French Revolution Furniture: 18th century Antique "Semainier," Directoire Style (Decorative Arts) скачать в хорошем качестве

French Revolution Furniture: 18th century Antique "Semainier," Directoire Style (Decorative Arts)

The short lived and transitional Directoire style (1790-1800) is named after and loosely corresponds chronologically to the Directorate period in French political history. This tall dresser, named a "semainier" in French, after "la semaine" meaning "week" (for seven drawers, one for each day of the week), exemplifies this style. This type of Directorate furniture is a heavily brass adorned evolution of the previous Louis XVI style. At the time, it would have been new and shocking, far from the traditional air it may appear to have today. Makers sought to distinguish their work from the monochrome mahogany pieces so favored during the past 25 years, without having largely managed to found a totally new style. In American History, this unusual type of furniture is recognized for having been the style brought back by then future President James Monroe in 1797 (after his ambassadorship in France). This "semainier," by virtue of its relatively complex expression of directorate decor (contrasting mahogany moldings, decorated sides, and rare ebony inlays) not only showcases a fairly unusual type of piece, but a particularly fine example of directorate furniture. The process of truly understanding "antiques" is anchored in simple exposure to as many outstanding period pieces as possible. The qualities of the best pre-industrial, generally pre-1840 pieces, predicate our interest in furniture from the past, while making up only a tiny minority of it. I hope access to these pieces will interest seasoned collectors as much as it should help orient newcomers to this mysterious subject. This work of art is no longer available. For inquiries as to other pieces, please write via the contact page on myersandmonroe.com. Many thanks to all viewers and subscribers, Cole Myers Myers and Monroe, LLC