Print Specifics:
- Type of print: Lithograph - Original French antique print
- Publisher: Librairie de Firmin Didot, Paris, Rue Jacob 56, 1885-1887.
- Condition: 1 (1. Excellent - 2. Very good - 3. Good - 4. Fair).
- The print is rectangular, the slight distortion in the photo was caused by the camera.
- The slightly uneven color tone in the photo was caused by the light coming from one side only.
- Dimensions: 11 x 15.5 inches (28 x 40 cm), including blank margins (borders) around the image.
- Paper weight: 2 (1. Thick - 2. Heavier - 3. Medium heavy - 4. Slightly heavier - 5. Thin)
- Reverse side: Blank
- Notes: 1.
Green color 'border' around the print in the photo is a contrasting background
on which the print was photographed. 2. Detail of the print is sharper than the photo of the print.
Legend to the illustrations:
- The
originals shown in this plate are from the Chateau of Versailles, where
they are found in the petits appartements of Louis XV. It is known that
this king, weary of living in the vast suite of rooms used by Louis
XIV, had a large section of the old palace transformed into a
comfortable dwelling, in which he could throw off the yoke of the old
etiquette. The change was profound in all respects, and a new style of
architecture and of decoration replaced the style of Mansart, Lepautre,
Marot, and Berain. Robert de Cotte had shown the first signs of this
change, and after him came Boffrand, Coutant and Gartaud, who created a
new form of architecture, from which an entirely original decorative
art emerged, free of any preoccupation with Antiquity, and devoid of
foreign influence. The movement was widespread. One senses the
impetuosity of a national character in the process of recovering its
liberty and freeing itself from the Italian Renaissance. Various
epochs of the Louis XV style may be distinguished; n° 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and
7, which are ornamentations of perfect taste and of excellent
workmanship, belong to its best period. Wood painted white, with gilded
ornaments was the material most often employed, since it offered the
greatest brilliancy, as may be seen in our examples n° 1, 2, 3, 4 and
6. These decorative features are taken from the drawing-room of Madame
Adelaide, daughter of Louis XV, which is one of the most richly
decorated rooms of the petits appartements, as all the ornamentation is
made of gilded and carved wood and stucco.
The work dates from approximately 1750, that is, the highpoint of the
formation of the Louis XV style, and is presumed to be by Verberckt.
The graceful carvings on the wainscots in the petits appartements, as
well as the carved gilded brass works, were in fact fashioned by a
whole group of artists, most of whom are unknown to us. The trophies on
our plate are composed of a variety of elements: n° 1 and 3 are made up
of musical instruments, whilst fishing equipment makes up n° 2, and
gardening tools n° 4. Each one of these is adorned with a winged
cartouche, depicting children using the implements displayed. N° 5 and
8, both of which adorn a wainscot set between two book-cases, are in a
somewhat modified style, as each group of ornaments is distinctly
separate. This style recalls the hanging flowers and fruits in a series
of bouquets found in Raphael's decorations in the Vatican. They are
evidence of the emergence of the Louis XVI style. N° 5 is dedicated to
music, pastorale and dance, whilst n° 8 is dedicated to comedy, satire,
burlesque and epic poetry.
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