Furniture in France, May 2001

Furniture in France

Wooden Artifacts Group

May 2001



Furniture in France: 2001



1. Paris:

Musée Carnavalet Histoire de Paris;

1. Paris: Musée Carnavalet Histoire de Paris; 1. Paris:

Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau; J.

George, S.A.; Vaux-le-Vicomte; Château de Grous-

say; Musée Nissim de Camondo; Ateliers Robert

Gohard; Bruno Desnoues; Michel Jamet; Rémy

Brazet; Société d’Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art

(SEMA), L’Hôtel Potocki; Château de Voisins;

Château de Maintenon; Les Grands Ateliers de

France; Le Palais Garnier; Institut de Formation

des Restaurateurs d’Oeuvres d’Art (IFROA); Ecole

Boulle; Ateliers de Versailles; Musée du Louvre;

Patrick Desserme; Castel Béranger; Chevalier

Conservation

2. Lyon:

Reymondon

2. Lyon: Reymondon2. Lyon:

;

Prelle et Cie; Musées des

Tissus et des Arts décoratifs

3. Grenoble:

Musée Dauphinois; Château de

Longpra; Château de Sassenage

4. Haute-Auvergne Region:

Ferme de Pierre Allègre;

4. Haute-Auvergne Region: Ferme de Pierre Allègre; 4. Haute-Auvergne Region:

Musée de la Haute-Auvergne

5. Nancy:

Villa Mâjorelle; Musée de l’école

de Nancy

6. Bordeaux:

Musée des arts decoratifs

7. La Rochelle:

Musée de Nouveux Monde,

Musée d’Orbigny-Bernon

8. Bretagna:

Château Kerjean; Ferme Musée du

Léon; Musée Departmental Breton, Quimper

France

100 Miles

100 Kilometers

cover photo by Canedi Pascal



Furniture in France: 2001



Preface

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

David Bayne and Kathy Z. Gillis

Perspectives

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

Paul Miller

Brian Considine

David Bayne

List of Participants

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . .

Musée Carnavalet Histoire de Paris

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Randy Wilkinson

Musée national du château de Fontainebleau

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arlen Heginbotham

Vaux-le-Vicomte

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . .

Tad Fallon

J. George, S.A.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .

Tatiana Wilcke

Musée Nissim de Camondo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tatiana Wilcke

Château de Groussay

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tad Fallon

Ateliers Robert Gohard

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Greg Guenther

Bruno Desnoues

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . .

Greg Guenther

Michel Jamet

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

Greg Guenther

Rémy Brazet, Tapissier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

John Courtney

Reymondon

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

Prelle et Cie

David deMuzio

Musée Dauphinois

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . .

Jeff Moore

Château de Longpra

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .

Jeff Moore

Château de Sassenage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tad Fallon

Ferme de Pierre Allègre

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Musée de la Haute-Auvergne

Barry R. Yavener

Table of Contents



Furniture in France: 2001



Musées des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs, Lyon

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kathy Z. Gillis and David Bayne

Société d’Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art (SEMA)

. . . . . . . . .

Patrick Albert

Castel Béranger

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . .

Cheryl Robertson

L’Hôtel Potocki

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . .

Cheryl Robertson

Château de Voisins

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .

Kathy Z. Gillis

Château de Maintenon

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kathy Z. Gillis

Les Grands Ateliers de France

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Patrick Albert

Le Palais Garnier (Opera National de Paris)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kathy Z. Gillis

Hôtel Pontalba

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . .

Kathy Z. Gillis

Institut de formation des restaurateurs d’oeuvres d’art

. . . . . . .

Ecole Boulle

Mike Podmaniczky

Ateliers de Versailles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thomas Snyder

Musée du Louvre

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . .

Thomas Snyder

Patrick Desserme

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . .

Greg Guenther

Chevalier Conservation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

David deMuzio

Villa Majorelle

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .

Alton Bowman

Musée de l’école de Nancy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alton Bowman and David Bayne

Musée des Arts decoratifs, Bordeaux

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anne Woodhouse and Kathy Z. Gillis

Château de Kerjean

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .

Ferme Musée du Léon

Musée departmental Breton

Chris Swan



Furniture in France: 2001



Preface

The Wooden Artifacts Group (WAG) of the American Institute for Conservation

(AIC) visited France in May 2001, creating a signicant opportunity to extend the

education of WAG members by studying the country’s furniture and inuence on

American designs. Since the trip was designed by conservators, it was important to

include visits to conservation/restoration studios as well as to museums. France is

special in that many traditional craft techniques and workshops are often preserved

virtually intact. By visiting some of these workshops, we gained a greater insight

into the processes that went into creating both French and American antique fur-

niture. Finally, not only did we make contacts with French conservators, but also

we got to know some new American colleagues.

In the late fall of 1999 David Bayne, Furniture Conservator for the New York

Bureau of Historic Sites, wrote a letter to the AIC Board wondering if they would

support a formal proposal to a foundation to help nance a study trip to France

for WAG members. Katharine Untch, AIC’s Director of Professional Education

and Training, presented it to the board, which gave it the nod. David then worked

with Elizabeth F. “Penny” Jones, AIC/FAIC Executive Director, and Beth Kline,

former Assistant Director, eshing out the ideas. An Organizing Committee of

Kathy Z. Gillis, Jeff Moore, and David Bayne was formed to represent WAG

interests and provide input on what the members might want to see in France. At

the same time Brian Considine, Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture at

the J. Paul Getty Museum, and Paul Miller, Curator of The Preservation Society

of Newport County in Rhode Island, were developing itineraries based on their

extensive experiences and contacts in France. A Selection Committee that included

Brian, Paul, and David as well as Jonathan Thornton, Professor of Conservation

Training at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Charles Hummel,

curator and former Deputy Director of Winterthur Museum, chose from the

numerous applicants. Since outreach and publicity is a goal of WAG, we included

curators and furnituremakers in our canvassing.

The itinerary included over forty different venues in Paris and eight other French

cities. The breadth and range of furniture, museums, craftsmen’s studios, and

restoration ateliers was astounding. Much of the credit goes to Brian and Paul for

their enthusiasm and willingness to share with us their access to some of the nest

facilities in Paris. Their many years of work with French colleagues and resources

created some unbelievable visits. Furthermore, traveling with twenty-one people,

visiting three to four venues a day, was intense intellectually and physically. Fortu-

nately, our Logistics Coordinator Leslie Rainer, a conservator in private practice

managed the transportation and visits in the most efcient and comfortable way

possible. She also did some of the photographic documentation of the group as

well as translation. All in all she did a superb job.



Furniture in France: 2001



Combining the wonders of Paris with

the provincial delights of Grenoble,

Nancy, the Auvergne, and the Atlan-

tic coast, we saw almost the entire

range of French furniture. In pal-

aces we saw royal commodes by

Jean-Henri Riesener, cabinetmaker to

Marie-Antoinette. In Parisian

hôtels

hôtels, hôtels

we found suites of chairs by Georges

Jacob. Along the Atlantic coast, there

were bourgeois

armoires du Bordelais

armoires du Bordelais, armoires du Bordelais

and in Auvergne, intact farmhouses

that have barely changed since the

middle of the 19th century. We spoke

with conservators who work in iso-

lated, sole proprietor shops as well

as with administrators in Paris who

determine museum policies.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

generously provided $2600 for each

of 15 participants and $3000 each

for two students. That left only $1425 that each participant contributed to attend.

This included airfare, hotels, most of the ground transportation, and the expenses

of the four guides. Not included were meals other than breakfasts and incidentals.

The trip has been described with comments such as as “an opportunity of a life-

time” and “it doesn’t get any better than this.” It was successful, and in order to

share some of this success, each member was asked to describe two or three sites.

These have been compiled by Kathy Z. Gillis and David Bayne into the following

Perspectives

and

Perspectives and Perspectives

Trip Summaries

. The

Perspectives

consist of three essays describ-

Perspectives consist of three essays describ-Perspectives

ing some of the impressions of the guides. The

Trip Summaries

are arranged in

the order that we visited the sites and hopefully give an overview of not only the

activities of the group, but also insights into French furniture, conservation, and

museum practices. Since some editing took place, any inaccuracies or misinterpre-

tations are the fault of the editors and not the original authors.

David Bayne

Kathy Z. Gillis (l) and Jeff Moore (r), organizing committee

members. Randy Wilkinson, center.



Furniture in France: 2001



Perspectives

Paul Miller

Curator, Preservation Society of Newport County

October 17, 2001

The WAG-AIC visit to France in May 2001 provided a

timely and topical opportunity for conservators, curators

and designers to inspect primary sources. In the daily pur-

suit of our endeavors, we frequently pause to consider the

stylistic design prototypes and potential aspirations of the

artisans who created or inspired the legacies we are charged

with safeguarding. Spending time in Paris and the prov-

inces permitted those sensitized to French historic styles

to retrace the steps of craftsmen in the traditional furniture

making venue of the Faubourg St. Antoine and to appreci-

ate the built and natural environment from which design

inspiration and raw materials were drawn. Of particular

importance was a comprehension of centralization and spe-

cialization; in other words the “state” as patron and arbiter

of taste and Paris as the epicenter of the state. Specialization

might be viewed as a guarantee of traditional professional

methods, tools and techniques or conversely as an anachronistic holdover inviting

time-consuming bureaucracy. An understanding of these criteria proves essential

to any investigation into the proud legacy, and at the same time, innate fragility

of France’s

métiers d’art

and current actions underway to seek balance and future

métiers d’art and current actions underway to seek balance and future métiers d’art

stability.

Our return to primary sources was not conned to inspection of the decorative

arts holding of the Louvre or Versailles; rather we saw, felt, smelled and heard

and, yes, tasted the immutable essence of craftwork in multi-generational family

ateliers. From stocks of seemingly primeval exotic woods, to century-old velvet

hand looms, to carved frames from 18th-century royal collections, the senses were

regaled with primary documents of widely varied media. Without commercial

advances, we were invited to study the document and the primary materials tradi-

tionally used for treatment. Constructive dialogue ensued on alternative methods

and their pragmatism for Continental colleagues.

For all participants sometimes easy, sometimes complex correlations could

be made in the elds of design, methodology and philosophical theory. Conclu-

sions were drawn individually, but jointly all participants shared the privileged

exposure to an often guardedly private world of tradition and—for us no longer

indenable—character.

Paul Miller on the steps of Hôtel

Potocki, Paris.

Patrick Albert, Centre de Conservation

du Québec (CCQ)



Furniture in France: 2001



Brian Considine

Conservator, J. Paul Getty Museum

October 11, 2001

The WAG trip to France was a great success in all of its

stated goals, but we also engaged our hosts in a dialogue

with us and among themselves about what material cul-

ture means and how best to preserve it. I took the greatest

pleasure in sharing with the others on the trip the collec-

tions, ateliers and, most importantly, the people who have

enriched my professional life since I rst went to Paris as an

aspiring conservator in 1982.

The level of craftsmanship that we saw is to the great credit

of Louis XIV. He was determined to make France the

artistic capital of Europe by setting up royal workshops at

the Manufacture des Gobelins following the model of the

Medici’s Opicio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. It was at

rst the guild system that maintained rigorous standards

throughout the centuries following Louis XIV. However

the government now plays an active role in the support

of these crafts by placing large orders for the preservation of museums, châteaux

and their collections and by running several schools where these crafts are taught.

There is also a government ministry of craftsmanship and a government-funded

society for the encouragement of artistic crafts. The French are understandably

very proud of their craft traditions, and our group was struck by the way in which

this attitude is manifested in their approach to the preservation of their collections.

We came to understand that preserving objects is inseparable from preserving craft

traditions.

At the same time that we came to a greater understanding of the French attitude

towards furniture conservation, we were able to share with them our perspec-

tive, which tends to favor the preservation of original material over artist’s intent.

There were many interesting conversations about the reasons behind the differ-

ent points of view and the trade-offs they involve. In addition to these discussions

about treatment, our visits encouraged our hosts to rethink their points of view

and to involve each other in an ongoing dialogue about these issues. We also gave

them the idea of making similar visits and organizing study trips themselves. It was

very gratifying to see their strongly positive reaction to the initiative and openness

that our trip reected. All of us involved realized the tremendous value in stepping

out of the daily routine to get a different perspective on the issues that inevitably

come to be taken for granted. The effort that we had made to organize our visits

heightened their sense of the value of their own skills and of the work that they

Brian Considine in the garden of the

Château de Sassenage.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



Perspectives

were doing. At the same time, it moved them to get beyond any stereotypes that

they might have had, particularly that we would think that ours was the best way.

In the end, both the members of the group and our French hosts came away very

impressed by each other, but also understanding that we all had a great deal to

learn from each other. We had all beneted from the challenge to reconsider our

notions about other people’s approaches as well as our own. And we left feeling

that we had given something in exchange for the very moving hospitality and pro-

fessional sharing that they had shown us.

David Bayne

Furniture Conservator, New York Ofce of Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation

October 17, 2001

Our visits and conversations with many individuals in France revealed that there

is a pervasive interest in preserving original crafts. In some situations preserving

the technique is considered as important as preserving the objects themselves.

Craft schools like Ecole Boulle produce highly skilled artisans capable of making

museum masterpieces. When antique furniture reaches their bench for restoration,

these artisans have a much deeper understanding, compared to many American

conservators, of the historic materials and techniques that went into the produc-

tion. They know how it was done originally, and they can recreate original intent

accurately. Does this validate their methods of restoration? By restoring the

varnish or missing elements with traditional materials and techniques, they not

only preserve the object, they preserve the talent that made it. Some skills are

perpetuated in an unbroken chain lasting for generations. The preservation of the

process and associated skills is in some situations for the French, more valuable

then the objects themselves.

A frequent American perception is that furniture collections or research do not exist

outside of Paris. Our European furniture history courses discuss the pieces made in

and around Paris, but most ignore any other French production. One of the suc-

cesses of this trip was discovering that there are excellent collections, complete with

scholarship and catalogs, far outside of Paris. The Musée Dauphinois, the Ferme de

Pierre Allègre, the Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy, or any of the half dozen museums

along the Atlantic coast, all had informative exhibits displaying the great yet little

known diversity of French furniture. Little of this material is presented to Ameri-

cans. This is unfortunate since French inuences on American furniture were most

often not through Parisian royalty or aristocracy, but through the lower classes. For

example, the 1680 Huguenot settlers of North Carolina and New York did not

bring the furniture styles of Paris but of their own regions around La Rochelle and

Nantes. Similarly, we discovered that many of the settlers and the furniture styles of

the Mississippi valley might be from the Bearn region south of Bordeaux.



Furniture in France: 2001



Regionalism is a widely used tool to classify and group

American furniture. Would it work in France? At rst it

seemed to the Furniture in France group that class differ-

ences overwhelmed regional differences. In France there

was an unfathomable difference in income, styles and

inuences between the classes that is reected in the fur-

niture. The difference between Auvergne and Brittany is

very small when compared to the extravagant international

styles originating in Paris. But with the closer examina-

tion afforded by the trip, we did nd some fascinating

regional differences, especially among the furniture made

for the lower classes. The furniture of the Auvergne is not

the same as that of La Rochelle. Regionalism, as taught in

America, is a useful tool in many different situations.

In modern France, regional differences are sometimes the

raison d’être for the collections. The museums are both

a source and a reection of local pride. Regionalism also

benets the tourist economy. Tourists (including furniture

conservators) look for something different. An emphasis on regional denitions in

the decorative arts can be very attractive. Almost every museum gift shop had an

excellent catalog of their local collections as well as all of the other paraphernalia.

Historic houses in America are an important component for the display of furni-

ture and the decorative arts. We have a tremendous array of types, but we found

in France a dimension that is missing in American houses. Some of the many

French

châteaux

we visited retained a much more vivid sense of being lived in by

châteaux we visited retained a much more vivid sense of being lived in by châteaux

a family of the period. In some cases, the family had literally just left the room,

but in others there were lingering period sentiments and nostalgia. In France,

it is still okay to either live in a part of a historic house, or to leave it empty but

totally untouched. Consequently some of the old lifestyles and feelings have been

preserved. It is ironic that we had to go 3500 miles to

feel

how the people in our

feel how the people in our feel

neighborhood historic house actually lived.

Just as French tradition has preserved great craft skills, so they have kept the atmo-

sphere of a bygone time in their historic houses. But it cannot last. If you live in

historic houses, they will be changed and possibly destroyed. The basic precepts

of American decorative arts conservation are sound. If you leave a farmhouse inte-

rior untouched just as the family walked out the door, it will rot. In America, we

preserve some of the original materials, but the cost seems to be a diminution in

nostalgia.

Our French colleagues welcomed us with champagne receptions and lavish meals.

From the prestigious Ateliers Prelle in Lyon, to a village

ferme

in the Cantal, they

ferme in the Cantal, they ferme

David Bayne in the doorway of the Ferme

de Pierre Allègre, Loubaresse.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



Perspectives

received us with gracious hospitality and enthusiasm. Prelle for example, enter-

tained all of us with lunch, and then the next day repeated it to reiterate the mes-

sage. At J. Georges, a veneer supplier, three generations of the family came in, on

their holiday, not only to show us their operation, but also to offer us homemade

cakes and wine (at 10:00 am!) Mme Chantal Spillemaecker at the Museé Dauphi-

nois in Grenoble raised money from local sources to treat us to both a lunch on an

alpine lakeside terrace as well as a full dinner at Château de Sassenage. The entire

group hopes that when our turn comes to act as hosts, we can repay our French

friends with equal hospitality.

In many ways, this became a retreat for American furniture conservation. We were

able to compare notes and practices in our institutions and studios in ways that

are seldom possible at such venues as professional meetings. In addition, this trip

allowed us to discover that there are many similarities between the two countries

in our attitudes towards furniture. We networked, relaxed with each other, and

saw some fabulous furniture.

What happens next? Certainly one of our goals is to deepen the connections with

the French conservators, curators and restorers and to encourage them to visit

our shops and institutions. As Brian Considine has discussed, the French were

impressed with the idea of our trip, and we hope they will be able to organize one

of their own to the United States. We would be grateful for visits with smaller

groups and will gladly welcome visits from any of our French colleagues. Within

the American conservation community, it is important to share the experiences.

Each study trip participant is contributing to this special edition of the

WAG Post-

prints

and many will be lecturing throughout the country. It was immensely satis-

prints and many will be lecturing throughout the country. It was immensely satis-prints

fying for WAG to do something that was signicant on both an international and

national scale. We are grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the staff of

AIC, and all the WAG members that worked with us for their encouragement and

support in making this type of cross-cultural conservation experience a reality.



Furniture in France: 2001



Patrick Albert

Conservator, Centre de Conservation du

Québec, Québec, Canada

David Bayne

Conservator, New York State Of ce of Parks,

Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Peebles

Island, Waterford, New York

Alton Bowman

Private Conservator, Dallas, Texas

Brian Considine

Conservator, J. Paul Getty Museum,

Los Angeles, California

John Courtney

Conservator, National Park Service White

House Executive Support Facility, Maryland

David deMuzio

Conservator, Philadelphia Museum of Art,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tad Fallon

Student conservator, Smithsonian Institution

Kathy Gillis

Conservator, Virginia Museum of Art,

Richmond, Virginia

Gregory Guenther

Furnituremaker, Savannah, Georgia

Arlen Heginbotham

Conservator, J. Paul Getty Museum,

Los Angeles, California

Paul Miller

Curator, The Preservation Society of Newport

County, Newport, Rhode Island

Charles Moore

Conservator, The Preservation Society of

Newport County, Newport, Rhode Island

List of Participants

Michael Podmaniczky

Conservator, Winterthur Museum,

Wilimington, Delaware

Leslie Rainer

Private Conservator, Los Angeles,

California

Cheryl Robertson

Independent Curator, Boston,

Massachusetts

Thomas Snyder

Student Conservator, Buffalo State

College, Buffalo, New York

Chris Swan

Conservator, Colonial Williamsburg

Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia

Tatiana Wilcke

Conservator, Robert Mussey Associates,

Boston, Massachusetts

Randy Wilkinson

Furnituremaker and Conservator,

Bristol, Connecticut

Anne Woodhouse

Curator, Missouri Historical Society,

St. Louis, Missouri

Barry R. Yavener

Professor of Furniture Design, Buffalo

State College, Buffalo, New York



Furniture in France: 2001



Musée Carnavalet

23, rue de Sevigné 75003, Paris

Randy Wilkinson

May 7, 2001

The Musée Carnavalet is dedicated to the history of Paris from its origins to the

present day. The museum is located in two adjacent historic mansions: the Hôtel

Carnavalet, the home of Madame de Sevigné from 1677 to 1696, and the Hôtel

le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau.

Our main goals for visiting Carnavalet were to have an introduction to French

furniture, to explore the controversial nature of the period rooms, and to be intro-

duced to the Art Nouveau movement in France.

The curator, Mme Anne Forray-Carlier, greeted our group. She gave a brief his-

tory of the museum and explained that it has in its collections decorative arts,

metals, furniture, paintings, photographs, drawings and models. Since our primary

area of interest is furniture, she concentrated on the period rooms and pointed out

specic pieces of furniture.

Mme Carlier explained that each of the period rooms is a re-creation based on

interpretation and that the

boiseries

(carved wood panelling) in most of the rooms

boiseries (carved wood panelling) in most of the rooms boiseries

are architectural fragments from area

châteaux

and grand

châteaux and grand châteaux

hôtels

. Mme Carlier

explained that these interpretations were inuenced by their private donors and

thus explained the lack of continuity in some of the rooms. The colors chosen for

the

boiseries

do not always represent the original colors, but are aesthetic choices.

boiseries do not always represent the original colors, but are aesthetic choices. boiseries

Although some of the rooms are controversial and some choices are not based

on conservation science, Mme Carlier struggles with these interpretations but is

condent that they are representative of their period.

As an introduction to the 20th century we saw the Salle de bal de l’ Hôtel de

Wendel, a 20th-century room with wood paneled oors, eight arched doors and

a painted interior. The room was designed by Jose Marie Sert (1876–1945) and

features silver gilding with large elephants marching from the clouds. The last salon

we toured was a jewelry boutique designed for Fouquet by Alphonse Mucha. The

entire room, its architecture and display cases, was in the Art Nouveau style. This

was a rare opportunity to experience a complete landmark Art Nouveau room in

its entirety. It also introduced the Art Nouveau style that we would see more of in

Nancy.

Our visit was short due to our pressing schedule, but the Musée Carnavalet was

a wonderful introduction to the changing style of furniture and architecture from

the Baroque of Louis XIV to the Art Nouveau of the 20th century. In addition, as

in the American decorative arts, we experienced the struggle between curator and

donor, scientic evidence and taste, and challenges facing the Musée Carnavalet.



Furniture in France: 2001



Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau

77300 Fontainebleau

Arlen Heginbotham

May 7, 2001

The Palace of Fontainebleau is the oldest of the French royal palaces. The earliest

parts date back to the Middle Ages, though reconstruction and major additions

have occurred in the intervening centuries. Our guide, M. Yves Carlier, spoke of

the Palace as a

rendez-vous des châteaux

or a meeting of castles, referring to the

rendez-vous des châteaux or a meeting of castles, referring to the rendez-vous des châteaux

many building styles and periods represented.

M. Carlier,

conservateur

, very generously spent

the entire afternoon with us, giving us a person-

ally guided tour, which focused on the private

appartements

of Napoleon I. These apartments

appartements of Napoleon I. These apartments appartements

were entirely refurbished by Napoleon in 1804

(though he saved the Louis XV

boiseries

, or

boiseries, or boiseries

carved wood paneling), and the furnishings

remain largely intact and in place. Highlights

included a grand and elaborate

bergère

(fully

bergère (fully bergère

upholstered armchair) which retained its origi-

nal

velour

ciselé

(chiseled silk velvet) upholstery

ciselé (chiseled silk velvet) upholstery ciselé

in completely undisturbed state. Protected areas

of the textile even retained their brilliant red and

green coloration, which is highly unusual given

the fugitive nature of period dyes. This was a

rare opportunity to observe rst hand the form,

materials and construction techniques of the best

French upholstery of the period.

M. Carlier was very interested in discussing

with us the ethical and pedagogical problems

of upholstery conservation. In particular, we

discussed the best course of action for a large

suite of carved and gilded furniture, made for Napoleon I, which had its original

yellow and red upholstery, but in very faded condition. On one hand, the rarity of

original upholstery and modern conservation ethics argue strongly to preserve the

upholstery in its present condition. However, there is a strong pedagogical argu-

ment to be made for reupholstering the pieces with reproduction silk in order to

convey the rich, and almost shocking, brilliant palette of colors which were fash-

ionable at the time.

Our tour also covered a wide range of earlier (16th to 18th century) decorative

arts, including a dazzling array of 18th-century furniture by the greatest French

Curator Yves Carlier, (standing) showing the group a

velour ciselé

on a Napoleonic chair, Musée National

velour ciselé on a Napoleonic chair, Musée National velour ciselé

du Château de Fontainebleau.

Leslie Rainer



Furniture in France: 2001



makers such as Riesener, Jacob, and Schiller. There was a collection of bronze

sculptures by the Italian sculptor Primaticio dating to the reign of François I (r.

1515–1547) and 18th-century Savonnerie carpets.

In short, our afternoon in Fontainebleau was an incredibly dense visual and intel-

lectual experience. This was made the more profound by the realization that we

were only able to see a twentieth or less of the Palace’s remarkable holdings dur-

ing our short stay.

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Vaux-le-Vicomte, 77950 Maincy

Tad Fallon

May 7, 2001

On the evening of Monday, May 7th, we traveled by bus to Château de Vaux-

le-Vicomte for a tour of the gardens followed by a dinner located in the former

servants’ wing. The purpose of this visit was to see one of the premiere French

châteaux

, and it was the rst time we ate together as a group, allowing us time to

mingle and get to know each other before a candlelight tour of the château.

It was interesting to view Vaux-le-Vicomte in this type of lighting, as it seemed

more in keeping with period lighting levels. There were many more candles than

might be expected in the 18th century, and they tended to be quite large. There

was also some electric lighting, making the effect not entirely realistic and in some

cases highly distracting. However, the candlelight did give an impression of the

illumination in the period. Currently, the château operates as a public site offering

not only daily tours but also candlelight visits with dinner. Of course, there is also

an extensive gift shop.

The château was built in the late 17th century by the Finance Minister to Louis

XIV, Nicolas Fouquet. Three of his contemporaries, the architect Louis Le Vau, the

painter Charles Le Brun, and the landscape designer André Le Nôtre were hired for

the huge project, which took ve years to complete. Upon completion, Fouquet

staged an elaborate celebration, so lavish that it inspired jealousy in Louis XIV. The

beauty and opulence of Vaux-le-Vicomte led to charges of embezzlement and con-

spiracy against Fouquet. He was arrested and was imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Prior to the building of Vaux-le-Vicomte, the talent of Le Vau and Le Brun was

already known, but as a team they would next achieve celebrity with the construc-

tion, decoration and gardens of Versailles, commissioned by Louis XIV in his

desire to surpass Vaux.

Today the site is open to the public and is managed by the association “Les Amis

de Vaux-le-Vicomte,” a group created in 1983 to “preserve the high standards of

the Estate.”



Furniture in France: 2001



J. George, S.A.

96–100 Avenue Galliéni Bagnolet, 93170 Paris

Tatiana Wilcke

May 8, 2001

As with so many of the French small

businesses and ateliers the study group

visited, this wood veneer supplier is not

simply a family-owned and operated

venture, but has been in the George

family for four generations. Like busi-

nesses owned by restorers and arti-

sans—and like the craft tradition itself

in France—these multi-generation links

of ownership provide a continuity of

knowledge so commonplace in the

European trades and almost unknown

in America.

Our visit with generous hosts Patrick

George, the owner of the business and

son of J. George, and other members

of the family provided an in-depth look not only at his supply of rare veneers, the

wood stock the veneer comes from, and the other related materials they sell, but also

at their specic technique of veneer cutting.

Their veneer is cut on a specialized saw, the

scie à bois montant

or “rising-wood

scie à bois montant or “rising-wood scie à bois montant

saw,” that dates from the end of the 19th century. This technique of cutting dif-

fers from standard rotary-cut veneer in that the wood log actually rises vertically

through a reciprocating blade. These well-sharpened blades were made on the

premises and produce a at and relatively even surface, and, more importantly

according to M. George, keep the tannins of the wood in, resulting in better color.

There is less damage to the wood bers than slicing with a knife under pressure.

Most of the veneer they produce today is for restoration work, so they prefer

to use—and have—very old logs, such as Cuban mahogany left over from boat

stock of the late 18th century. They carry over 170 species of wood veneer, tinted

veneers, stringing, banding, and oysters of wood, as well as sharkskin, bone, horn,

and mother-of-pearl. Many of these materials are not readily available or even seen

in the States. The fact that they stock these supplies is reective of the differences

in style and materials of the original French furniture compared with American,

as well as being indicative of the techniques of loss replacement used by French

restorers today.

Leslie Rainer

Patrick Georges (l) with his cousin and cousin’s son.



Furniture in France: 2001



M. George and his shop are accustomed to international trade and are well

equipped, via their website and e-mail address, to provide American customers

with hard-to-nd veneer. This venue, then, was also an opportunity to purchase

veneer supplies, which was of particular interest both to the furniture makers in

the group as well as to the furniture conservators who work on original French

pieces in American museums and private collections.

Musée Nissim de Camondo

63 rue de Monceau, 75016 Paris

Tatiana Wilcke

May 8, 2001

The Musée Nissim de Camondo,

located near the Parc Monceau in

Paris, was a townhouse originally

built by the Comte Moïse de

Camondo between 1910–14 to

house his signicant collection of

late 18th-century furniture and

decorative arts. This is one of the

more important decorative arts

collections in Paris and features

examples of Louis XV and Louis

XVI furniture. The collection is

comparable to one such as the Frick

in New York in terms of the period

during which it was assembled, the

collector’s individual taste, and of

the quality of objects collected.

Comte Moïse came from a Sephardic Jewish family who left Spain during the

Inquisition and founded one of the largest banks in the Ottoman Empire. The

family came to Paris in the 1870s and established themselves as passionate patrons

of the arts. The Comte, rather than buying an original 18th-century townhouse,

commissioned the architect, René Sergent, to build a mansion reminiscent of Le

Petit Trianon at Versailles that would be the “perfect” 18th-century setting for his

collection based on the ideals of symmetry, harmony, and coherence. Since nei-

ther of his children survived him, he bequeathed the house and collection to the

Musée des Arts Décoratifs and named the museum for his son who died in aerial

combat over France in World War I. Today the furniture and objects remain in

their original placement, with minor adjustments for museum visitors.

The collection of furniture is mostly from the later phase of the Louis XV style

and the Louis XVI style and includes the works of numerous masters. The ear-

Conservator Pierre Costerg showing the interior of a

secrétaire à

abattant

by Jean-François Leleu (1729–1807) Musée Nissim de

Camondo, Paris.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



lier Rococo period is represented by a pair of

encoignures

(corner cabinets) by Bernard Van

encoignures (corner cabinets) by Bernard Van encoignures

Risen Burghs (BVRB). Among numerous pieces

from the late Louis XV period is a

bureau à cyl-

indre

(roll-top desk) done in oral marquetry by

indre (roll-top desk) done in oral marquetry by indre

Jean-François Oeben, as well as three rare pieces

decorated with Sèvres porcelain from the 1760–

70s by Martin Carlin and Roger Van der Cruse

Lacroix (R.V.L.C.). From the Louis XVI, or neo-

classical period are works by Jean-Henri Riesener,

such as a

table en chiffonier

made for Marie Antio-

table en chiffonier made for Marie Antio-table en chiffonier

nette at St. Cloud, and Adam Weisweiler who also

sold work to both the French royal family and

the aristocracy. This brief listing of notable pieces

speaks to the quality of the entire collection.

Although the study tour focused on the furni-

ture and equally impressive 18th-century panel-

ing that the Comte collected, the museum also

houses signicant works of porcelain, tapestries,

silverware, sculpture, and other

objets d’art

. The

landscape architect, Achille Duchêne (whose work

we were also able to see at Château de Voisins)

designed the terrace and the gardens of the town-

house. We were particularly fortunate in being

able to view furniture in the collection both with

the curator and with a conservator, who was willing to remove drawers, display the

undersides of some pieces, and demonstrate the moving parts of the furniture so

that we had a better understanding of materials and construction techniques used.

Château de Groussay

Montfort l’Amaury, 75017 Paris

Tad Fallon

May 8, 2001

On Tuesday, May 8th, we traveled by bus to Château de Groussay just on the

edge of Paris. This château is now privately owned by Jean-Louis Remilleux, the

owner of a documentary lm production company. M. Remilleux heard about the

Furniture in France tour through a friend of Brian Considine, and was interested

in talking with us about our experiences in France and at home. M. Remilleux is

currently working on a documentary lm on French craftsman. During our visit,

Paul Miller and Brian Considine were interviewed by M. Remilleux and his

Dyed burl and ormulu on a commode with tam-

bours. Jean-Henri Riesener (1734–1806). Musée

Nissim de Camondo, Paris.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



production staff for a new video. M. Remilleux was supportive of our trip and

welcomed us with a very special tour and dinner reception.

The château has been refurnished with no pretense of being historically accurate,

although some elements originating from the property have been located and

returned. This was the case for two chandeliers in a room just off the main dining

room. M. Remilleux hosted our group for a wonderful tour of the Gardens, and a

champagne reception in the former “Dutch Room.” Before moving on to dinner,

we sat in the

bijou

theatre, with its red drapes, colonnades and central chandelier.

bijou theatre, with its red drapes, colonnades and central chandelier. bijou

M. Remilleux toasted us and welcomed us from the stage before moving in to the

main dining room.

Groussay was built in 1815 at Montfort l’Amaury in the Île de France for the

Duchess de Charost and was purchased in 1939 by Charles de Bestegui, an heir

to a fortune made in silver mines in Mexico during the 19th century. The château

was not designated as a historic monument, allowing Bestegui complete freedom

to transform it, and he worked with the architect-decorator Emilio Thierry enlarg-

ing and refurbishing the château and gardens.

In 1970 Bestegui died and left the château to his nephew Juan, who preserved his

uncle’s estate until 1999, when he asked Sotheby’s to carry out an inventory and

auction the contents of the estate. The château was auctioned off with its

contents arranged in their original place, thus documenting the

goût

Bestegui,

which brought together true works of art and copies, historic objects and modern

creations with great freedom.

Ateliers Robert Gohard

90–92 rue des Entrepreneurs, 75015 Paris

Greg Guenther

May 9, 2001

The studio of third-generation gilding restorer Fabrice Gohard is contained within

a cluster of buildings in the center of Paris. The studio has skylighted work areas,

an open display room, and various ofces and loft storage. The rm works on

boi-

series

(carved wall paneling), furniture, and exterior and interior architectural gild-

series (carved wall paneling), furniture, and exterior and interior architectural gild-series

ing. The work is considered among the best commercial gilding in France.

An overview and discussion of the ongoing work provided a summary of restora-

tion gilding techniques. The studio uses a division of labor based on the various

steps and techniques. Cleaning, gessoing, re-cutting of the gesso, application of

clay, glue size and laying of the gold leaf, and, if required, burnishing were the

responsibilities of different technicians. Both men and women were involved with

these hands-on processes. Traditional gilders’ workbenches were in use, as well

as moveable worktables. Exterior architectural gilding is carried out by the studio



Furniture in France: 2001



on many Parisian landmarks (i.e., Fontaine des Mers, Place de la Concorde). The

techniques include building up the surfaces with epoxy paint, applying three coats

of varnish with added ochre pigment, and the nal oil gilding.

A large Beaux Arts oval-shaped table was displayed in the open showroom area.

The restoration gilding included both burnished and unburnished elements as well

as patterns cut free-hand directly into the gesso ground. This was the work of sea-

soned and skilled gilders. Viewing the nished work prompted further discussion

of the techniques viewed in the workrooms.

The specialization within the discipline of gilding allows for the development of

a high degree of skill in one area. American craftsmen in general, do not have the

strict areas of specialization as viewed in French studios. The continued master-

apprentice relationships within these studios foster a high degree of subtle skill

development. In the nal project, the various craft groups are drawn together for

each to add their expertise, versus the generalist approach taken by many Ameri-

can craftsmen. As a furnituremaker, the variety of skills brought to bear on the

making and/or restoration of a single project is worth noting. The availability of

skilled individuals accustomed to adding their specic expertise to a given work

can greatly improve the outcome of a project.

Patrice Gohard (center) with Anne Woodhouse, Brian Considine and Thomas Snyder.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



Bruno Desnoues

18, rue de Reuilly, 75012 Paris

Greg Guenther

May 9, 2001

Bruno Desnoues’s space is located in the old furniture manufacturing area of

Paris, the Faubourg Saint-Antoine within a series of adjacent workshops surround-

ing a 19th-century courtyard built for craft studios with living quarters located

above the shops. Bruno Desnoues, along with his two

compagnons

, specializes in

compagnons, specializes in compagnons

restoration carving for wood furniture, wall paneling, frames, and carriages meant

for natural and gilded nish treatments. The shop also handles wood models for

bronze casting molds and replication furniture carving. According to Brian Con-

sidine, who engaged Bruno Desnoues’s woodcarving skills in the restoration of a

Louis XVI bed for the J. Paul Getty Museum, “Bruno…is one of the most highly

skilled wood carvers in the world.” A recently carved shell and foliage panel in oak

displayed artistic ow and exemplary proportion and execution.

The arrangement of the tight workspace provides some clues to the priorities of

the studio. The workbenches are located against the large studio windows facing

the common courtyard in order to take advantage of the natural light. All required

hand tools—chisels, gouges, scrapers, mallets and planes—are located directly

in or on the bench and surrounding walls, immediately and efciently available.

Larger power tools are tucked under counters and in recesses not taking up space

until required, but also implying their lower frequency of use and, most likely,

lower priority in the period restoration and replication methods employed. The

walls of the studios are covered with castings of period-carved elements, actual

Working drawing, plaster model

and  nal carving by Bruno

Desnoues for the Lit à la

Polonaise, J. Paul Getty Museum.

Canedi Pascal



Furniture in France: 2001



period carvings, and sketches providing ready reference to the subtleties of differ-

ent carving styles and techniques required.

Ongoing work relied upon methods of traditional restoration practices. Two

apprentice carvers, for example, were laminating wood blocks onto freshly

attened areas of chair frames and recarving lost elements. Since the attening

required to attach the replacement blank actually removes material, creating

greater loss of the original, American conservators might choose a different

method and non-traditional materials to replace the loss. The discussion of tradi-

tional methods with their many tried and true techniques versus a minimally intru-

sive conservation viewpoint is an ongoing debate. Although the highest quality of

craftsmanship is exhibited, the restoration approach is at odds with present Ameri-

can conservation goals.

Michel Jamet

43, rue des Clöys 75018, Paris

Greg Guenther

May 9, 2001

The furniture restoration studio

of Michel Jamet is located on the

ground oor off an interior courtyard

of multi-use buildings, with work and

living areas intermixed. Michel Jamet,

along with four restorers, specializes

in a wide range of furniture resto-

ration treatments. He has worked

for the Château de Versailles as a

menuisier

, and now provides services

to the French National Museums and

châteaux

, Waddesdon Manor in Brit-

ain, the J. Paul Getty Museum in the

United States, and private collectors

throughout the world.

The tight workspace was well organized and had four workbenches in one room

with two more workbenches in an adjoining room. Loft storage was utilized,

with stationary power tools tucked away until needed. One craftsman was in the

process of gluing elements of a Boulle marquetry chest of drawers. A demonstra-

tion of techniques for lifting the loose brass from the other sections of marquetry

in order to glue and stabilize the drawer front panel was presented. This led to a

discussion of sh and animal glues. M. Jamet presented a summary of alternative

techniques and materials available. The restoration of

bombé

veneered surfaces

bombé veneered surfaces bombé

was discussed in detail as well, with a presentation of caul, press, and clamping

Brian Considine (l) and Michel Jamet in front of his restora-

tion workshop.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



methods. These two challenging areas of restoration (Boulle work and veneering

bombé surfaces) are frequent in French furniture, and the comparison of tech-

niques fully engaged the group. The traditional but somewhat aggressive methods

employed to accomplish the repairs were debated. Specic materials were dis-

cussed with realization that the actual make-up of adhesives and nish materials,

although of traditional name, may be of differing composition today. A study to

dene the materials, names, and composition seems important for an international

exchange of methods.

Restoration choices made in conservation labs and museums contrasted somewhat

with those made in private studios. The demonstrated “lift and re-glue” method

was very goal oriented. The techniques included resetting the veneers to allow use,

surface preparation for renishing, and limiting further lifting with additional glue

to prevent associated loss and damage. The less intrusive methods of area lifting

and spot injections of adhesives can be viewed as causing less immediate change to

the original, but may not solve the overall adhesion problems over the long term.

The lack of adhesion might be a problem if the piece is going into functional use

and not just a display environment. Instead of absolutes in method choice, there

exist a variety of choices, which t a particular set of needs. Those involved in the

decision for treatment, therefore, must have or seek out a variety of techniques

and experiences, and only then choose a course of treatment.

Rémy Brazet, Tapissier

22, rue des Belles Feuilles, 75116 Paris

John Courtney

May 9, 2001

At the Maison Brazet, we were shown examples of original fabrics and window

treatments from the Musée national du château de Fontainebleau, and the repro-

ductions fabricated to be reinstalled in several rooms there. We were also given a

brief overview of the technological developments made in the French silk industry

in the 18th and 19th centuries including the manner in which several types of

fabrics were manufactured. We witnessed upholsterers working on the last throne

of Napoleon I, which, when brought to M. Brazet’s shop, still had remnants of

the period show cover and under-upholstery on it. One interesting note is that M.

Brazet had in his shop at one time or another three of Napoleon’s thrones; one

when Napoleon was General, one when he was Emperor and the one mentioned

above.

M. Brazet has worked extensively with Brian Considine and is sympathetic to the

concept of non-intrusive upholstery conservation. A highlight was an upholstery

treatment that he undertook for the J. Paul Getty Museum in which he combined

a very innovative and yet historic technique. In the 18th century, French chair

makers were producing chairs

à châssis

which had removable upholstered parts

à châssis which had removable upholstered parts à châssis



Furniture in France: 2001



(back, seat and arms). These chairs were designed so that different upholstered

panels could be applied for summer and winter. What M. Brazet has done is to

take this concept and apply it to other types of chairs that did not originally have

removable panels. The original chair frames are not altered to accept the panels.

Instead back panels, arm pads, and seats (when possible) are made and uphol-

stered rst and then attached to the chair in a non-intrusive manner. When it is

not possible to t a removable seat, an alternative seat platform is attached to the

seat and all successive materials are built upon it.

This venue was very insightful to everyone in the group and was of particular

interest to those of us involved in the design and application of non-intrusive

upholstery systems.

Reymondon

17, rue de Gerland, 69007 Lyon

Prelle et Cie

7, rue Barodet, 69317 Lyon

David deMuzio

May 10, 2001

On May 10th the Furniture in France group left Paris for Lyon to visit the silk

weaving and

passementerie

ateliers of Prelle and Reymondon. We viewed these

passementerie ateliers of Prelle and Reymondon. We viewed these passementerie

visits with great interest, since many of us are acutely aware of the difculty of

acquiring the proper silks for the restoration of upholstery on period furniture and

interiors. Upholstery textiles for both furniture and entire rooms were often the

M. Rémy Brazet with

passe-

menterie

for Napoleon’s bed-

room at Fontainebleau.

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



most important and luxurious component of an interior. High-style upholsterers

in America and Europe have used silk textiles made in Lyon since the 16th cen-

tury. Only a handful of manufacturers in France, Italy, England, and the Far East

still hand weave historically accurate textiles. Since there has never been weaving

of this standard in America, these luxury materials have always been imported.

The morning of May 10th, 2001, we were met at Reymondon by Jean-Etienne

Lavenir,

Directeur Général

, Jacques Noca, Sales Manager, and Frédéric Minaire,

Directeur Général, Jacques Noca, Sales Manager, and Frédéric Minaire, Directeur Général

Plant Manager. Our tour included seeing many of the intricate facets of making of

gimp, decorative rope, tassels, and other forms of

passementerie

. This was our rst

introduction to the use of the hand-operated Jacquard looms, which require only

one person to operate and are capable of weaving very complicated trim patterns.

This method was rened by Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752–1834) around 1805.

Being on the manufacturing oor and seeing the

weaving of elaborate trim, twisting of rope, and

the hand stitching of tassels was incredibly illu-

minating and illustrated why

passementerie

is so

passementerie is so passementerie

costly. It explains why, for example, the cost of

elaborate trimmings on a state bed could exceed

the cost of both the carved wooden frame and the

fabric hangings.

After our visit to Reymondon our group traveled

to Prelle, Silk Manufacturers, in Lyon’s traditional

weaving quarter of La Croix-Rousse. Led by Paul

Miller we were met by Guillaume Verzier, chair-

man of Prelle, and his father François Verzier who,

with his brother Philippe, headed the company

before Guillaume. This is the fth generation of

the Prelle-Verzier family running the business

established in 1752. Although Prelle now also

manufactures modern cotton and silk fabrics on

state-of-the-art power looms, our tour focused on

the hand weaving department, design studio and

archives used to reproduce historically accurate

reproduction textiles.

In a large studio lled with 19th-century Jacquard

looms we saw patterned cut velvet being rewoven

for the ballroom of the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. Archivist Mme

du Bellay showed us the original 19th-century order and swatch for this fabric

in an order book pulled from the archives. The archives fully document produc-

tion since the 18th century. A test weaving of an embroidered silk (original 19th

century order #6140) destined for the Château-Sur-Mer, also in Newport, Rhode

Island, was seen on a small “sample loom.”

M. Philippe Verzier with period documents from

the 19th and 20th centuries. Prelle Ateliers, Lyon.

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



New orders from the French government have resulted in the exact reweaving of

brocaded lampas, damask, and cut velvet silk fabrics for royal commissions at Ver-

sailles and Fontainebleau, with these design and reweaving projects taking decades

to complete. Other order books from the archive showed Art Nouveau and Art

Deco patterns by designers Ruhlmann and Dufrène, many of which are being

rewoven on mechanized Jacquard looms to meet the needs of today’s market-

place. The Prelle archives are an incomparable resource for conservators and cura-

tors researching period fabric design. Many of the archived fabric samples are now

being scanned into a computer database to make the archive even more accessible.

Our visits to Reymondon and Prelle were particularly well received, as our hosts

were very enthusiastic and willing to answer our many technical questions. They

treated the group to two meals and hosted a reception in our honor. This allowed

us the opportunity to solidify working relationships, and for many of us, start new

ones. Since our visit, several of the participants have consulted with Guillaume

Verzier on upcoming restoration projects for their home institutions. We were

struck by the continuity of craft tradition that allows Reymondon and Prelle to

produce silk textiles to such exacting standards essential in restoration work.

Musée Dauphinois

30, rue Maurice Gignous, 38031 Grenoble

Jeff Moore

May 11, 2001

Having been in Lyon for the day of May 10, we traveled to Grenoble on the

morning of Friday the 11th—a drive of about 1 hours. We skirted the Auvergne

and headed towards the Alps.

The Musée Dauphinois is one of the sixteen Musées Départemental de l’Isère. It

is located in a former convent, the convent of Sainte-Marie-d’en-Haut, built at

the beginning of the seventeenth century. The bus was unable to get close, so the

approach was made on foot by ascending a steep set of stairs and pathways. We

were met by Chantal Spillemaecker, Curator of the Musée Dauphinois, Marianne

Clerc, author of a book on the Hache family of Grenoble cabinetmakers, and

Catherine Eleouet and Patrick Goy, furniture restorers.

Within the ancient walls of the restored convent was a carefully designed and

modern museum. Our tour took us through an exhibit of regional wooden arti-

facts. Most were utilitarian but decorated with great care and imagination using

chip-carving techniques or gouge work. For me, the most interesting objects of

that group were the wooden boxes that men wore on their belts to hold the stone

for sharpening their scythes. Though similar in size and shape, an incredible diver-

sity in design proclaimed their individuality. One of the museum’s prized posses-

sions is a commode by Jean-François Hache. The Hache family worked for three



Furniture in France: 2001



generations in Grenoble and had as clients such notables as the Duke of Orleans.

It was enlightening to see the skill and scope of design in the work of a non-Pari-

sian, so-called provincial

ébéniste

We ended our tour with a visit to the storage facility, where there were many more

examples of the Hache family works. We were able to do detailed examinations of

the joinery, marquetry, and mounts with the two restorers who were familiar with

technical aspects of the work. Of special interest was the discussion of the joint

where a drawer blade and a side came together on a piece of case furniture. The

joint could be described as a full-housed half-dovetail, situated horizontally, which

slides down to lock and is held in place with a square plug that is glued in. It was

an interesting and inventive piece of joinery.

At the end of the tour, each partici-

pant was given a large folder contain-

ing information on recent exhibitions

at the Musée Dauphinois and the other

museums of the Isère region. Each of us

also received a copy of Marianne Clerc’s

beautiful book

Hache: Ébénistes à Greno-

ble

. Our visit to the Musée Dauphinois

introduced us to objects as diverse as the

craft tradition of the local populace and

the high-end

ébénisterie

of the Hache

ébénisterie of the Hache ébénisterie

family.

Château de Longpra

38620 St. Geoire en Valdaine

Jeff Moore

May 11, 2001

Following lunch, we continued by bus to the Château de Longpra, the origins of

which go back to 1536. We were met by M. Albert de Franclieu, a direct heir of

the builders of the château, whose family has been in residence since 1844. The

house has an extremely distinguished history, and because it is out of the way,

has survived in very good condition. What makes it fascinating is the fact that it

depicts such specic moments in history: cannonballs from the Protestant siege of

1590, secret altars built into case furniture for use during the Reign of Terror, and

especially the renovation of the building beginning in 1755 and ending in 1789.

The château is full of documented work by the local and regional craftspeople,

such as woodcarver Boileau, cabinetmakers Rougemont, Hache, and Froment,

master joiners Giroud, Fanton, and Devaux, locksmiths Hache, Eymard, and

Lunch on the terrace with the staff of the Musée Dauphinois.

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



Rousseau plus work by other documented carpenters,

masons, metalsmiths, plasterers, and glassmakers. The

relationship between the

boiseries

, the furniture, the

boiseries, the furniture, the boiseries

parquetry oors, and the carved and gilded work is

still there to see, unchanged. An undocumented desk

with marquetry panels highly reminiscent of the work

of André Charles Boulle was another highlight that

reminded us that although these patrons were living

in the provinces, the inuences of the highest styles in

Paris were still felt.

An added bonus, especially to a group close to the

woodworking craft, was an outbuilding housing a col-

lection of tools. These had mostly to do with the two

ne 18th-century ornamental turning lathes that were

there. There are apparently more tools in storage. Fea-

tured with the lathes was a set of silver-plated turning

tools—clearly not from the kit of a regional craftsman.

It is interesting to speculate on the possibility that

these lathes and tools could be evidence of the activity

of ornamental turning here at Château de Longpra as a “gentleman’s” pastime.

The craft evidence at Château de Longpra reminded us that there were many

other woodworkers and workers in other trades who collaborated to build,

rebuild, renovate and furnish this great house, especially during the period 1755–

1789. It is, in fact, a living testimony to just that collaboration.

Patrick Albert, CCQ

Interior Château de

Longpra.

M. Albert de Franclieu outside Château de

Longpra, near Grenoble.

Leslie Rainer



Furniture in France: 2001



Château de Sassenage

38360, Sassenage

Tad Fallon

May 11, 2001

The Château de Sassenage is located at the foot of the impressive Vercors cliffs.

This stop coincided with our visit to Grenoble, and served two purposes: a tour of

the historic Château with some Hache furniture, and an opportunity to dine with

our new contacts. Our dinner reception was partially paid for by our hosts from

Grenoble.

Although the style of the architecture is Louis XIII, it is contemporary with Ver-

sailles, built during the rein of Louis XIV. It was built between 1662 and 1669

by Charles, Lord of Sassenage. Eventually Marquise Pierette Elisa of Sassenage

donated the castle to the International Council for the French Language.

Jean-Jacques Elouet, our host, gave us a tour of the interiors. We began in the

Grand Salon, decorated with paintings from the legend of Psyché.

The reception rooms have their original ceilings, wood paneling and decoration.

The enormous

salle d’état

with its two large 17th-century paintings showing the

salle d’état with its two large 17th-century paintings showing the salle d’état

Pythoness and Venus looking for Aeneas’s sword in Hell, is quite impressive.

The music room with its parquet oor looks out over the grounds. In this room

there is a 17th-century Flemish painting of the Battle of Kirkhölm between the

Swedish and Polish armies.

Patrick Albert, CCQ

Barry Yavener at Château

Sassenage



Furniture in France: 2001



Ferme de Pierre Allègre

Loubaresse

Musée de la Haute-Auvergne

1, Place des Armes, 15100 Saint-Flour

Barry R. Yavener

On Saturday morning, May 12, 2001, the Furni-

ture in France study group left the hotel in Lyon

and drove by bus to the Haute-Auvergne region of

France. Located in south central France, the area is

one of beautiful steep green hills with quaint villages

sprinkled throughout the region.

Our rst visit was to the Ferme de Pierre Allègre, a

beautiful farm located in the center of the village of

Loubaresse. The buildings and grounds are won-

derfully maintained and are typical of farms in this

region that belonged to relatively well-to-do fami-

lies. A conscious effort has been made to preserve

the interior and exterior of the house as it would

have appeared when it was a working farm. Our

guide explained that they want visitors to “share the

daily life of a farm family who have just stepped out

for lunch.” Indeed, it truly appears to be recently

occupied, though the farm has been vacant for

many years. The farm was acquired by the state in

1967 and was opened to public in July 1975. All

of the furnishings were either original to the house or indigenous to the area and

time period that is being represented. Fortunately, very little restoration has been

required.

Our hosts, Laurent Vedrine, Dominique Dufayet, and Anne Chanonet arranged

lunch for the group at the nearby Auberge Paysanne with low ceilings and a dirt

oor. Sitting around large tables with benches, M. Vedrine explained to us the his-

tory of the farm and the goals of the museum. We then had a delightful dandelion

apéritif followed by a

truffade,

wine, and some fantastic Cantal cheese. It was an

opportunity to experience the complete richness of the area: food, furniture, archi-

tecture and delightful people.

After lunch we took the bus to Saint-Flour, the historical capital of the Haute-

Auvergne region of France. Situated high on a rocky promontory, this medieval

town is home to the Musée de la Haute-Auvergne. Housed in the former bishop’s

palace, which was rebuilt in the 17th century, it is located across from the Cathe-

Patrick Albert, CCQ

Ferme de Pierre Allègre, Loubaresse.



Furniture in France: 2001



dral of Saint Pierre. Our guide for the museum tour was Jean-Claude Roc, one

of the foremost authorities of furniture from the region and author of a book

cataloging this collection and other pieces in the Haute-Auvergne. The museum

houses an impressive collection of furniture that documents the history and evolu-

tion of domestic regional furniture. I was particularly inspired by the closet-like

lit-clos

(“closed-bed” or sleeping compartments), many of which were displayed

completely intact, the long kitchen tables with their unique long storage draw-

ers, and the armoires with carvings unlike any that we had seen. The museum has

the oldest armoire of the Massif Central region which was made in 1679 by G.

Planche, a master cabinetmaker from Ussel in Planèzc. M. Roc was an invaluable

source of information, answering the group’s questions, particularly those con-

cerning conservation techniques, traditional nishes, and the identi cation of the

indigenous species of woods.

The Ferme de Pierre Allègre and the Musée de la Haute-Auvergne clearly pres-

ent wonderful examples of interiors and furniture. The objects displayed possess a

practical purpose rst and foremost, with embellishments added as secondary ele-

ments to reect local sensibilities.

These important collections represent the antithesis of the high fashion and

opulence that was concurrently in vogue in Paris and provide a wonderful coun-

terpoint. However, they are just as important in the overall context of French fur-

niture history and style development.

As a designer, I was able to recognize details in furniture that have been incorpo-

rated into American furniture, especially the furniture marketed during the early

1960s. As one of the furniture makers in the group, I found this body of work to

be most stimulating from the perspective that embraces the philosophy of form

following function.

I was exposed to a wealth of images and motifs that will inuence my future

furniture design and construction. This exemplies the connection artists can

Patrick Albert, CCQ

Salle commune

at the Ferme de

Pierre Allègre, Loubaresse.



Furniture in France: 2001



experience from one period to another as history evolves. Studying the creative

expression of artists (long ago) enhances our understanding of the world in which

they functioned and provides a bridge to and inspiration for contemporary design.

This experience, which has enlarged my perspective both personally and profes-

sionally, will ultimately benet my students, now and in the future.

Musées des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs

34 rue de la Charité, 69002 Lyon

Kathy Z. Gillis and David Bayne

May 13, 2001

The Musée des Arts décoratifs and the Musée des Tissus were established as one

museum (the Museum of Arts and Industry) in 1854, inspired by the Victoria and

Albert Museum in London. It was separated into two distinct collections in 1890.

Monsieur Guy Blazy, our guide, is the

conservateur en chef

(chief curator) of both

conservateur en chef (chief curator) of both conservateur en chef

museums.

The Musée des Tissus houses an encyclopedic collection of textile documents

which follows the development of textile weaving from antiquity to the present.

We were treated to a visual feast of fabrics, many of them Imperial commissions

of the 19th century intended to revive the silk industry in Lyon, which suffered

greatly after the Revolution.

A feature of this museum, which we nd infre-

quently in American museums, is the donated

room with its contents. Many of the donors

gave period rooms complete with paneling to

the museum with the provision that they remain

together with the contents. Whereas American

museums may group their collections by styles or

themes regardless of donors, the

Musée des Arts

dècoratifs kept the collections of the individual

donor together.

The majority of the furniture collections on display

are from Paris, but many pieces were made in Lyon

or the surrounding areas. Especially interesting

examples of local manufacture are beautiful chairs

by Pierre Nogerat (1718–1771) and François

Canot (1721–1786). The chairs by Nogerat are

particular favorites with bolder carving and pro-

portions than Parisian examples. Lyon was also a

center for keyboard instruments, and there were

several gorgeous examples.

Leslie Rainer

Curator Guy Blazy showing the family tree of the

silk weavers in Lyon. Musée des Tissus, Lyon.



Furniture in France: 2001



In one gallery were three pieces by

Hache, the celebrated family of cabi-

netmakers from Grenoble in the Isère

region. We had been introduced to

Hache while we were in Grenoble, and

this was an opportunity to examine one

of Jean-François Hache’s (1730–1796)

masterpieces. The

secrétaire à abattant

(fall-front writing desk) has been widely

published and recently restored. Pierre

Molinaroli was the restorer/conservator

that worked on the piece, and he showed

us some of the most attractive features

incorporating native and exotic woods,

including amboyna, pearwood, amarante

(or purple heart), tulipwood, and king-

wood. This

secrétaire à abattant

(dated 1760–65) employed three different tech-

secrétaire à abattant (dated 1760–65) employed three different tech-secrétaire à abattant

niques of intarsia. Pierre discovered the technique when lifting the veneer on one

side to ll a split. Notable is an 18th-century technique incorporating end grain

within the marquetry. The cabinetmaker saws out his decorative owers from

stacks of different wood veneers. The components then match perfectly, except

for the width of the saw kerf. The individual pieces are pressed together outward

so that all saw kerf gaps are lled. To compensate for overall loss of dimensions,

the center of the ower is inlaid with a piece of endgrain wood. There are eight

stamps on this piece put in places easily seen—a practice not commonly found,

especially in American pieces during this period. The family changed labels peri-

odically, so most pieces can be accurately dated.

Jean-François Hache is also known for his high quality of staining. It is rare to see

pieces of this date with stained wood colors remaining so apparent. Wood stains

in the 18th century were kept very secret. Among the ingredients used by Hache

were parsley, chervil and artichoke. Hache was involved in a legal suit with an

employee who stole some rare woods used for stains. We know this from surviving

court records, but we do not have the actual formulas.

Another one of the museum’s treasures was a commode, unsigned, but a classic

example of the work of Charles Cressent (1685–1768). It displays that cabinet-

maker’s masterful coordination between the marquetry and mounts. Cressent ille-

gally carved and cast his own mounts. Consequently, there is a perfect t between

the inlaid wood background and the applied mounts. In the strictly separated craft

guilds of the day, one rarely sees the tight coordination between the marquetry

inlay and the mounts, except in Cressent pieces.

Although both the textile and the decorative arts collections share the same build-

ing with no physical separation between them, there were notable differences.

As might be expected given the local industry, the textiles beneted from a little

Leslie Rainer

Pierre Molinaroli with a

secrétaire à abattant

by Hache.

Musée des Arts decoratifs, Lyon.



Furniture in France: 2001



more care than the decorative arts. The light levels for the textiles were appropri-

ately low and the use of cases more frequent. Also, there seemed to be designated

spaces and funding for changing exhibitions of textiles that were absent from the

decorative arts section. Perhaps local corporate sponsorship (i.e. Prelle) was at

work here.

Société d’Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art (SEMA)

Viaduc des arts - 23, avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris

Patrick Albert

May 14, 2001

The Société d’Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art (SEMA) is a public organiza-

tion under the jurisdiction of the Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de

l’Industrie of France. Its members are either individuals or organizations sharing

an interest in traditional crafts.

Installed in the Viaduc des Arts, the main ofce of the SEMA offers a variety of

services to the public at large and to the craft community. It:



manages a Resource Center on crafts that is accessible to the public;



promotes crafts and craftsmanship to young people;



is the center of a large correspondence network where various information

exchange activities take place with all regions of France;



promotes craft trades via the publication of the

Courrier des métiers d’art

, a

Courrier des métiers d’art, a Courrier des métiers d’art

monthly publication with editorial as well as information content;



contributes to the valorization of crafts and craftsmanship via the

attribution of prizes;



organizes thematic discussion days in its

Galerie d’actualité

, when different

craft trades and aspects of craftsmanship are covered.

Our hosts were M. Pierre Chevalier, President, Mme Dominique Duchemin, Vice

President and M. Yvan Houssard, General Manager. After a presentation of the

organization and its goals, they introduced us to a few French craftsmen and crafts-

women and gave us a tour of the facilities. Of great interest were the large collection

of video monographs on crafts, craftsmen and craftsmanship, and the library.

Both M. Chevalier and M. Houssard raised the issue of the importance of creating

international links between organizations sharing similar goals for the survival and

development of traditional crafts. They invited anyone with such interests to

contact them in order to see how cooperative activities can be developed.



Furniture in France: 2001



Castel Béranger

35, rue Merlin de Thionville, 92150 Suresnes

Cheryl Robertson

May 15, 2001

Whereas an air of aristocratic luxe and the traditions of the

ébéniste

endured at

ébéniste endured at ébéniste

the Hôtel Potocki, the Castel Béranger, an early work by the Art Nouveau archi-

tect Hector Guimard, embodied the shock of the new, circa 1895. The whiplash

curves and novel abstractions of ora and fauna gave rise to epithets such as “Cas-

tel Déranger [deranged]” and “Castel des Diables [of the devils].” Although luxu-

rious in name (

castel

comes from a

castel comes from a castel

Provençal

word meaning “villa”) and in the

Provençal word meaning “villa”) and in the Provençal

use of stained glass, mosaic oors, and customized ceramic tiles, copper plaques,

and ironwork, the Castel Béranger was originally built as speculative housing for

the

petite bourgeoisie

. Then as now, the building consisted of condominium units.

Although standard apartments featured just three rooms, they were treated as

unied living environments. For the residents, Guimard coordinated not only

the architecture but also painted decorations and wallpaper, wainscoting done in

embossed paper or Lincrusta-Walton, lighting, built-in furniture, textiles, and even

door knobs. The present-day stair carpets in the building were re-created from

Guimard’s cartoons. In the apartment Guimard reserved for his own atelier, we

saw the original porcelain knobs, which, he claimed, derived their form from the

hand of the potter—literally. The irregular, organic shape resulted from the simple

act of picking up a ball of clay and squeezing it.

Doorknobs notwithstanding, most of the materials and workmanship at Castel

Béranger bespoke not the handmade but rather industrial production. As with the

Eiffel Tower (1889), the intent was to wed art and industry. The main stairwell

boasted the same kind of opalescent glass blocks incorporated in Siegfried Bing’s

“Art Nouveau” gallery in 1895. Interestingly, Guimard had apparently rst envi-

sioned classical decoration and details for the entire structure and interiors (1894).

After a visit to Brussels and exposure to the innovative work of Victor Horta, he

came back to Paris and completely changed his plans. Apparently, Guimard had no

second thoughts thereafter since the new building went up quickly.

The rehabilitation of Castel Béranger was a private endeavor, unlike much of the

architectural restoration/conservation we saw elsewhere. As others have noted, a

great deal of the country’s cultural and material heritage is owned and maintained

by the state. The issues, compromises, and cost accounting described by our archi-

tect-guide were quite comparable with historic preservation initiatives undertaken

by citizens or corporations in the United States.



Furniture in France: 2001



L’Hôtel Potocki

Chambre de Commerce

27 Avenue Friedland, 75008 Paris

Cheryl Robertson

May 15, 2001

L’Hôtel Potocki, evocative of the pomp

and circumstance of the Second Empire,

is to urban domestic architecture what the

Opera Garnier de Paris, which we visited

the following day, is to civic monuments.

We were fortunate to have as our guide

Gérard Rousset-Charny, author of a book

on late 19th-century Paris architecture—

an endangered species, by his account.

The palatial townhouse replete with 18th-

century decorative quotations and splen-

did polychrome Italian marbles (eight

different types grace the double-staired

entrance hall alone) was commissioned

by the Polish Count Nicolas Potocki and

his wife, Emmanuella Pignatelli, who was

the daughter of the Neapolitan ambas-

sador to Russia. The parallels between this

house and its decoration and the Breakers

at Newport, Rhode Island, were striking.

Completed by the architect Reboul in

1882, the Potocki interiors were revival-

ist yet up-to-date at the same time. While

the trophies of the wall treatment in the

Grand Salon emulated Versailles, the elab-

orate metallic ornament on the monolithic

entryway columns was executed in elec-

troplate by Christoe.

After the Count’s death in 1921, the Chamber of Commerce of Paris purchased

the structure and added two wings with Art Deco xtures and furnishings by

Jacques Ruhlmann. The stately dining room with classically-inspired details, pink

marble wall facings, and brass-inlaid parquet oor showed the same concern for

rich materials, ne craftsmanship, and sumptuous effects characteristic of the

1870–80 period—tempered, however, by a restraint and stylized rendering of

motifs that were unmistakably

moderne.

Staircase at Hôtel Potocki.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



Château de Voisins

55, Blvd. de Beauséjour, 75116 Paris

Kathy Z. Gillis

May 15, 2001

Our host and hostess were the Comte and

Comtesse de Fels, owners and residents of

Château de Voisins. The current structure

dates from 1903–1906, but the architect

directing this campaign, René Sargent,

based the construction on the 18th century

modications made to the original manor

house by Ange-Jacques Gabriel. Fortu-

nately, the documents survive from this

period. Actually, the château has an archive

of documents dating back to the 16th cen-

tury, and there is an archivist on staff. It

was intended to be a hunting lodge, and

today, during hunting season, sportsmen

can hunt for pheasants, quail, wild boar

and deer. The château is intended to be self-sustaining.

We were guided through the gardens, the architecture, and the interior furnish-

ings and décor. In the central hall, the splendid staircase is the focal point. The

rooms are aligned along the axis of the house, not the garden, as we have seen in

other châteaux. This was more practical for ow. The house is made of cut lime-

stone, as it would have been in the 18th century. The stone comes from the north

of France. When the restoration was underway, arrangements were made for a

deviation of the train route to get the stone deliv-

ered to Voisins. The interior wooden panels and

the furnishings came from different family houses

and date from the 18th century to the present.

The Marble Room is

rouge lamde

, from the south

of France.

The garden is one of the masterpieces of garden

designer Achille Duchêne. It displays a harmoni-

ous integration of French and English garden

styles. Duchêne’s grandson, Michel, was on hand

during our visit to guide us through the extensive

gardens. The naturalism (albeit totally articial

and manmade) found in an English garden

can be found furthest from the structure. The

garden becomes more ordered and formal the

Château de Voisins from the lake shore.

Comtesse de Fels with master huntsman, Château

de Voisins, near Rambouillet.

Patrick Albert, CCQ

Leslie Rainer



Furniture in France: 2001



closer one approaches the house. The whole is a wonderful contrast of chaos and

order. One hundred and forty-ve laborers were employed to clear the land. This

required moving approximately 4000 cubic meters of soil. Many of the laborers

subsequently became gardeners and workers for the château. Typical of Duchêne

garden design, gravel is incorporated as the material for the paths. The gravel is

raked before the arrival of visitors, so rst footsteps

are of the guests. Although the upper garden

parterre

at the rear of the château has not formally been main-

tained for over a century, the shadow of the design is

still apparent. Ideally, all foundation walls are to be

covered with greenery to “hide” the architecture in

the garden, which is symmetrically balanced with the

architecture of the château.

The formality and graciousness of our hosts created

an air one can imagine similar to what would have

been experienced in France in previous centuries.

The experience, complete with attentive maids, butler

and huntsman, provided us the opportunity to see

not only a château, but also a lifestyle that is being

maintained as it was practiced in the 18th and 19th

centuries.

Interior, Château de Voisins.

Legion of honor garden with island and canal, Château de Voisins.

Patrick Albert, CCQ

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



Château de Maintenon

28130 Maintenon

Kathy Z. Gillis

May 15, 2001

Monsieur Jean Raindre was our guide to the Château de Maintenon. His wife,

Geneviève de Noailles, is a direct descendant of the family of Madame de Main-

tenon (1635–1719), the last wife of Louis XIV. Madame de Maintenon (née Fran-

çoise d’Aubigné), was a widow of 34 when she entered the service of Madame de

Montespan, the King’s mistress, as governess to her six surviving children fathered

by Louis XIV. In 1683 or 1684, she and Louis XIV secretly married. Having no

children of her own, Madame de Maintenon left the château to her niece, Fran-

çoise Amable d’Aubigné, her brother’s daughter upon the occasion of her mar-

riage to Adrien-Maurice de Noailles. The château remained in the Noailles family

until 1983, when the last owners and present curators, M. and Mme Raindre, cre-

ated a foundation for Maintenon and donated the house, archives, and furnishings

to France. As is often the case in America, taxes and upkeep of an historic monu-

ment of this magnitude frequently inspire the family to turn over the burden to

the government. The château is situated in a beautiful setting on the river Eure. A

highway constructed in the 1980s prevented the land from being overrun with the

20th century, but unfortunately also affected visitation to the château, which has

dropped by about 50% since that time.

There are three buildings at Maintenon. The rst, built in the 11th century, was a

rustic defense building purchased by Cotreau, the Finance Minister of Louis XII

and Frances I. The round towers were built in 1480. The third building is the

Château de Maintenon

Leslie Rainer



Furniture in France: 2001



long wing on the entrance side, connecting the other two buildings to the chapel;

it dates from 1645.

In 1684, construction began on the property for an aqueduct to supply water to

Versailles from the river Eure. Thirty thousand men (masons and soldiers) worked

on it. Although it was never  nished, original aqueduct documents survive. It was

intended to contain the entire river and be 4,600 meters long with a series of three

arches at the deepest part of the valley. The total projected height of 72 meters

would have made it higher than the towers of Notre Dame. Only the rst series

was built—47 arches, each 13 meters wide, and 25 meters from the ground to the

top of the vaults. War broke out in 1688, diverting soldiers and money. Eventually

the project was abandoned. Later, Le Nôtre, landscape designer of Versailles, was

engaged to transform the property around the aqueduct into a garden.

Along with the connections to Louis XIV, Maintenon was also an important loca-

tion in later French history. In 1830, Charles X (grandson of Louis XIV) stayed at

Maintenon seeking asylum before going into exile in Cherbourg. It was at Main-

tenon that Charles X gave up the throne, thus ending the reign of the last “King

of France.”

Renovations made in the 19th century by Paul,

duc de

Noailles, advanced the

duc de Noailles, advanced the duc de

façade on the back, and created a corridor to separate the rooms and make each

more independent. Fortunately, the property was not transformed on the exterior.

Between 1830–1835 the long wing became a main drawing room, library, and a

portrait gallery, displaying portraits of the Noailles family. The appearance of the

château has remained unchanged since that time.

Maintenon was classied as an historic monument in 1943. In 1946, because of a

World War II bomb blast in the moat, restorations were needed to reinforce the

roofs and foundations. At the same time, the windows were restored. The furnish-

ings had been removed during the war.

Of interest was a suite of furniture dating from the 1860s, which retained its origi-

nal tapestry seat upholstery. This group is based on early Louis XV style furniture,

but was on a much larger scale. The colors have remained quite bright, shocking

in hue, and appropriate to the theatrical settings of the 1860s. We learned that in

France there was a tendency to close in the sides on armchairs, like in this set, with

fringe suspended from the arm. This treatment is not found in American furniture.

The bottom part has a square assembly above the foot, with stretchers all in one

plane. The top part is more in keeping with Louis XV style; it is beech and was

probably made in Paris.

I was particularly interested in

secrétaire à abattant

forms at the collections we

secrétaire à abattant forms at the collections we secrétaire à abattant

visited. I wanted to compare those in France with a New York

secrétaire à

abattant

recently acquired by my institution, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,

abattant recently acquired by my institution, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, abattant

that is believed to have been made by a French cabinetmaker in America. Main-

tenon had two examples of this form. The French pieces were less embellished

with bronze capitals and fancy hardware, yet they displayed remarkable cabinetry



Furniture in France: 2001



skills and derived their primary visual elegance with careful selection of veneer

woods, banding and patterned application of the veneer. The forms are consis-

tent, components the same, yet each

secrétaire

I observed on this trip was unique.

There always seems to be a variation in decorative hardware, veneer, banding, and

marble tops. This also seems to be the case in American examples.

Interior decoration also exemplied the skills of 18th-century French craftsmen.

Heavy oak doors on the second oor incorporated Italian linenfold carving. The

antechamber of Madame de Maintenon had splendid decoration with painted and

gilded leather wallpaper that has been partially restored. This is fortunate, since

the treated portions look over-cleaned, plastic, and attened. The untreated areas

are in bad shape at the edges of each sheet and are in need of stabilization, but

the beauty and quality of the original workmanship can still be seen. A follow-up

correspondence between Furniture in France participants addressing the issue of

more restrained conservation of the remaining untouched leather would create

an opportunity for education for Maintenon’s caretakers and perhaps a hands-on

experience for interested American conservators.

Les Grands Ateliers de France

45, rue Boissy d’Anglas, 75008 Paris

Patrick Albert

May 16, 2001

The Grands Ateliers de France is a registered, nonprot organization. It is inde-

pendent of any professional or institutional body. As a group, the Grands Ateliers

de France strives to enhance and advance the fame of French craftsmanship world-

wide. It is composed of a group of select, high-quality artisans, dedicated to the

preservation and perpetuation of the nest French tradition in hand craftsmanship.

The selection process for membership is extremely strict; candidates are chosen by

secret ballot and then reconrmed again each year.

The twofold aim of the Association is the pursuit of museum-quality workman-

ship along with the encouragement of cultural enrichment. The Grands Ateliers

de France includes 46 Member Ateliers representing 40 professions. Their master

craftsmen work on the creation, preservation and restoration of collections of pub-

lic and private art and antiquities around the world.

The Association, established through private initiative, was created in 1993

by ve great names in French craftsmanship: Jean Alot, Marie Brocard, Rémy

Brazet, Michel Germond and Daniel Meilleur. Its founding president was M. Jean

Bergeron, who was then also president of an organization of the greatest names in

French luxury products, the Comité Colbert.



Furniture in France: 2001



The reception took place at the Couvent des cordeliers, an impressive histori-

cal convent dating back to the fourteenth century. M. Rémy Brazet was our host

and introduced us to the group of members of the Grands Ateliers. We were then

invited to visit an exhibit on metalwork and to mingle with the artisans in order to

establish contact and share experiences. It was a great occasion to get to know bet-

ter some of the best artisans in the world in a variety of elds of activity. A list of

participants was supplied to both groups and it is hoped that the future will bring

opportunities for other contacts through professional organizations, work or per-

sonal initiatives in the pursuit of excellence in craftsmanship.

Le Palais Garnier (Opéra National de Paris)

Place de l’Opéra, 1 rue Gluck 75009 Paris

Kathy Z. Gillis

May 16, 2001

The Palais Garnier was built

between 1860 and 1875 on the

orders of Napoleon III, as part

of a Parisian reconstruction proj-

ect. The building did not open

until 1875, being delayed by the

1870 war, the fall of the Empire,

and the Commune. It is named

for Charles Garnier, who at age

34 won the competition for the

project in 1860. Garnier felt that

the members of the audience at

the opera were also actors, and

the building is the stage set for

them. He envisioned a balance

between architecture and decora-

tion. Based on the gallery of a typical French château, the grand foyer is accen-

tuated by mirrors and windows. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium seats 1900

guests, and the capitals on the front porch are composed of three different materi-

als. Stone, cast bronze, and electroformed copper were all gilded. Electroplating

and electroforming were marvels at the time this structure was built. Another

milestone is that in 1880 this was the rst monument in Paris to be illuminated by

electricity.

Our guide at the Palais was Alain-Charles Perrot,

architecte-en-chef des Monuments

Historiques et du Patrimoine

, who escorted our group through the structure liter-

ally from top to bottom. In the bowels of the basement, we were able to view the

equipment and mechanisms required for stage workings, curtain drawings, and

Leslie Rainer

Climbing the roof of Palais Garnier, Paris.



Furniture in France: 2001



various events happening on stage. We also ascended to the roof, allowing a sur-

vey of the building’s architecture looking down, a behind-the-scenes look at the

monumental roof sculpture, not to mention an incredible 360˚ panoramic view of

Paris.

It was not until the 1980s that the French began to consider the Palais Garnier a

national monument and restoration efforts were initiated. In sharp contrast to the

predominantly 19th-century decoration, the ceiling of the auditorium, painted

by Marc Chagall in 1964, poses a problem for the restoration project. M. Perrot

would like the entire building restored to its 19th-century appearance. This would

require removal of the Chagall ceiling, which was created for this space. Although

this merging of the centuries is fascinating, it impedes Garnier’s original intent

for perfect balance between the architecture and the decoration. As M. Perrot

explained there are different standards for museums (preservation) and monu-

ments (original intent). This allowed them to add features to the Opera that Gar-

nier intended but never completed. In a museum setting, however, these types of

additions would not be done.

Just as we experience in America, controversies such as this exist in France. France,

however, has very strong laws protecting the artistic rights of artists, dead or alive.

The ongoing restoration efforts at the Palais Garnier are one of many ways the

crafts are kept alive in France. The excellent artisans and the support of the French

government make it possible. In addition, at the Opera, even patrons are subsi-

dized by the government to keep the performances going. It is interesting to con-

trast these types of subsidies in France with the governmental subsidies in America

as an insight to priorities.

Hôtel Pontalba

Résidence de l’ambassadeur Américain

4, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75006 Paris

Kathy Z. Gillis

May 16, 2001

The American Ambassador’s Residence in Paris is located in what was once a

bucolic suburb of Paris: Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The building derives its cur-

rent name from the Baroness Micaela de Pontalba, who purchased the property

in 1836. She commissioned the architect Ludovico Visconti to design the

hôtel

hôtel, hôtel

replacing the rst structure, dating from 1720. Construction was completed in

1855. The Baron Edmond de Rothschild acquired the property in 1876 and

had it renovated substantially. Baroness Pontalba was an American, born in New

Orleans, who married a descendant of a French noble family that had land in Lou-

isiana. It is tting that our group, essentially diplomats of the eld of conservation

in America should be entertained at such an appropriate venue.



Furniture in France: 2001



In 1948, the American government purchased the building. Its restoration from

1966–1971 was under the supervision of the Foreign Building Operations in

Washington DC and by Maurice Pascandia, specialist in French 18th and early

19th-century architecture. At present there are ongoing small restoration aspects.

Decisions reached for these projects are hopefully based on historic precedent,

rather than personal taste, but much of the building reected an American aes-

thetic when compared to Château de Voisins or even the Hôtel Potocki.

The furniture highlights we saw included a pair of Louis XIV giltwood and gesso

pier tables with red Vienna marble, a rare Louis XVI parquetry writing table, four

giltwood armchairs by Louis Cresson (1706–1761, cabinetmaker of Louis XV),

two Louis XV commodes stamped by Jacob Coulon, and a Louis XVI black-

lacquered

demi-lune

commode stamped by Vassou. There were four giltwood

demi-lune commode stamped by Vassou. There were four giltwood demi-lune

transition period armchairs signed by the renowned cabinetmaker Nicholas Heur-

taut. Other pieces from the set are on display in the Louvre.

Finally, to emphasize the resounding goodwill between France and America, we

visited the Lindbergh bedroom, which contains the bed in which Charles Lind-

bergh slept the night of May 21, 1927, after his historic transatlantic ight. It

originally was located at the former Embassy Residence on Avenue d’Iena.

IFROA

Institut de formation des restaurateurs d’oeuvres d’art

(The Institute for Training of Restorers of Works of Art)

150, ave. Pres. Wilson, 93210 St-Denis La Plaine

Ecole Boulle

9, rue Pierre Bourdan, 75012 Paris

Mike Podmaniczky

May 17, 2001

For those participants who are engaged in some form of teaching, substantive time

spent at Ecole Boulle and IFROA was invaluable. For conservators who are steeped

in the American approach to conservation as distinguished from a purely craft-ori-

ented tradition, the French attitude is bracing. In one sense, the deep and broad

French traditions of furniture making, repair and restoration are seamless and

ongoing, and as such, there has not been the same evolution in the societal attitude

toward less intrusive preservation as there has been in the United States. Preserva-

tion here focuses almost solely on “things,” whereas the French attitude includes

processes, techniques…even attitudes. The closest the United States gets to this is

in the historic trade shops at Colonial Williamsburg, and yet the raried purity of

that environment is not really comparable with the day-to-day continuance of his-

toric processes executed in a contemporary environment as observed in France.



Furniture in France: 2001



Ecole Boulle is the paradigm of historic trade schools and a mecca for those inter-

ested in maintaining traditional handcrafts. Although we also viewed classrooms

focused on metal trades, the most enlightening time was spent with students and

teachers of carving, marquetry, furniture making and chair making, all of which

are taught as distinctly separate trades resulting in almost guild-like professional

arrangements. The skills demonstrated by students were extremely high, attesting

to the demanding standards set by the Ecole. Students concentrate on 18th-cen-

tury designs and techniques during their training, but many go on after gradua-

tion to explore contemporary, studio furniture while their classmates join the ow

of traditional furniture making and restoring around Paris.

The Institute for Training of Restorers of Works of Art (IFROA) offered insight to

a more focused conservation program. The themes of ethics, philosophy, applied

science and craft paralleled those taught in programs in North America and were

familiar to American conservators. As is often the case, the European program

demanded more years of the student than programs in the United States. Also,

IFROA expects a higher level of traditional craft skill from their students than is

usually the case with American counterparts, which is not surprising given sister

institutions such as Ecole Boulle.

Although IFROA is clearly at the cutting edge of conservation training in France,

there is still a strong centripetal pull from the traditional craft milieu in many

Metal work at Ecole Boulle, Paris.

Student work at Ecole Boulle.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



forms. These range from instructors who

are drawn from the traditional restora-

tion eld to an insistence that there be

no substitute for true tortoise shell used

by students practicing Boulle work res-

toration.

Despite the differences along the scale

of conservation/restoration, the one

precept that stood out everywhere was

pride and commitment to the decorative

arts heritage of France.

Ateliers de Versailles

Le Centre de Recherche de Restauration des Musées de France

Petite Ecurie du Roy 2, ave. Rockefeller, 78000 Versailles

Thomas Snyder

May 14, 2001

The Furniture in France participants visited the conservation labs of the Atelier de

Versailles, installed in the Horse Stables of the Versailles Palace, on May 14, 2001.

This site is where a lot of French government-owned artifacts are treated. The labs

are divided into separate spaces for each of the following broadly-dened catego-

ries: furniture conservation, gilding and gilded frames conservation, paintings con-

servation (including panel conservation) and sculptural objects conservation. Our

host was Mme France Dijoud,

chef du Départment de la conservation restauration.

The conservators who work in the labs must be professionally trained through

either the French national system, private French conservation schools or a foreign

university. They are not employed by the Atelier Versailles but hired on a contract

basis. Three estimates for the work are sought, but the owner of the artifact has

some inuence over which conservator is ultimately chosen. The museums that

own the artifacts pay for the work out of their own budgets. Conservators are

invited to work in the spaces provided and are provided with support personnel

such as scientists and photographers, but the conservator must bring his or her

own tools. As often as possible, however, the conservators are urged to work on-site.

In these matters, the Ateliers de Versailles are like some museums in the United

States today, but the differences are obvious in the type of work performed. In

France, the general term applied to conservation is

restauration

, meaning the pro-

cess of making the item look as near to new or original as possible. This sometimes

includes processes that many American conservators deem too intrusive or involve

Student at IFROA describing faux tortiseshell  nishes.

Kathy Z. Gillis



Furniture in France: 2001



materials and methods that are not always distinguishable from the original. It also

may include the use of materials without a clear idea of what the residual effects of

the materials may have.

We visited the panel painting lab where our host discussed a painting with a large

crack in the wooden panel. Enlarging the crack with a chisel and inserting new

wood, a traditional method, was employed to repair the crack in the panel. How-

ever, new materials that are more stable and lighter are also sometimes used. Metal

cradling was attached using epoxy to the reverse of panels as a substitute for the

wooden cradles formerly used. This was a demonstration of a conservator practic-

ing his trade using time-honored techniques while adding a few new and more

suitable materials to his toolkit. This scene might have been found in many con-

servation labs throughout the world.

In the furniture conservation lab of the Ateliers de Versailles, an example of the

United States-style conservation versus European restoration conict was most

evident. “Panama wood” is employed as a material to remove tarnish from gilt

bronze mounts. This as-yet-unidentied wood is steeped in water, sometimes

with beer added, and the liquid is then applied to the bronze mounts. There has

apparently been no attempt to analyze what compounds are the active ingredients

or what residual effects this solution may have. This is a traditional method, and

the mention of it is not intended to deny the effectiveness or suitability of it as a

material or method, simply to point out that in the United States at well-funded

conservation labs, these time-honored methods and materials have largely been

replaced with commercial products of known analytical content. This contrast

between conservation and

restauration

was enlightening and important to witness,

especially for a recent graduate of an American conservation school where conser-

vation theory and ethics are instilled into the students at many levels.

In the gilded objects conservation lab, frames and gilded mirrors, chandeliers and

other gilded objects are treated with traditional materials and techniques, much as

the furniture conservation lab operates. The conservator was not very forthcoming

about some of his recipes despite repeated attempts to determine just what he was

using to remove surface dirt and overpaint.

The sculptural objects conservation lab contained several examples of sculpture in

different materials: stone, wood, composite and plaster. Several of the conservators

eagerly sought advice from the American conservators on the treatment of an 11th

century Cambodian stone statue, and illustrated that the French conservators were

dealing with issues very similar to their American counterparts. The issue discussed

was whether very old, incomplete coatings done in Oriental lacquer in the 14th cen-

tury were best left intact. Originally, the stone was uncoated. What should be done?

Remove the coating to restore the original artistic intent or leave it alone as part of

the history of the piece? As always, the issue was not decided during our brief visit.



Furniture in France: 2001



Musée du Louvre

Porte des Arts, 75058 Paris

Thomas Snyder

May 14, 2001

After touring the restoration labs at Versailles,

we were welcomed into the galleries of the

Musée du Louvre by Daniel Alcouffe,

conserva-

teur général chargé du département des Objects

d’art.

We were led through the furniture galler-

ies of the Louvre by Pierre Ramond, a world-

renowned marquetry expert and author of some

of the foremost books on marquetry, parquetry

and intarsia. His latest work is the three-vol-

ume set

Masterpieces in Marquetry

(recently

Masterpieces in Marquetry (recently Masterpieces in Marquetry

translated by Brian Considine)

Other titles

written by him are the benchmark work

Mar-

quetry,

also translated by Brian Considine. M.

Ramond explained in detail the different deco-

rative veneering techniques that were used by

cabinetmakers such as Jean-Francois Oeben and

Andre Charles Boulle, among others. He helped

explain these techniques by nding examples of

the different marquetry techniques on pieces

of furniture in the galleries. He pointed out

entrance holes used when starting marquetry

saw cuts and shoulder knife cuts used to inlay

wood elements, which was extremely helpful

in trying to understand the intricacies of marquetry. M. Ramond also explained

how other materials such as brass and tortoise shell were incorporated into many

of the pieces of furniture. The tour was a self-guided one organized between the

Furniture in France group and M. Ramond, and the furniture was not opened or

touched for examination.

On a subject that has little to do with the study of furniture, I could not help but

notice that the lighting of the furniture in the Boulle gallery and other furniture

galleries, but especially the Boulle gallery, was harsh and uneven. In a world-

class museum like the Louvre, it was disappointing to try to squint through the

glare that reected off the highly polished furniture to pick out the subtle details

M. Ramond was exposing for the group. Obviously, the design of the building

severely restricted the placement of lighting and furniture, due to windows that

lined an entire wall of the gallery. While I do not offer any solutions, I simply note

that this condition exists.

Pierre Ramond in the marquetry atelier, Ecole Boulle.

Patrick Albert, CCQ



Furniture in France: 2001



Patrick Desserme

17 rue du Pont-aux-Choux, 75003 Paris

Greg Guenther

May 18, 2001

The intriguing workshop of fth-generation glass blower

and shaper Patrick Desserme seems to hide secret treasures.

The space reects many decades of dedicated work, with

shaping molds stacked to the ceiling and piled against walls.

The adjoining rooms are packed with raw materials, old

glass globes and objects, newly-completed glass shapes, and

numerous shaped-metal molds. The specialty of the studio is

taking at glass panels, heating them correctly, and shaping

or slumping them into specially-made curved molds. With

timeless skill,

bombé

and other shapes needed in glass are

meticulously created.

Mold making requires unique and varied skills. The molds

are made of steel and heavily reinforced with ribbing and

supports to handle the heating required. Glass plate is laid

on top of the molds inside of a kiln, heated, and lightly hand

coaxed into the given shape. When ne reproduction work

is required, a wood-red oven kiln is used which imparts its

own effect from the smoke and ash. The glass plate used may

come from Germany, Africa or Spain. The chemical ingredi-

ents of the glass impart specic tones: high carbon oxide has

a reddish hue and basalt a greenish hue. These beautiful and many colored hues

shine in this unusual space in the center of Europe.

The signicance of work performed by a dedicated fth generation craftsman is

illustrated by this studio setup and work method. If one assumes a direct transfer

of tried techniques through generations, as well as continual improvements, an

able craftsman should be capable of subtle work in a specic niche. The outcome

of the work is not based upon group agreement or knowledge; it is the sum of

one individual’s training and experience and the resultant choice of methods. Even

with the introduction of new methods and new materials (modern plate glass, for

instance), the grounding of a craftsman in tradition provides a broad base from

which to make technical and aesthetic choices and evaluations, and assure quality

workmanship.

This studio visit has increased awareness of the continuation of successful older,

traditional methods of work, presented a resource, and developed a broadened

appreciation of interdependent craft elds.

Wood  red 19th-century kiln for slump-

ing glass into forms. Patrick Desserme

glass, Paris

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



Chevalier Conservation

64, Blvd de la Mission-Marchand, 92400 Courbevoie

David deMuzio

May 18, 2001

The group visited Chevalier Con-

servation in Courbevoie on May

18th, and we were shown around

the modern facility by owners Pierre

and Dominique Chevalier. Cheva-

lier Conservation specializes in the

preservation of tapestries, rugs and

textiles, including furniture uphol-

stery. In addition to carrying out

treatment using traditional hand

stitching, Chevalier has developed

and installed a large state-of-the-art

computer-driven cleaning table for

rugs and tapestries. Claire Balmes,

a textile engineer and conservator,

demonstrated the cleaning process on a large tapestry. The main innovation of

the system is that it allows wet cleaning of fragile textiles without total submer-

sion in water. The textile is supported on a taut mesh table over which moves a

robotic platform that allows vacuuming or delivery of solvent to all parts of the

textile without making physical contact, thus minimizing damage to the bers. A

computer controls and monitors the process, regulating the amount of nebulised

cleaning solution sprayed onto the textile from the moving platform above. Vari-

able suction from below the mesh table draws the cleaning solution through the

tapestry at the point of application, allowing the textile to be cleaned using only

a fraction of the water of a traditional wet cleaning process (100 liters vs. 6000

liters). This signicantly minimizes the risk of fugitive dyes bleeding from the

bers. All parameters of the process are controllable, allowing the specics of each

treatment to be tailored to the conservator’s requirements. It was absolutely fasci-

nating to watch. Clients who cannot visit the lab can actually watch the treatment

of their textile on their computer in real time through a Webcam® link!

This very sophisticated cleaning system, combined with specialized staff working in

the textile restoration tradition seems unique to Chevalier. No American museum

conservation department could justify this amount of specialized equipment and

staff, making Chevalier’s textile conservation services an important part of rug and

tapestry preservation worldwide. For this reason, and particularly for very large

textiles, there is a growing list of American museums using Chevalier’s services. In

contrast to most American textile conservation facilities, an integral part of Cheva-

lier’s business is buying, restoring, and selling antique rugs and tapestries.

Chevalier Conservation, Courbevoie.

Leslie Rainer



Furniture in France: 2001



The textile portion of the study trip was an incredibly important experience since

most of us focus primarily on the “wood issues” of furniture and woodwork.

Upholstery is the most fragile of materials incorporated into interiors and there-

fore is the least likely to survive the passage of time. To see the craft that continues

to produce these luxury goods was very instructive.

Villa Majorelle

1, rue Louis Majorelle, 54000 Nancy

Alton Bowman

May 19, 2001

The Grand Hotel de la Reine, where

we stayed in Nancy, is located on

the Place Stanislas, an 18th-century

square. In the center of the square,

we saw the statue of Duke Stanislas

Leczinsky, whose abdication from

the throne of Poland and subsequent

move to Nancy in 1735, was piv-

otal in making Nancy the capital of

the Lorraine region. The square is

surrounded by huge black, rococo

iron gates, with gilding done by our

friends at the Atelier Gohard in Paris.

We split into two groups; one viewed

the 18th-century architecture and

the other viewed the Art Nouveau buildings. We walked through the city and

regrouped at the Villa Majorelle. Our group stopped rst at an Art Nouveau

wooden storefront, now occupied by a Laura Ashley clothing store, designed by

Eugene Vallin. There was a beautiful Art Nouveau pharmacy on a corner that

is still in use as a pharmacy. We stopped at the Crédit Lyonais Building, a bank

designed at the turn of the century and still in use by the same company. Inside,

the magnicent high ceiling of the main room was decorated in stained glass by

Jacques Gruber. It featured symbolic oral motifs and ooded the entire room

with light.

At the Villa Majorelle we were met by our guide. She informed us that the villa

was the private home and studio of Louis Majorelle. In 1898, Majorelle con-

tracted the young Parisian architect Henri Sauvage to execute his dream home.

Constructed between 1901–1902, it is one of the nest expressions of the col-

laboration of Art Nouveau artists in Nancy. Majorelle designed the furnishings,

the staircase and the built-ins that were manufactured in the shops on the prop-

erty. Jacques Gruber created the stained glass in the foyer and the grand salon.

Villa Majorelle, Nancy.

Leslie Rainer



Furniture in France: 2001



The chimney was made by the ceramist Alexandre Bigot

and the painted decorations are by Francis Jourdain as

well as work by Henry Royer and Lucien Weisenberger.

The exterior of the house was partially restored in 1996.

The restoration of the interior is ongoing as well as the

search for the original furniture, some of which has

already been returned to the Villa and some of which

can be seen in the Musée de l’école de Nancy, which is

just up the street.

Musée de l’école de Nancy

38, rue du Sergent Blandan, 54000 Nancy

Alton Bowman and David Bayne

May 19, 2001

The museum is a collection of the major works of the artists working in Nancy

during the Art Nouveau period. All of the decorative arts are represented: fur-

niture, glass, ceramics and metalwork. A founder and teacher of the group was

Emile Gallé and some of his glass works and major furniture pieces are displayed

here. The magnicent carved and inlaid bed,

Aube et Crepuscule

(1904

)

, is one of

the masterpieces of the museum and French furniture. It is his last piece and one

of our favorites of the trip. The museum also contained furniture by Eugène Vallin

(1856–1922) and Jacques Gruber, plus large cabinets by Louis Majorelle (1859–

1926) in the tropical hardwood Goncalo alves, and Cuban mahogany.

After seeing some of Vallin’s exterior architectural work in our walk to the

museum, it was a treat to see a set of his furniture in a complete room setting. We

could see how the ow and sweep of the furniture meshed with the carved panel-

ing, built-ins, and ceiling. Although not quite in a period room, the museum also

contained the complete bedroom suite and lamps from the Villa Majorelle that we

had just visited. He used beautifully carved ash to frame veneers of curly ash inlaid

with mother of pearl. This light and delicate suite for a private space contrasted

Patrick Albert, CCQ

Dining room at the Villa Majorelle. Furniture made by

Louis Majorelle, stained glass by Jacques Gruber, and ceramic

chimney by Alexander Bigot.



Furniture in France: 2001



with the somber mahogany dining tables and interior nishes that we had seen in

the more public parts of his house. Finally, not only was work by Louis Majorelle

represented, but there also was an unusual piano decorated by his father. We could

experience again the continuity of French furniture from generation to generation.

Even lunch was a learning experience as we dined at the famous Grand Café de la

Brasserie Excelsior. In 1911, the architects Weissenberger and Mienville designed

this classic restaurant near the train station. The interior was lled with works by

artists of the Nancy school. Louis Majorelle designed the furniture and decorations,

the glass lamp shades were designed by Antonin Daum, and the stained glass win-

dows by Jacques Gruber. The restaurant was restored in 1986 when Flo, a French

restaurant chain, acquired it. The food was exceptional with interesting German-

inuenced variations.

Musée des Arts Décoratifs

39 rue Bouffard 33000 Bordeaux

Anne Woodhouse and Kathy Z. Gillis

May 20, 2001

One of the goals of our trip was to explore French furniture beyond the limits of

Paris and royal commissions. This was satised in our visit to the Musée des Arts

décoratifs in Bordeaux. The museum is housed in a late 18th-century mansion

built between 1775–1779 by the Bordeaux architect Etienne Laclotte for Pierre

de Raymond de Lalande, a lawyer in the Bordeaux Parliament. The collections

range from the beginning of the 18th century through the period of Louis XVI

(1774–1793). The museum gave us an opportunity to compare the high-style

furniture of Paris with native

bordelais

furniture, which in general is less ornate,

bordelais furniture, which in general is less ornate, bordelais

and more solidly proportioned. Our guide, Mme Catherine Gaboury, gave up her

Sunday to provide us with a fascinating and thorough tour.

We learned about a category of furniture referred to as “port” furniture, a distinct

variation produced in the Atlantic coast cities such as Bordeaux, La Rochelle, and

Nantes. Because the Atlantic seaports of France were part of the “triangular trade”

between Europe, the West Indies, and Africa, they received large shipments of

mahogany, kingwood, purpleheart, and lignum vitae. An unusual kind of furni-

ture was born using exotic hardwoods as solid wood rather than merely as veneer

show woods. Although Parisian-made furniture would be expected in a Bordeaux

salon, locally made pieces would be found in less public spaces. For example, we

saw commodes in solid purpleheart and tables of turned lignum vitae. Pieces simi-

lar to Bordeaux furniture can be found in furniture made in the West Indies and

New Orleans, where exotic woods were also readily available. Very little veneered

furniture was made in Bordeaux, and marquetry is unusual. In Paris, the standard

wood for interior structures was oak. In Bordeaux, more than one type of wood

was used.



Furniture in France: 2001



Unlike Paris, where a system of specialized craftsmen divided the work of joiner,

carver, and gilder, in Bordeaux there was a more generalist system of production.

The same person may have executed parquet oors, joinery, veneering, carv-

ing, etc. One area in which production was reserved for a specialist was wainscot

woodwork.

Among the many examples of Bordelais furniture we saw were

some objects found only outside of Paris. We examined a pair

of console tables that were unique in incorporating a front

drawer, two incurved side drawers, and turned legs. There

were many turners in Bordeaux in the 18th century and a lot

of turned furniture was produced for the trans-Atlantic trade.

A “refreshment table” is another piece with turned legs and

containers to cool bottles, with plate racks on lower shelves

and a marble top.

Signature examples of specialized furniture are the huge

armoires of carved solid Cuban mahogany. They were used in

the dining room, not the bedroom, and during dinner were

opened to display the plates and ceramics. Often the interior

incorporated complete sets of built-in drawers. Although from

the front the hardware was rather plain and ordinary, when the

doors were opened, beautifully-nished iron locks and bolts

were revealed.

In Bordeaux, we saw several examples of English inuences on

French furniture. Along the French coast, desks with book-

cases were made. This form is not frequently found in the

rest of France and although the concept is English, the

bombé

shaping, paneled sides, and front with tiny cabriole feet looked

very French. The American desk-and-bookcase, which is very

similar overall, is an example of the same English invention

being expressed in another culture.

The visit to the Bordeaux Musée des Arts décoratifs illustrated

for us the regional characteristics of French furniture but also

the inuences from other cultures. The adaptation of English

forms using New World materials is something familiar to

Americans. Since so many Huguenots left the French Atlantic

coast for America, it is not surprising perhaps that some of the

same trends are shared.

Bordeaux desk and bookcase, Musée

des Arts décoratifs, Bordeaux.

David Bayne

Armoire bordelaise

Musée d’ Aquita-

ine, Bordeaux.

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



Château de Kerjean

29440 Saint-Vougay

Ferme Musée du Léon

29440 Tréaouenan

May 22, 2001

Musée Départmental Breton

21 bis Avenue de la Gare, 29000 Quimper

May 23, 2001

Chris Swan

Rounding out the Western leg of our decorative arts

tour de France

were visits to

tour de France were visits to tour de France

selected sites in the Bretagne region, in particular, Château de Kerjean, a small

farm museum, and the regional history Musée Départmental Breton in the town

of Quimper. The Château is near the village of Saint-Vougay, midway between

Brest and Morlaix. Upon arriving, it was clear from the ocean air that we had

arrived near the coast at the place that Louis XIII described as, “

L’une des plus

belles maisons du royaume.

” (One of the most beautiful houses of the kingdom).

The original manor house was constructed in 1420–30

for the Ollivier family whose wealth derived from the

regional linen industry. After 1500, ownership passed to

the architect Jean Barbier who rebuilt the stone château

with the permission of the King. It has survived relatively

intact from that time to the present as one of France’s

premier examples of French Renaissance architecture.

Today the château is owned by the state and adminis-

tered by the Saint-Vougay District Council Ministry. We

were greeted by one of the principal interpreters, whose

willingness to speak English for us was yet another exam-

ple of French hospitality. The château is partially fur-

nished with 17th and 18th-century furniture reecting

the life of the aristocratic families in those periods. The

collection is highlighted by a number of stile-and-panel

grain coffers, blanket chests, and especially the endur-

ing

lit-clos

(enclosed bed cabinets). The quality of the

lit-clos (enclosed bed cabinets). The quality of the lit-clos

wooden artifacts in the château was rivaled only by the

early Renaissance carved structural interior of the chapel.

Having made the long journey to northern Brittany, we

added a worthwhile short detour to the Farm Museum

of Léon, near the village of Berven. This was a “living history” site similar to the

Ferme de Pierre Allègre we had visited in the Auvergne. The museum is a farm

Lit clos

(1664), Château de Kerjean, Bretagne.

David Bayne



Furniture in France: 2001



functioning as a tourist attraction (and bar!). In addition to the small 19th-century

farmhouse and attached stables, it featured an impressive array of farm wagons and

machinery such as tractors, plows, and harvesting machines. Also on display were a

19th-century clog carving lathe that was still in working order. Upstairs in the loft

of the wooden barn was a collection of historic photographs of the life of the farm.

Back in Quimper, our last day of touring found us in the regional history museum

of the Bretagne, situated in the bishop’s palace—an architectural composite rang-

ing from the 12th to the 19th centuries, next to the neo-gothicized cathedral.

Dating from 1876, the museum collection houses a wonderful variety of artifacts

reecting the life and history of the Breton region. Objects ranged from a select

few early Roman objects and early Christian polychrome wooden sculpture to

some of the region’s nest faience ceramics. The outstanding furniture collections

explained some of the inspiration for the forms and design we encountered in the

region. As Americans seeking to understand some of the transitions from Europe

to the New World, seeing these simpler vernacular objects in this setting seemed a

tting end to our introductory tour of the French decorative arts.



Spoons, Musée départmental Breton, Quimper.

Patrick Albert, CCQ