Over the past two years the focus of my art history degree has been eighteenth-century French visual culture and, more specifically this year, visual culture during the French Revolution (from the first in 1789 to the third in 1848). In February last year our seminar group went on a week long study trip to Paris taking in the sights of Versailles, the collections of the Louvre and Musee Carnavalet and a few of Paris' many churches including the Pantheon, St Sulpice and Notre Dame. The experience of seeing the paintings, sculptures and art objects which we had studied in their original, genuine eighteenth-century, context was astounding. The contrast between seeing images of Versailles in guide books and then witnessing the overwhelming splendour of the Mirror room or Marie Antoinettes bedroom and then the idyllic make-believe world of the Hamlet was truly breathtaking. It was also incredibly interesting to see French interiors first-hand. In my final year I chose to study the French Revolution rather than French Interiors because I was sure that it would be intensely interesting, full of drama, violence, action and constant change. The course has fulfilled all those hopes but I do feel that tinge of regret for what the interiors course may have been like. Now that I am coming to the very end (only 5 weeks to go) of my University life and I have to start thinking of entering the real world, getting a job, a house, a pet etc I have started to become far more interested in the adult world of domesticity- cooking, organising dinner parties, gardening and so on, and part of that new interest has extended to planning, designing and buying furniture and other household items.
On an internet search one day I started looking for French eighteenth-century furniture and found two amazing sites. Firstly: juliettesinteriors which specialises mostly in more modern French furniture but has some amazing pieces of sculpture and things like fluted columns and mythological urns. Secondly, newtonsfurniture which is PERFECT. Newtons has several collections of furniture which are based around specific periods of French art/architecture/interior design: there is the Versailles collection, Josephine, Rococo, Antoinette and Louis among others. My favourite is without a doubt the Rococo collection- it is elegant, decadent and very feminine. The furniture comes in a range of different colourways and wood treatments but I like the traditional and less gaudy French white or Parisian cream. These are the particular items of furniture which are on my wish list for creating a mature yet girly boudoir:
Add with these pieces of furniture some Fleur de Lys print wallpaper, some Sevres porcelain and a few paintings by Boucher, Fragonard and Girodet.
Boucher- Madame Pompadour- 1759
Fragonard- The Swing- 1767
Girodet- The New Danae- 1799
If you are interested in French eighteenth century paintings, sculpture, interiors etc you should check out the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square, London because it houses the best collection outside of France and has a great restaurant and gift shop!!
You are fast becoming Jane Aldridge.
ReplyDeleteI'm still struggling with gym membership and tax, never mind the furniture!