The Louis XV style

There are two Louis XV styles. The first corresponds to a blossoming of the Baroque style that had taken over the whole of Europe, with its rocky motifs, shells and light, majestic curves. The second appeared around 1750, when the Marquise de Pompadour decided to break away from ornate movement in favor of straight lines. This was a return to Antiquity, known as "Neoclassicism".

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Bergère: A bergère is a high-backed chair with arms and often a footrest, usually upholstered and covered in velvet fabric. Bergères were popular during the Louis XV period in France and were often adorned with carvings and gilding.

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Cabriole: The cabriole is an S-shaped curve in a straight line, often used for the legs of furniture such as chairs, tables and chests of drawers. The Louis XV style was known for the use of cabriole furniture legs.

Commode: The commode is a low storage unit with drawers, often adorned with carvings and gilding. Commodes were popular during the Louis XV style in France. They include commodes galbées, commodes tombeaux and commodes sauteuses, which were particularly popular during the reign of Louis XV.

Consoles: A console is a piece of furniture with a base supported by legs, sometimes a single leg in the case of a corner console, used to display decorative objects such as vases or statues. They are very often enhanced by a marble top.

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Gilding: Gilding is the process of covering an object with gold leaf, widely used to adorn furniture and decorations in the grand Louis XV style in the continuity of the Louis XIV style.

 

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Marquetry : Marquetry is a decorative technique used on furniture to create a kind of wood pattern using, among other things, finely cut pieces of veneer. These ornaments, often geometric, cover the outer surfaces of certain pieces of furniture. Hardstone marquetry and glass marquetry are known as mosaics. Also, marquetry is most often a mosaic of different types of wood.

 

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Rocaille: Rocaille is a style of exuberant, disorderly ornamentation featuring sculptures of scrolls, foliage, shells, natural rocks and mineral motifs inspired by the grottoes fashionable in 18th-century gardens. These contoured shells, naturally perforated stones, fragments of brick or rock and petrifications take a variety of decorative forms and are an integral part of the Louis XV style.

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Secretary / Cylinder desk: Desk with a cylinder that can be turned to reveal hidden drawers and storage space. The cylinder desk originated in the 18th century during the reign of Louis XV. At the time, it was known as a secrétaire à panse. A great success, it was later worked by Riesener under Louis XVI for the interior cabinet of Marie-Antoinette's small Tuileries apartment.

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Game table: A game table is a table designed for playing games such as backgammon or chess. Game tables were popular during the Louis XV period in France and were often decorated with carvings and marquetry.

Tapestry: This large-format weaving technique enjoyed a revival under Louis XV with the advent of the Aubusson factory.