French Furniture and Design
No open-access works for French Furniture and Design are in the index yet. They will appear here as more collections are indexed.
About French Furniture and Design
France organised luxury as an industry early. Under Louis XIV the state-run Gobelins manufactory supplied Versailles, and André-Charles Boulle perfected marquetry of brass and tortoiseshell. Paris guilds split the trade between menuisiers, who carved solid wood for chairs and beds, and ébénistes, who veneered case furniture; from the mid-18th century masters had to stamp their names on their work. Jean-Henri Riesener's commodes for Marie Antoinette mark its height. After the Revolution, Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine gave Napoleon an Empire style of mahogany and gilt bronze.
French taste kept its authority through Émile Gallé's glass in Nancy, Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann's Art Deco cabinets and the couture of Paul Poiret and Gabrielle Chanel. Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé later brought modern materials and social purpose, Jean Royère added fantasy, and Philippe Starck took French design worldwide from the 1980s. Look for fine veneers, gilt-bronze mounts and a strong sense of occasion.
The makers
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International Style
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Memphis Design
Mid-Century Modern Design
Modern and Contemporary Design
Modern and Contemporary Fashion Design
Modern Design
Post-War French Design
Postmodern Architecture and Design
Scandinavian Furniture and Design
Union des Artistes Modernes
Wiener Werkstätte
20th Century Furniture and Design
American Furniture and Design
American Mid-Century Design
American Studio Craft Movement
Art Deco Furniture and Design
Art Nouveau Furniture and Design
Arts and Crafts Movement
Brazilian Furniture and Design
British Furniture and Design
