The Louis XV style (1730-1760)

The peaceful and prosperous reign of Louis XV (1715-1774) allowed for a prodigious development of the arts, humanities and sciences. The construction of new palaces and the blooming of painting and sculpture gave rise to a new art of living in which the talent of craftsmen and cabinet makers was expressed. This was the golden age of French decorative arts.

Gilded fireplace mantel Clock in the Louis XV style bronze

For the elegance and refinement of its curves, the brilliance of its marquetry and its wealth of invention, the Louis XV style is, in the eyes of the world, the most representative of French taste. It developed mainly in the second quarter of the 18th century (from 1730 to around 1760). More commonly known as the Rococo style or Rocaille style, its decorative repertoire was inspired by shell shapes, Italian Baroque and Far Eastern art.

The furniture

The Louis XV style is without doubt the greatest period of French furniture. The materials were very varied and the techniques remarkable. The forms multiplied and adapted to all needs: furniture became easy to handle and practical without ceasing to be elegant.

Louis XV style marquetry display case, 19th century

Under Louis XV , forms varied infinitely. To satisfy distinguished occupations and elegant leisure, all sorts of small pieces of furniture were invented with specific purposes: work tables, coffee or tea tables, dressing tables and powder tables. Console tables, seats, sofas in oak, walnut or poplar are innumerable in their diversity.

The variety of materials is combined with the multiplicity of forms. The evolution of Louis XV style furniture is characterized by crossbow contours, rounded and scalloped shapes. Alongside the gilded wood used for consoles, overmantels, and state seats, marquetry of variously colored woods appears, then various varnishes, imitations of oriental lacquers.

Bronzes are very present in interior decoration, such as light sconces, candelabras and the many ornaments applied to furniture. Intended to decorate and protect the furniture, the latter are gilded with ground gold but, more frequently, they are varnished in gold color. In addition to gilded bronzes, marble tops are added that follow the sinuous shape of the facades and bring sumptuous touches of color to the furniture.

Ornamentation

Louis XV style bureau plat decorated with gilded bronzes

Under Louis XV, it is highly recognizable for its fantastic movement and gushing life, in contrast to the stiffness of the previous century. It is characterized by the use of curved lines and rocaille, and a pronounced taste for non-symmetrical plant motifs and exotic themes.

Curved, flowing lines are used systematically to soften shapes and motifs. But sinuosity does not exclude a certain firmness: C- or S-shaped lines arch nervously or bend gracefully.

Rocaille is the most striking expression of the Louis XV style. The name was first given to a bronze or earthenware rock forming the base of an object, then the term was extended to all tormented production to define a whole way of feeling and seeing.

Exoticism was ubiquitous in the mid-18th century: first, imports from the Far East were copied, then fanciful decorations featuring Chinese figures, exotic birds and pagodas.

Decorative motifs are common to bronzes, goldsmithing, carved wood, and marquetry. Their themes are borrowed from flora and fauna. The cartouches bulge, slant, and are framed by rocaille motifs. The shell, widely used, irregular, is jagged: it is serrated, openwork, or pleated. The flowers are stylized: in bouquets or garlands, flowers are present everywhere, surrounded by stylized foliage, often gilded. The acanthus leaf blends intimately with all rocaille motifs. Finally, attributes are very popular: love attributes , hunting attributes, musical attributes, or pastoral attributes.

The Rocaille style , this very French expression of a baroque trend in ornamentation, was considered excessive and tired of some of the wealthy clientele, including Madame de Pompadour, the king's mistress, a very influential figure in the arts. With her brother, the Marquis de Marigny, a supporter of the so-called "Greek" style and a return to the ornamental repertoire drawn from classical architecture, Madame de Pompadour tempered the excesses of Rocaille. Symmetry reappeared in the ornamentation while the curves of the furniture regained straighter lines: this was the evolution towards the so-called "Transition" style which would lead, under Louis XVI, to neoclassicism.