French and English furniture : $b distinctive styles and periods described and illustratedSingleton, Esther
History
French and English furniture : $b distinctive styles and periods described and illustrated
Singleton, Esther
Furniture -- England; Furniture -- France
In the bath-room, marbles, porcelains and muslin were not stinted. The
panels were covered with arabesques executed by Pérot after designs of
Gillot, and distributed in compartments with much taste. Marine plants
mounted in bronze by Caffieri, pagodas, crystals and shells decorated
the room. In it were two niches: in one was a silver bathtub; in the
other a bed draped in Indian muslin, embroidered and adorned with
tassels. This was a _lit de repos_, and at its side opened the
dressing-room. The panels here were painted by Huet, the designs being
medallions, garlands of flowers, birds, fruits, and some gallant subject
in the style of Boucher. The upper part was finished with a cornice,
surmounted by architectural motives that also bordered a surbased
calotte containing a mosaic of gold, with bouquets of flowers painted by
Bachelier. Natural flowers filled the bowls of porcelain _gros bleu_,
ornamented with gold. Furniture, _gros bleu_, the wood of which was
aventurine, had been finished by Martin. The toilet service was of
silver, made by the goldsmith Germain.
The boudoir was, perhaps, the most elaborate of all the rooms. The walls
were completely covered with mirrors, whose joinings were masqued and
disguised by the trunks of artificial trees massed and arranged so that
they formed a quincunx that one might believe real. These trees were
loaded with flowers of porcelain and gilded girandoles, which produced,
with their rose-coloured and blue candles, a soft and diaphanous light,
reflected, but moderated by the transparent gauze that had been spread
over the mirrors at the back of the room, where there reigned a
voluptuous twilight. In the niche, also covered with mirrors, was a _lit
de repos_ enriched with gold braid and accompanied with cushions of all
sizes. The parquet was of rosewood. All the carpentry work and carving
was painted by Dardillon, who, in painting and gilding the panels, had
mingled with the colours some odorous ingredients for the purpose of
having them exhale a perfume. This boudoir was thus a natural bouquet,
exhaling from its paintings and gilding the combined perfume of violet,
jasmin and rose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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