had rooms
with alcoves at his Château de Vaux and when “_La grande Mademoiselle_”
took refuge at her Château de Saint-Fargeau, during the troubles of La
Fronde, she at once conformed to the taste of the day. “On the very day”
(of her arrival) she writes: “I wished to change the chimney-pieces and
doors and to make an alcove.”
The alcove became so fashionable that it soon supplanted the _ruelle_;
and the “_coureurs de ruelles_” were known thenceforward as “_coquets
d’alcôvistes_.”
But what they called alcove in the Seventeenth was not what they called
alcove in the Eighteenth Century. At first, it was a part of the room
set apart from the rest by a railing or some columns of architectural
pretensions. In 1684, in the _État du mobilier de la couronne_ there is
mentioned an alcove balustrade of chiselled silver of fabulous price.
The alcove was in reality a little room within a large room and here the
bed and chairs for guests were placed.
Typical and luxurious alcoves are shown in the designs by Marot and
Lepautre.
Fouquet had an alcove hung with crimson satin enriched with gold
embroidery. At President Tubeuf’s the hangings of the alcove were
ornamented with bands of black velvet alternating with bands of English
tapestry. Molière’s was hung with red taffeta garnished with fringe and
tassels of aurora silk.
Madame de Maintenon’s apartments at Versailles, in 1708, consisted of
the first antechamber, the second antechamber, the chamber, the
“_garde-robe_” behind the bed, the “_grand cabinet_ upon the arcade,”
and “_garde-robe en suite_.”
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 flowers of various colours. These same
materials filled the space over the chimney-piece. Twelve chairs with
backs of turned walnut wood were covered with tapestry on which birds
figured. The couch was covered with the same material and was furnished
with a pavilion of red serge. A small table was covered by a green cloth
trimmed with green silk fringe. The window curtain was white cotton.
The second antechamber was hung with crimson damask, ornamented with
gold braid and gold fringe. The _portières_ of the same, and lined with
red taffeta, were 2½ ells long, and comprised four lengths each. The
seats were six _fauteuils_, six large folding-stools and two small
folding-stools. The frames were painted red picked out with gold. The
two little stools were upholstered in red velvet garnished with gold and
silver fringe. The other seats were covered with red damask, ornamented
with gold fringe. The couch in this room was covered with crimson
damask, trimmed with gold braid and fringe, and overhung by a pavilion
of red serge. A pine desk was covered with a piece of red damask,
trimmed with gold braid and fringe. The one window curtain consisted of
four lengths of red taffeta (3 ells long), bordered with a narrow gold
braid.
[Illustration: PLATE XVI]
The chamber was hung with twenty-five lengths of gold and green damask,
and twenty-four lengths of crimson damask of a large pattern (the length
being 2½ ells). These hangings were trimmed all around and on the seams
with gold braid. The bed was composed of three outside valances, two
_bonnes grâces_, two _cantonnières_, three valances on the frame of the
bed, three valances on the _courtepointe_, and four _pommes_. All the
interior hangings were gold and green, and all the outside ones were of
crimson damask. The _courtepointe_ was crimson damask. These draperies
were ornamented with a wide gold braid and gold fringe. The _pommes_
supported four bunches of white feathers with aigrettes. The three
window curtains, each 11 feet long, contained three lengths each of
crimson taffeta, trimmed with gold fringe. There were other hangings in
this room: two _portières_, two alcove curtains, and the interior
draperies of the niche. The _portières_ were made of two lengths of gold
and green damask and one of red damask, trimmed with gold braid. One was
lined with red taffeta, the other with green taffeta. The two alcove
curtains[13] were 3¼ ells long, each one being made of two lengths of
gold and green damask, and two lengths of crimson damask. This large
room contained three _fauteuils_, twelve folding-stools, four lounges, a
_lit de repos_, a _chaise d’affaires_ of crimson velvet, two tables, two
little marquetry desks, a screen, a writing-table, mirror and
chandelier. The seats were all covered with red damask, bordered by a
band of gold and green damask, and finished with a narrow gold braid and
fringe. The _lit de repos_, 6 feet long by 2 feet, 4 inches wide, was
covered with the same damasks as well as its four pillows. The latter
were finished with gold braid, fringe, and tassels at each corner.
Another _lit de repos_ stood in the niche. The tables 4 feet long by 4
feet, 4 inches wide, were of pine with walnut feet. Their covers were
made of the two damasks already described (mi-party), the top being of
red velvet. These cloths were nailed to the table, and trailed on the
floor. They were ornamented with gold braid and fringe. The screen
consisted of five leaves 3½ feet high. Three of its leaves were of gold
and green damask, and two of red damask. Gold braid brightened it. The
writing-table was of violet-wood, 4 feet, 8 inches long by 20 inches
wide. Over it was a green velvet cover, edged with gold. The little
desks of _marqueterie d’étain_ were probably Boulle’s. They were 2 feet
9½ inches long, and 1 foot 9 inches wide. Each one contained four
drawers and a door in the front, behind which were three interior
drawers, and stood upon eight termed pillars of marquetry the capitals
and bases of which were of silvered wood. The feet were pineapples
silvered. These were covered with a carpet of green taffetas, lined with
serge.
The niche[14] was of oak 5 feet, 10 inches long by 2 feet, 10 inches
wide and 8½ feet high. It was hung inside with four lengths of red
damask and three lengths of the gold and green damask already described,
the seams being covered with narrow gold braid. The outside was hung
with three lengths of gold and green damask and two lengths of red
damask, the seams hidden by gold braid.