The following
pages link to articles on fine antique furniture written by Todd W.
Sigety, ISA AM and were published in The Antiquer, Fine Art and
Antiques between August 2003 and December 2004. Mr. Sigety was the
recipient of the International Society of Appraisers publishing
award for a series of articles on world furniture.
Over the
centuries French furniture has taken on many styles and forms,
usually with Paris setting the particular design trends, forms and
aesthetics. The designs and styles originating from Paris usually
set the tone for designs throughout France, and also for much of the
rest of the world. England, Italy, the Scandinavian countries and
America all followed many of the decorative arts design styles which
originated in Paris. Baroque, Rococo, Neo-classical, and Empire all
had strong ties to Parisian design philosophies. Some scholars will
argue that the Biedermeier style was actually based upon French
provincial furniture of the Empire period. This theory of the
origins of the Biedermeier style reveals that French country designs
and tastes were very popular during the period and copied throughout
the world.
French
provincial furniture encompasses a wide range of periods and
styles. Provincial, according to one dictionary source is defined
as one living in or coming from a province. A second source defined
“provincial” as relating to a province, or to the parts of a country
outside its capital or most important city, such as Paris. Like
much furniture and decorative arts produced outside of major
metropolitan areas, French provincial furniture of various styles
and stages survived through numerous decorative arts periods and was
produced by combining many newer and emerging styles with those of
past periods. Upon first thought, many consider French provincial
furniture to be only in the decorative arts style of the Louis XV
period, although not nearly as elaborate. This is not necessarily
the case, although French provincial Louis XV is probably most
desired by collectors and widely copied and reproduced. Much French
provincial furniture is in the Louis XV style, yet there is much
more to the aesthetic and style. To be precise in describing the
term “French provincial”, the definition has to consider and include
almost all French furniture made in the French provinces outside of
Paris and manufactured during any period of style.
The discussion
of quality French provincial furniture should only include true
furniture craftsman, cabinet makers and artisans. Much rural
furniture was made by carpenters instead of cabinet makers in the
provinces of France. This furniture tends to be very simple in
design, heavy in its look and lacking refinements, design
embellishments and usually assembled with crude joinery and poor
construction techniques. The craftsman guilds of France usually
dictated to cabinet makers the techniques for quality cabinet
construction and the generally accepted design aesthetics of the
period. During the Louis XV the French cabinet making guild was
called the Corporation des Menuisiers-Ebenistes. The guilds
protected the various artisans by controlling the number of
craftsman in each field and encouraged the master craftsman to pass
down his skill to family members. The two main type of furniture
producers in the guild were the maitre-menuisiers and the maitre-ebonistes.
The maitre-menuisiers was a craftsman who manufactured chairs, beds,
stools and seating furniture. The maitre-menuisiers would usually
work in solid woods, carving, staining and gilding for decorative
embellishments. Many of the maitre-menuisiers were provincial
craftsman.
The maitre
ebonistes worked with veneers and manufactured more elaborate and
high style furniture, usually tables, bookcases and commodes. Much
of the ebonistes’ furniture was produced with highly polished
surfaces, mixed and contrasting veneers, pictorial inlays and
marquetry. The truly high end exotic pieces of French furniture
were made by the eonistes of the period.
Although there
were many segments of the craft which did not belong to the guilds,
they still managed to produce quality furniture in construction and
design. Many dedicated and quality craftsman refused to the pay the
high entrance fees and dues to the guild, others being independent
minded and highly creative, did not desire to be controlled by the
state dominated aesthetic of the periods. Others openly decided not
to pursue the level of master due to the long and arduous apprentice
process that was in place. Many of these non-guild affiliated
cabinet makers were located in regions exempt from the guild
system. During the period of Louis XV guild members were required
to sign their pieces, and be stamped with J.M.E., (Jure des
Menuisiers Ebenistes) the mark of the guild, and if furniture was
found without the stamp it was considered contraband. Large fines
were in place for fraudulent use of the J.M.E. stamp.
Many of the
furniture designs these provincial craftsman used came from three
sources. A direct copy of a Parisian or large metropolitan area
piece of furniture, a description provided to the cabinet maker by
the client or from a design book of the period. General
characteristics of French provincial furniture when compared to
Parisian furniture include simplicity of design, indigenous
materials, and simple carved decorations and ornamentation. French
provincial furniture is usually made of solid woods, such as oak,
fruitwood, walnut and some mahogany. The designs were perhaps a bit
more amusing and less stately than what was being produced in Paris,
yet when compared, the lines were similar and equally as pleasing.
French provincial furniture could rival Parisian furniture for
quality of construction given that the provincial furniture was
built to last, and, to be used in the daily lives of farmers and in
the provinces of France. Utility of French provincial furniture was
paramount, while the great houses and salons of Paris were more
noted for their decorative style, elegance and refinements.
Therefore, you do not see highly polished finishes or much exotic
veneers on French provincial furniture.
French
provincial decorations and ornamentations to the decorative arts
could signify a deeper meaning connected to daily rural life and
family. For instance, shells typically symbolized fertility,
musical instruments represented artistic endeavors, grapes,
cornucopias, wheat and coins might represent successful harvests,
fertile ground and prosperity, with fruit and flowers usually
indicated divine grace, while hearts, arrows and doves symbolized
love and devotion.
The main
regions of Southern France are Midi Pyrenees, Aquataine, Provence,
Languidoc and Roussillon. The furniture made is these regions, all
of which would be considered French provincial, are very different
in design and taste influences. In the Southern region of Languidoc-Roussillon
the woods most commonly used in furniture were walnut, elm, and
fruitwoods such as apple, pear and cherry. Geographically located
just north of Spain, much furniture produced in this region was
influenced by Spanish designs and taste. The design aesthetic
originating from Languidoc and Roussillon is little heavier in taste
than other French provinces, which were usually more influenced by
the more refined Parisian cabinet makers. The Languidoc-Roussillon
artisans usually preferred carved embellishments with curves and
soft rounded edges, much different in style than the straight and
geometric patterns from Auvergne, located just north of the
Languedoc-Roussillon region.
The rugged
south central region of Auvergne is vastly different from the
neighboring Languedoc-Roussillon region to the south. Furniture
artisans in Auvergne usually incorporated deep and heavy carvings in
linear and geometric patterns. Red walnut, fruitwoods and chestnut
were the woods of choice for the cabinetmakers and artisans of this
region. The furniture craftsman in Auvergne usually mixed many
decorative art periods into their furniture designs.
Therefore it
is not unusual to discover pieces of furniture from Auvergne with
the shared tastes of Louis XIII, Louis XIV and Louis XV.
Artisans from
Provence created what many decorative arts connoisseurs believe to
be some of the finest French provincial furniture made. Influenced
greatly by the Louis XV style, the artisans of Provencal would add
their own regional characteristics to their furniture, yet they
never lost the sophistication and style of the Parisian designs.
Wood of choice for Provencal cabinetmakers was usually walnut, but
the local craftsman would also incorporate some exotic woods such as
olive into their designs.
To the north
of Aquitaine is the region of Poitou-Charentes.Many collectors and
connoisseurs consider this coastal region of central western France
to be the epicenter of French provincial furniture. The artisans in
this region used a wide selection of indigenous exotic and common
woods in their furniture design and production. A wide range of
carving motifs were incorporated into the elegant and stylish
furniture produced in Poitou. The carvings of the Poitou region
typically included circles, crosses, diamond shapes, floral patterns
and in some instances human figures. Additional embellishments from
this region also included large metal polished hinges. Further
north along the coast is Brittany and Normandy. The Normandy region
of France is famous for producing some of the more elaborately
carved double door armoires which so many collectors associate with
French provincial furniture.
Located North
of Paris is the region of Champagne. One of the defining
characteristics of this region is the use of oak in much of the
furniture. Most French provincial regions used walnut and
fruitwoods as the primary woods for assembly of furniture. The
armoires of the region were tall with narrow doors, sometimes on a
base with a single drawer. Ornamentation was used sparingly, with
linear decorations preferred over curves and deep carving.
Today,
collectors of French provincial furniture should be aware that the
styles crossed many periods. Therefore, dating a piece of furniture
based solely on the design is not always appropriate. Other
factors, such as construction technique, woods, patina, condition
and quality of carving all must be taken into consideration. Much
poor quality reproduction French provincial style furniture has been
manufactured over the years. As with most reproductions and copies,
the lines are usually a bit off to the trained eye. The best
protection is to view many pieces of furniture, comparing the design
qualities, and form a ranking system of good, better and best. Many
reproductions, amazingly enough have been copied from poor examples
of the style. Most period French furniture was not constructed with
nails and/or screws. They cabinetmakers used dowels and joinery
techniques such as dovetails in their construction. If screws and
nails are present, be suspicious. Be sure not confuse rustic
carpenter made household items as French provincial furniture just
because in is old, French and is a piece of furniture made outside
of Paris. Always keep in mind that the design aesthetics, style and
elegance of French provincial furniture should approach, and in some
case actually rival the quality of furniture made in Paris during
the great periods of French decorative arts.
