About this time--that is, towards the end of the seventeenth century--the resources of designers and makers of decorative furniture were reinforced by the introduction of glass in larger plates than had been possible previously. Mirrors of considerable size were first made in Venice; these were engraved with figures and scrolls, and mounted in richly carved and gilt wood frames. Soon afterwards manufactories of mirrors, and of glass, in larger plates than before, were set up in England, near Battersea, and in France, at Tour la Ville, near Paris. This novelty not only gave a new departure to the design of suitable frames in carved wood (generally gilt), but also to that of Boule work and marqueterie. It also led to a greater variety of the design for cabinets; and from this time we may date the first appearance of the "Vitrine," or cabinet with glass panels in the doors and sides, for the display of smaller _objets d'art_. [Illustration: DECORATION OF A SALON IN LOUIS XIV. STYLE.] The chairs and sofas of the latter half of the reign of Louis Quatorze are exceedingly grand and rich. The suite of furniture for the state apartment of a prince, or wealthy nobleman, comprised a _canapé_, or sofa, and six _fauteuils_, or arm chairs, the frames carved with much spirit, or with "feeling," as it is technically termed, and richly gilt. The backs and seats were upholstered and covered with the already famous tapestry of Gobelins or Beauvais. A short account of these factories will be found in the Appendix. Such a suite of furniture, in bad condition and requiring careful and very expensive restoration, was sold at Christie's some time ago for about £1,400, and it is no exaggeration to say that a really perfect suite, with carving and gilding at the best, and the tapestry not too much worn, if offered for public competition, would probably realize between £3,000 and £4,000.[14] In the Appendix will be found the names of many artists in furniture of this time, and in the Jones Collection we have several very excellent specimens which can be easily referred to, and compared with others of the two succeeding reigns, whose furniture we are now going to consider. As an example of the difference in both outline and detail which took place in design, let the reader notice the form of the Louis Quatorze commode vignetted for the initial letter of this chapter, and then turn to the lighter and more fanciful cabinets of somewhat similar shape, which will be found illustrated in the "Louis Quinze" section which follows this. In the Louis Quatorze cabinets the decorative effect, so far as the woodwork is concerned, was obtained first by the careful choice of suitable veneers, and then by joining four pieces in a panel, so that the natural figure of the wood runs from the centre, and then a banding of a darker wood forms a frame. An instance of this will also be found in the above-mentioned vignette. LOUIS XV.