Other designers published books of arabesques, trophies, flowers and other ornaments for the use of interior decorators. Among the most interesting of these is Charton’s Collection de douze cahiers de plantes étrangères en fleurs, fruits, corail et coquillages, published in 1784.
One of the most prolific designers of textiles was Pillement (b. 1728; d. 1808), and his plates show all the popular motives and subjects of the day: branches, ribbons, stripes mingled with flowers, and those patterns of winding ribbons alternating with straight stripes bespangled with flowers called Dauphines, which were introduced at the time of the Dauphin’s marriage with Marie Antoinette in 1770. From the time that the Princesse de Lamballe assumed charge of the Queen’s household, feathers were much used as a design for textiles; and the affected pastoral life at Trianon gave rise to the gayest sort of materials in which the winding stripes and interlacing ribbons are not only sprinkled with flowers, but all the pastoral attributes. About 1780, the round medallions came in and lasted till the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. Of course, the growing taste for the antique had its effect upon the decoration of materials, and the columns, volutes, lyres, heads of Minerva and other Classic ornaments became more and more popular. However, amidst all the changes, one thing persisted. This was the stripe. At first, it was hidden under ribbons and flowers, branches and feathers, but all the scattered ornaments became smaller and less noticeable until they disappeared altogether, and left the dominating stripe. Mercier wrote in 1788: “Everybody in the King’s cabinet looks like a zebra.”
The Marquise de Pompadour, who favoured the new styles, was fond of the stripe. Her bed at Marly was quite in advance of the style associated with Marie Antoinette. It was draped in a rich silk composed of blue and white stripes sprinkled with bouquets of flowers.
Typical coverings of the day are shown on Plates [XLIV.], [XLV.], and [XLVI.]
Fay was a famous designer of textiles, and wall paper which imitated them in pattern and colour. The material known as quinze seize, a kind of taffeta, whose name was derived from its width was much used for curtains, and also a heavy silk, called gros de Tours. They remained fashionable during the Empire. Another favourite material was the toile de Jouy, which was a kind of printed linen or cretonne made at the factory of Jouy in Josas, which Oberkampt established in 1759. His productions there became enormously popular, and the designs were printed from the best talent that could be engaged,—such as Huet, for instance.
It is singular that the two most famous cabinet-makers of the Louis XVI. period were Germans,—Riesener and Roentgen. Riesener (b. about 1730) came from his native town near Cologne to Paris, and, as we have seen, worked in Œben’s shop. When the latter died in 1768, Riesener carried on his business, and up to the outbreak of the Revolution, produced a great deal of furniture. He became “ébéniste du Roi” and worked for the Royal family until they left Versailles. Of course he began to work under Louis XV., his most important production having been made for that King himself (see page [213]); but as the greater part of his work was accomplished during the following reign, he is always classed among artisans of the Louis XVI. period. Many of his pieces are from designs by De Lalonde. They include tables, chairs, cabinets, chests-of-drawers and corner-cupboards that are now prized. Riesener is particularly noted for his marquetry. He was fond of inserting a panel of a single piece of wood bearing in its centre a gay and graceful bunch of flowers, a wreath, or trophy, and enriching the border with a diaper pattern of three or four quiet colours. He often stamped his name upon the panel itself. His favourite woods for inlaying were: tulip, rosewood, holly, maple, laburnum, and purple-wood (copaifera pubiflora). Riesener also made furniture, particularly chests-of-drawers and cabinets of snake-wood, or other brown woods in which the grain is waved or curled, and also worked in plain mahogany and letter-wood, depending upon Gouthière’s metal mounts for the decorative effect. Fashion also forced Riesener to introduce, somewhat against his will, painted porcelain into his furniture in place of his inlaid panels. One of his productions of this class appears on Plate [XLVII.] It is a chiffonnier-secrétaire of mahogany with ornaments of chiselled copper, and plaques of Sèvres porcelain. The subjects of the latter are birds. The two lower plaques are apparently held by knots of ribbon made of copper chased and gilt. A little open-worked gallery runs around the back and sides of the top, the front moulding of which is ornamented with the festoon. The commode on Plate [XLVIII.] is also one of Riesener’s works.
David Roentgen is often known as “David.” He was born near Coblentz, and seems to have kept his shop there, visiting Paris to dispose of his wares; and, obtaining the interest of Marie Antoinette, he established a shop in Paris. He introduced a new kind of marquetry, in which the shadows and shading were actually done by pieces of wood; and, as a journalist of the period said, was done like “stone mosaic.” The woods he used for his marquetry work were lighter and gayer than Riesener’s. He employed various white woods, such as pear, lime, and other light-coloured woods, and frequently tinted them other shades by burning them, or by chemical processes. Like Riesener, he worked also in plain mahogany and letter-wood, and also veneered furniture with these woods. His productions were also brightened by Gouthière’s chased and gilt handles and key-plates. Roentgen was particularly clever about introducing mechanical devices into his furniture. His greatest period of activity was between 1780 and 1790.
Among other noted cabinet-makers were Leleu, Saunier, Carlin (who made many articles for Marie Antoinette), Levasseur, Avril, Pafrat (who worked with Carlin), Philippe-Claude Montigny (who copied the works of Boulle), Benman, Stockel, Weisweiler, and Schwerdfeger. Quite a colony of German cabinet-makers, attracted by the success of Riesener and Roentgen, as well as the hope of gaining the interest of the young Austrian Queen, settled in the faubourg Saint-Antoine.
Although some of the beds popular during the last reign survived, particularly the alcove and niche beds, many new varieties were introduced, and the books of such designers as Ranson, Delafosse, and Salembier, contain many drawings of beds. The canopy generally becomes smaller and smaller, until it dwindles into a crown or ring to hold the curtains, and is known as lit à couronne,—a variety that continued popular throughout the Empire. The great four-post bed and the lit en housse, occasionally recorded in inventories and sales, are survivals of the past; most of the new beds take some form of the sofa. The favourite lit à l’anglaise is really nothing but a square sofa. Indeed the dividing line between the beds and sofas is not clearly marked, for the “bed with three backs,” as they still defined it, is draped and furnished with the customary two bolsters and a decorative canopy and curtains. The distinction was not very rigidly observed even at the time. For example, in 1773 we read: “For sale at M. Carré’s, rue d’Enfer a lit à l’anglaise of yellow damask that forms a sopha 5 feet wide and 6 feet long; the frame of carved walnut.” In 1785, “a cane bed with three backs that may serve as an ottoman in a summer drawing-room,” is offered for sale.
Columns rarely appear now, and when they do, they are usually light. Sometimes, indeed, they are of iron, and covered with the same material as the curtains. It is preferred to place the bed sideways (vu de face) against the wall. In this case, the headboard and footboard are of equal height and exactly alike. (See Plates [XLIV.] and [XLV.]) Often the headboard and footboard are covered with the curtain-material; they are also left plain and printed, or lacquered or gilded. Natural wood ornamented with bronze gilt or moulu decorations is used. The use of veined woods gradually did away with the practice of covering the head and footboards. When the headboard was higher than the footboard, the head was placed against the wall (vu de pied), or it stood in the corner. Muslin, Persian, silk, and other materials were used for draperies, and these were trimmed with bows of ribbon, fringe, cords and tassels. The curtains and counterpane were subject to a formal arrangement of loops and festoons, and feathers still decorated the canopy. Among the most popular varieties were lit à la Polonaise, à la Turque, à la Chinoise, à tombeau, à double tombeau, and à l’anglaise. There was another new bed called à la dauphine, which did not long remain in fashion. Ranson designed one in 1780. This was a lit à impériale or à dôme, which was light and rather graceful. Instead of being supported by columns the dome was held by an iron armature. The lit à l’Italienne, so named on account of the draping of the curtains, was very popular in 1775; and the lit à couronne had a round or oval canopy, surmounted by a festoon drapery, trimmed with ball fringe. Two curtains, similarly trimmed, fell from the canopy on either side of the bed to the floor.