FRANCE - Palata umetnosti Madlena

17 century – the period of Louis XIV

18 century – the period of the kings Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI; the Directory era; transition

The style of the French court and the grandeur of Versailles may be observed on the period furniture created after the stylistic norms of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI, from baroque and rococo to neoclassicism.

The style of the Sun King is recognizable, among others, for objects decorated with ebony and striking decorative-ornamental solutions such as floral garlands, lilies, palmettes, winding shell-like forms and similar artistic items. Artifacts from the period of Louis XVI include motifs featuring pastoral scenes encircled with ornamental interwoven details, acanthus leaves, antique-like details, and meanders.

The collection also comprises works of several well-known names of furniture designers and craftsmen of the period, such as Georges Jacob, Henry Jacob, Claude Sene, etc. Beside this, the culture of weaving and embroidery was exceptionally valued. Tapestries from the renowned Aubusson and Gobelin workshops once decorated walls of the French courts, while nowadays they decorate the walls of the Madlena Art Palace.

19 century – the period of Louis XVIII; Napoleon I Bonaparte; Charles X; Louis Phillipe;
Napoleon III

With the advent of Napoleon I Bonaparte, a new state system was established, but also the esthetic of the Style Empire with all the elements of Napoleon’s imperial philosophy, which was characterized by visible restoration of the antique tradition. Thus, motifs in the first decades of 19 century frequently included emblematic-allegorical scenes depicting triumph, victory, power, etc. The Antique Museum has numerous chandeliers from the period with a dominant figure of the goddess Nike, Greek goddess of victory, armchairs with lion heads and paws and wreaths of laurel leaves, which all points to the glory of the ruler and all other prerogatives of power.

20 century

The modern style emerged in France in the course of the first two decades of 20 century, to reach its peak at the International Exhibition of Modern decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. In the course of the exhibition, the narrative of art deco was firmly established by the designers and museum professional who helped shape up this very style. While designers in other states frequently cast away former esthetics, materials, and techniques, French artists were seeking for innovation, with equal acceptance of earlier artistic feats. It was characteristic of them to simultaneously express modern and national-historic elements through amalgamation of art and crafts.