Louis XV Antique Furniture
Period History:
Louis XV was the grandson of King Louis XIV and ruled France between 1715 and 1774. He is most commonly known for being one of France's most unpopular kings. During his reign, he managed to upset almost every social group in his country, yet surprisingly, in its own exclusive way, that segregation from his people has led to the Louis XV period antique furniture being some of the most sought after French furniture in the world. Due to the unbalance of his country, the remaining Louis XV furniture is seen as a great treasure that heralds from a time of grave public unrest in France and symbolises the determination of its people as a whole but, in particular, in its furniture designers to continue to inspire, create and deliver a legacy of beautiful, intricate and detailed furniture which remains to this day a coveted style of design.
What Makes Louis XV Furniture Louis XV Furniture?
There are a number of tell-tale design characteristics that articulate this style of design. It is quite common to hear or see pieces of furniture incorrectly described as Louis XV, when in actual fact, they are Louis XIV. What separates the two is actually quite distinctive, and I'll list them below.
Louis XV Furniture is:
Designed more curvaciously Free flowing forms and shapes Not made with straight lines, straight cuts or anything that looks angular Intricately carved and seemingly infinitely detailed Hand painted Shells tend to form the focul points of each design Symbolic of romance, sensuality and love Light and graceful
Louis XV Furniture is not:
Reliant on presence to state its claim, such as Gothic Furniture Made with straight cuts Big, bulky or angular Strong and masculine Machine painted Machine cut
You will find that Louis XIV furniture is quite the opposite in style to Louis XV, and where I've listed the points above that are not associated with Louis XV, you will tend to find these same characteristics present in Louis XIV furniture, for example, it will be more angular and less graceful, more inline with a masculine strength of style than a graceful, romantic wisp as seen in Louis XV furniture. It is a very common mistake, most probably due to the similarities in name, but it is vital when identifying your antique furniture to get the periods correct as unsurprisingly, it can cause chaos for the buyer at auction!
Resources: http://www.collectionasturias.com/ http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-Louis-XVAntique-Furniture&id=1042146