During much of the nineteenth century the French mass-produced small, round clock mechanisms which they fitted into an enormous variety of cases. These were the best quality mass-produced clocks of the time.
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Gothic Furniture (1200 - 1425) |
The great cathedrals of the Gothic period were expressions of a new affluence but their interiors contained simple functional, oak furniture. Late in the Gothic period, carved decoration echoing the arched shapes of Gothic architecture appeared.
All houses in the Middle Ages were damp and furniture needed to be raised off the ground to prevent rotting. For this reason, chests from the 12th century onward often had legs.
A few new forms of furniture appeared. these included single and double-tiered cupboards and sideboards with a small storage area on tall legs and a shelf beneath.
By the 15th century, the Low Countries were becoming prosperous through trade and merchants’ homes there became better furnished. "Flanders chests", decorated with a stylised motif representing folded linen, became popular.
Renaissance Furniture (1425 - 1580)
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| The Renaissance in Italy saw the introduction of elaborately decorated chests, rich marquetry, elaborate carving and the use of walnut in place of oak. Florence was famous for marriage chests, painted with romantic scenes, were produced. Portable folding chairs with leather or tapestry seats and chairs with solid, carved backs and solid panels instead of legs were introduced.
During the early Renaissance period, the French courts employed Italian artists who brought Italian furniture designs, but with somewhat richer decoration.
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Feather beds and pillows came into use. In the colder, northern countries, beds were surmounted by a canopy hung from the ceiling In the 15th century, the southern German cities of Ausberg and Nuremburg became famous for the exuberance and virtuosity of their carved and inlaid cabinets. The earliest cabinets were placed on tables; later, they were made with stands.. |
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Did you know? The earliest chests were made by hollowing out tree trunks; and, so, were called "trunks". |
| Glass paperweights have been a popular collectable for well over 200 years.
A particular style is the millefiori in which coloured glass rods are set into clear molten glass to form patterns of flowers, fruit or abstract shapes. This style was developed in the 18th century by Venetian glass makers and the art peaked around the 1850s. |
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Many paperweights are round but other shapes such as mushroom and tiered are also popular.
Older glass paperweights may be heavier than later items as the glass as the glass contained a percentage of lead oxide. |
| The weights from the French factories of Baccarat (founded in 1764), St Louis (founded in 1767) and Clichy (founded in 1837) are highly prized. Similar styles were made by early in the 19th century by American companies.
In choosing a paperweight, always avoid chipped and cracked weights and choose those where the design is centred within the glass. |
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Rene Lalique was born in France in 1860. He trained as a silversmith but, at an early age, discovered a talent and passion for sculpture and jewellery design in many other materials. Lalique was a major force in the art nouveau movement, introducing novel themes and materials into his work. These included the use of horn, amber, mother-of-pearl,, ivory and glass in combination with rare gems to produce works often modelled on maidens or grotesque, half animal, half human creatures. |
| As well as jewellery, Lalique produced furniture, painting and frescoes but, from about 1890, he became increasingly interested in glass. After about 1910, he gave up jewellery to concentrate on working in glass. Lalique’s early glass works, made between about 1903 and 1913, were made "circe perdue" (that is, the mould was broken to retrieve the glass). These works are rare and extremely valuable. |  |
| During the Middle Ages, the French created unsurpassed stained glass windows, and from the late seventeenth century they were the leading mirror makers of Europe; but, for vessels, glass was considered unworthy of serious artistic treatment.
A strict customs barrier imposed in 1830 encouraged the development of French art glass. From 1830 to 1870 most of the glass production was experimental in character with attempts to emulate the then-popular coloured Venetian and Bohemian glass. A main product of this period was the paperweight with inlaid colour patterns. Although originated in Venice, this form was perfected at the St Louis glassworks. There were soon many imitators but few could equal St Louis and the nearby Baccarat and Clichy glassworks. From 1870, new styles were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and, from 1890, culminated in the Art Nouveau works of Galle and Lalique. |
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