The Age Of Rococo - Part 7

Styles did not change as rapidly in country places as they did in Paris. Armoires in the Louis XIV style, with 'bun' feet, continued to be made as late as the mid 18th century, and those in the Louis XV style with cabriole feet were still being produced in the early 19th century.
The Rococo style did however, lend itself to the carvers of what is now termed 'meubles regionaux or meubles provinciaux'. Regional or Provincial handmade furniture has to be considered in its own right, and judged mainly on how well the maker handled the wood in the solid - oak, walnut or fruitwood, largely depending on local availability.

Almost all of it is anonymous, and while certain types were more popular in some areas than in others, it is dangerous to assume that because a particular piece is found in, say, Normandy, it necessarily started life there. The words used by the French for 'furniture' mean, literally, 'moveable', and even the 'grande armoire' with its double doors hung on pin hinges of steel or brass was easily taken apart by knocking out the dowel pins that held it together. The doors are, in the best examples, elaborately shaped, with flowers and foliage crisply carved on the frames and frequently on the cornice. Normandy examples are noted for carving in high relief of baskets of flowers and pairs of lovebirds on armoires given as marriage cupboards.

In western France in particular, the single-door 'petite armoire' or 'bonnetiere' was favoured by the women of those districts where exceptionally wide-brimmed hats were worn. Also in the west, in the Vendee and the Nantes region, the 'homme debout' with a cupboard above, a drawer in the centre and another cupboard below, was popular.
The 'buffeet-a-deax-corps' had a two-door cupboard of considerable height, which rested on another only about half its height. Late 18th century Normandy examples show a slight reduction in Rococo exuberance but otherwise concede little to Neoclassical influence. The 'pantalonniere', seen in the south-west, is rather similar but has as its base a chest of two short and one long drawers.

The 'buffet bas' is a piece of non fitted furniture, a low sideboard with cupboards and (usually) drawers above them. In large houses, the buffet was often of great length with four or five cupboard doors ranged side by side. When fitted with a rack of shelves above, it is known as a 'buffet-vaisselier' or simply a 'vaisselier', and is equivalent to the English or Welsh dresser. Primitive examples in pine with painted decoration of formal lozenges come from Alsace-Lorraine. By contrast, a highly elaborate type with cupboards flanking the rack of shelves and a clock case at the centre, was produced in the Bourg-en-Bresse area in eastern France.

Perhaps the most highly prized French provincial pieces of all are the commodes which, to a greater or lesser extent, imitate the fashions set by the Parisian makers. The range from fairly simple rectilinear forms relieved by the most elementary attempts at carving, to the full bombe shapes, some with marble tops, produced in the region of Bordeaux. On the vast majority, bronze is employed only for handles, and veneer hardly at all. Certain centres, such as Grenoble, were more sophisticated. Marseilles imported mahogany which was used in the solid more generously than by most mid 18th century Paris makers. Full-blooded carving in the Rococo style takes the place of bronze mounts. Shaped or 'block' fronts occur more frequently than the full bombe curves. But the wood is rich in colour and the proportions are right. The Rococo style has been brought down to earth.