Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Baroque Furniture
Baroque Furniture
Baroque furniture and design started in Italy around the 1600s. It soon spread all throughout western Europe and became the style of furniture that royalty favored. In France the Palace at Versailles and the Louvre were both decorated by this extravagant and impressive style. After the great fire in England King Charles II appointed Christopher Wren as surveyor to his court. Wren was a big fan of the French baroque style and used it to decorate much of the new palace. In Spain the Baroque style was much over exaggerated and used in catholic churches.
Characteristics of Baroque furniture and design are the large scale, bold details, lots of ovals, sweeping and curved surfaces, c and s scrolls, shell motifs, cartouches, subtle use of color, decoration,
and sculpture, and acanthus leaves. Furniture also included precious metals, inlays, and upholstery. The furniture that was made could be anything including mirrors, cabinets, vanities, beds, chests, and entire palaces would be filled with all sorts of baroque furniture. The style was often used as a total work of art. The result is a sensory overload when you walk into a baroque style room. There is so much to look at and you cant help but appreciate the craftsmanship and time it must have taken to create such elegant furniture. I have seen some baroque furniture at the Pitti Palace in Florence and also at the Marie Antoinette exhibition last year at the Palace of the legion of Honor. I really enjoyed the beauty of it and wanted to take a vanity and small table home, but of course they are all priceless. You can still buy recreations today.
Catherine
Baroque furniture and design started in Italy around the 1600s. It soon spread all throughout western Europe and became the style of furniture that royalty favored. In France the Palace at Versailles and the Louvre were both decorated by this extravagant and impressive style. After the great fire in England King Charles II appointed Christopher Wren as surveyor to his court. Wren was a big fan of the French baroque style and used it to decorate much of the new palace. In Spain the Baroque style was much over exaggerated and used in catholic churches.Characteristics of Baroque furniture and design are the large scale, bold details, lots of ovals, sweeping and curved surfaces, c and s scrolls, shell motifs, cartouches, subtle use of color, decoration,
and sculpture, and acanthus leaves. Furniture also included precious metals, inlays, and upholstery. The furniture that was made could be anything including mirrors, cabinets, vanities, beds, chests, and entire palaces would be filled with all sorts of baroque furniture. The style was often used as a total work of art. The result is a sensory overload when you walk into a baroque style room. There is so much to look at and you cant help but appreciate the craftsmanship and time it must have taken to create such elegant furniture. I have seen some baroque furniture at the Pitti Palace in Florence and also at the Marie Antoinette exhibition last year at the Palace of the legion of Honor. I really enjoyed the beauty of it and wanted to take a vanity and small table home, but of course they are all priceless. You can still buy recreations today.
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