The early 17th century was a time of increasing prosperity in France, after a long period of war. Henri IV ruled a country in which styles had changed little since the Renaissance.
Keen to encourage new skills, he established a workshop for craftsmen in the Louvre Palace in 1608. The craftsmen he employed were Italian and Flemish (French craftsmen were sent to serve an apprenticeship in the Low Countries) and, protected by royal patronage, they were allowed to work in Paris without being subject to the punitive membership restrictions of the medieval guild of joiners and furniture makers.
Traditional Forms
The majority of handmade furniture was made of oak or walnut during the reign of Henri IV. The massive double-bodied cupboard with an upper section that was narrower than the lower section, doors with geometric panelling, and bun feet continued to be popular well into the 17th century.
Tables had elaborate heavy bases and chairs were architectural in form, which made then rather stiff and uncomfortable.
Foreign Influences
After Henri IV's death in 1610, his Italian wife Marie de Medici was appointed Regent to the young king. During her reign, there was a building boom in Paris and the nobility and a growing middle class began to furnish their apartments in grand style.
Marie was influential in now antique furniture design. She employed many foreign craftsmen, including Jean Mace, a cabinet maker from the Low Countries, who probably first used veneering in French furniture design, and Italian craftsmen, who introduced boullework and pietra dura inlays. In particular Marie de Medici encouraged the manufacture fitted and non fitted furniture - cabinets inlaid with ebony, which were made in Paris from around 1620 to 1630.
Court Cupboard
English 17th century Oak Court Cupboard, beautiful patina, herringbone inlay, forged hardware. Dated and initialed on upper frieze. C 1620
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