Authentic French Provincial Furniture [antikvár]

PUBLISHER'S NOTEWith the strong current interest in French provincial furniture, it seemed opportune to reprint the striking plates first published in the 1920s in three portfolios each devoted to one of the provinces most popular at the present time, Provence, Normandy and Brittany. These magnificent pieces of furniture and other domestic furnishings, from the colleaions of museums and distinguished connoisseurs, can serve as touchstones and points of reference for dealers and purchasers alike, and will surely delight everyone interested in furniture. An invaluable feature of all three portfolios is the inclusion of several plates illustrating complete rooms in which the furniture is seen in its proper context.The portfolio on Provence (Plates I through 44 in the Dover edition) was edited by Henri Algoud; its gravure plates were printed by Phototypie Faucheux et Fils, Chelles. The portfolio on Normandy (Plates 45-84) was edited by Léon Le Clerc, curator of the Musée d'Art Normand du Vieux Ronfleur (Museum of the Art of Normandy in Old Ronfleur), owner of many of the pieces and ensembles illustrated; its gravure plates were printed by Imprimerie Catala freres, Paris. The portfolio on Brittany (Plates 85-124) was edited by Paul Banéat, curator of the Musée Archéologique in Rennes, owner of many of the pieces and one of the ensembles; its gravure plates were printed by Réiiotypie Léon Marotte, Paris.The present edition includes new English translations of all the plate captions, complete except that it seemed pointless to include the names of the private owners, which would necessarily all be different now. Museum ownership is indicated. The indications "Louis XV," etc., refer to style rather than absolute date.Following are a few pertinent facts gleaned from the original French introduaions to the portfolios:Provence. The typical furniture forms generally arose in the eighteenth century. The robust pieces, made chiefly in the neighborhood of Aries, were basically of walnut, which looked good against whitewashed farmhouse walls. Cabriole legs were so popular that they were added even to pieces meant to be hung on the wall. Chairs generally had straw seats. Mountings were usually of iron, rarely of brass.Before shellwork, ribbons and beading were introduced under the influence of sophisticated Parisian cabinetwork, the traditional low-relief emblematic carving on furniture included leaves, flowers and olive branches in general, and the following motifs for specific types of furniture; a soup tureen on credenzas and sideboards; harvester's tools on kneading troughs; ears of wheat on bread bins; laurel or sakwort branches on salt boxes; fish on flour boxes; and turtledove nests, flower vases or rose-and-laurel combinations on brides' armoires.Normandy. In the Middle Ages, house carpenters produced the furniture as well. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance the principal item of furniture was the solid-oak chest, in which money and linens were stored. Beginning with the reign of Louis XIII, the chest was gradually transformed into the commode and the armoire, and the bench gave way to the chair. Leather trunks for storage and two-seaion sideboards were also features of this period, in which the earlier exuberant sculptural ornamentation was replaced by a much more austere look.