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04 30th, 2009| 
The main trends and styles of antiques (2)
William and Mary (1688-1702)
England adopted the main styles and ornamentation of Europe up to the eighteenth century. Generally these were simplified in style with English pieces generally being more modest.
After the Dutch stadtholder William III (of Orange) and his wife Mary Stuart won the throne of England from James II, Dutch style was introduced to form the first English style that was different from continental forms.
Louis’ styles
The styles of the French kings Louis XII to XVI are known by the French numeration e.g. Louis Treize. The styles are generally sumptuous and exaggerated. During this era France gave the cultural lead. The styles and individual reigns of the kings do not precisely coincide though. Architecture and ornamentation of Louis Treize is somewhat disparate with manifest foreign influences in which both Italian and Flemish artists were of great significance. But there was already atension between Baroque and Classicism in these early stages. During the time of Louis XIV and XV Baroque held sway over French culture.
After 1750 — still in the reign of Louis XV — there was a classical revival against Baroque. French art during the reigns of the Kings Louis is characterised by the contrast between classical design of the outsides of buildings and the Baroque decoration of their interiors. This includes the fine curvilinear forms of the furniture, silver, porcelain, and furnishing fabrics.
Louis Treize (XIII)
Louis Treize is the first of the style periods of the reigns of the French kings Louis.
It is characterised by greater attention to decoration, turned wood, festoons, curlicues, chased pilasters, wide use of columns, and divided pediments.
Louis Quatorze (XIV)
Baroque was at the height of its sway in the world during the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715). The Palace of Versailles, which is the Baroque masterpiece, had far greater influence on European culture than the religious Baroque emanating from Italy. The architecture was a fusion of classical forms with the Baroque originating from Italy.
The style also greatly influenced furniture and ornamentation. These latter elements took on a strongly Baroque, heavy, and pompous style under Louis Quatorze with rich embellishment of swags, urns, cherubs, marble panels, ceiling painting, mirrors, festoons, and gilded plaster work.
The heavy symmetrical furniture was of monumental proportions with considerable use of luxury materials including marquetry inlays with veneers. Furniture is often embellished with columns, floral motifs, oak and laurel leaves, egg-andtongue moulding, and edge mouldings. Greater use was made of exotic materials such as tortoiseshell and lacquer. Chairs had high backs and low seats and their trimmings showed a great preference for frills and fringes.
French Regency
The period of the French Regency style relates to the regency of Phillipe of Orleans (1715-1723). This style preceded the Rococo of Louis XV and replaced the exuberant decoration of Louis XIV with its strongly Baroque curlicues and a symmetric wreaths and figures. The era following the death of Louis XIV was characterised by elegance and lightness. The luxurious life of city dwellers also reached the country through the aristocracy. The numbers of rooms in the chateaux and palaces increased so that some types of furniture became larger. French Regency can be regarded as a transition between Baroque and Rococo.
Rococo
The name Rococo is given to the style of the first half of the eighteenth century that marked the final phase of Baroque. The term is probably derived from the French rocaille used to describe rock grottoes or fountains and coquille, meaning shell or scallop. Rococo arose in France as a reaction against the gross-ornamentation, stateliness, and pomposity of ‘high’ Baroque. Rococo was more intimate, lighter in touch, and more elegant.
The rocaille or scallop is a characteristic feature of the Rococo style. Although elements of the Rococo style actually emerged during the French Regency. the Rococo era is largely contemporan- in France with the style of Louis XV. The style first became apparent in the applies arts.
Porcelain – that was invented in Europe in 1709 – became heavily influenced by the Rococo style. French Rococo furniture is characterised by the fluidity of the various elements incorporated in lighter and more graceful pieces.
Chaises longues, wing chairs, and many other easy chairs were fashionable. Rococo spread to Italy where the style became somewhat exaggerated.
Italian Rococo furniture is heavier in design and ornamentation. Rococo manifested itself in England for a time through the asymmetrical carving of the Chippendale style. Sculpture of the Rococo style is busy and full of motion.
The style was generally more widely used for deco-ration in architecture than for the creation of works of art in their own right.
Louis Quinze (XV)
The lightness of touch of the French Regency changed somewhat with the extreme forms of Rococo during the era of Louis XV. The contrast between the classical exteriors of buildings and their Baroque interiors continued but was less pronounced. The style was characterised by light, elegant, and modest ornamentation with flowing lines, S-forms, and scrolls. Interiors were decorated with airy and asymmetric ornaments.
The curved line was often linked to that of the scallop or rocaille form. Pastel shades dominated during the Louis Quinze era. Furniture was intentionally more slender and graceful. Some craftsmen specialised in making certain pieces. Those making furniture with inlays of ebony veneer (ebony was the most widely used veneer for seventeenth century French furniture) were required to sign their work after 1743, except for those in the service of the King. Despite this it is difficult to establish the makers because these specialist also acted as dealers and .ended to sign every good piece that Queen Anne chair. passed through their hands. Individual
elements of furniture such as legs and 1 arm-rests began to lose their individuality. One part merged fluidly into the next. This was strengthened by the use of more refined and varied ornamentation than previously. Many new types of furniture appeared, such as commodes and book rests.
Eighteenth century English styles
This is the English style of the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714). The broad curved cabriole leg was fashionable during this period. The ‘bull-and-claw’ foot came in around 1710 with an animal’s head or claw on a conical shaped foot. Windsor chairs did not have this feature. Queen Anne style cabinets were generally tall.
Georgian
The term Georgian is used for period of the reigns of Georges I (1714-1727), II (1727-1760), and III (1760-1820). The Georgian style is an English adaptation of the European styles of the eighteenth century with elements of Baroque, Classical revival, and later also Gothic revival.
Parallels can be found in Georgian styles between the furniture of Chippendale and that of French Louis XV. The refined neo-classical furniture and interiors of the Adam brothers echo that of French Louis XVI.
