[Illustration: PLATE XXIX] The Orient was exercising a powerful influence on French as on Dutch and English taste. We have seen that a liking for the contrast of richly coloured exotic woods was noticeable toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV. The Siamese embassy with its rich offerings of porcelain and lacquer had concentrated the eyes of the Court for a moment on the art of the East. French artists catered to the novelty, and from then till the middle of the Eighteenth Century the lacquers of China and Japan were actively though freely imitated. First, the monkey was all the rage as a decorative motive. Monkeys climb up piers, swing on garlands in panels, and not only play their usual malicious tricks, but musical instruments also. They appear in all attitudes and combinations. Watteau, Huet, Gillot and even Chardin, the realist, bowed to the demand for _Singerie_. A good example of the use made of the monkey in furniture decoration is the beautiful Regency screen on Plate XXX., in which the characteristic scroll and shell also appear. The monkey, however, was not the sole motive of decoration. Chinese and Japanese screens, jars and fans soon asserted their rights; and “_chinoiserie_” was in full swing. The walls and furniture for a time, as in England, show strong evidence of the “Chinese” taste. In France, however, it is followed at a greater distance from the original, and artistically modified and developed. The “_chinoiserie_” of Watteau and Gillot has only a faint though delicate flavour of the real Far East. This “_chinoiserie_” had some effect on furniture in certain ornamental details, and Cressent’s work shows traces of the prevailing taste.