Renaissance Interior Design

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Questions and Answers

Which chair has cabriole legs?

Voyeuse

Cabriolet (correct)

Fauteuil

Bergere

Which furniture piece is a straddle chair where the sitter faced the chair back?

Voyeuse (correct)

Marquise

Coupé

Fauteuil

Which type of chair is described as a lounge chair with full arm?

Fauteuil

Marquise

Cabriolet

Bergere (correct)

Which of the following is a small, two-seat sofa with an exposed frame?

Coupé Signup and view all the answers

Which piece of furniture is completely upholstered and similar to a wide seat or wide lounge chair?

Marquise Signup and view all the answers

What was the most decorative feature of the room’s fireplace?

Mantel Signup and view all the answers

What was a common motif found in furniture elements?

Olive leaves Signup and view all the answers

Which type of window was usual in historical art and interior design?

Square-headed Signup and view all the answers

What type of furniture piece is a 'Caquetoire'?

Chair Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of historical walls?

Mirrors Signup and view all the answers

What shape were the ceilings in historical art and interior design?

Flat Signup and view all the answers

What is a Rolltop Desk also known as?

bureau a cylinder Signup and view all the answers

Which piece of furniture took nine years to finish?

Bureau Du Roi Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary use of an armoire?

Clothing storage Signup and view all the answers

What type of cupboard is mainly built into the room?

Eincsignure Signup and view all the answers

What type of furniture are writing cabinets with drawers hidden by the writing surface?

Secretaries Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'Lit d’ange'?

A bed with a tester but no posts Signup and view all the answers

Which French period is characterized by the transition from the style of Louis XIV to the feminine style of Louis XV?

French Regency Signup and view all the answers

What furniture style features heavy rectangular backs combined with cabriole legs?

French Regency Signup and view all the answers

Who was Madame de Pompadour?

Louis XV’s mistress and a major patron of the arts Signup and view all the answers

What kind of decorative themes were commonly used in French Rococo interiors?

Pastoral and mythological scenes, decorative chinoiseries Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of an 'Ebeniste' in the guild system for craftsmen?

Maker of veneered furniture Signup and view all the answers

What type of flooring became popular in French Rococo interiors?

Parquet covered with patterned carpets Signup and view all the answers

Who acted as regent for Louis XV?

Philippe d’Orleans Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'Lit de repos' commonly known as?

A daybed Signup and view all the answers

Which piece of furniture consists of two upholstered chairs put together with an ottoman between them?

Duchesse-brisée Signup and view all the answers

What describes a 'Confidante'?

Three seats to a single unit Signup and view all the answers

Which furniture piece is typically fixed to a wall and supported by consoles or front legs?

Console table Signup and view all the answers

Which is a bedside table?

Table de chevet Signup and view all the answers

Which of these design pieces is a small, light lady's writing desk?

Bonheur-du-jour Signup and view all the answers

What defines the Angel bed (lit d'ange)?

A bed without posts but with a small canopy Signup and view all the answers

Which accessory includes porcelain vases from China?

Sèvres Signup and view all the answers

What is a Secretaire a abattant?

A tall writing cabinet with a drop-down writing surface Signup and view all the answers

Which design piece is known as the Bureau plat?

A writing desk Signup and view all the answers

What is a desserte?

A serving table Signup and view all the answers

Which table is designed for playing card games?

Bonillotte Signup and view all the answers

Which table is known for its slant top and absence of drawers?

Drop-leaf table Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a sewing table?

Tristense Signup and view all the answers

What describes a petite commode?

A table with several drawers Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first ebeniste-du-roi?

André Charles Boulle Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Ormolu mounts' refer to?

Mounted gilded bronze Signup and view all the answers

What is Vernis Martin known for?

Process of varnishing Signup and view all the answers

What material is used in Scagliola to create imitation marble?

Gypsum and marble chips Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes a large imposing chair of gilded wood?

Seggiolone Signup and view all the answers

Which technique involves inlaying brass into wood or tortoise shell?

Boulle works Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of Salone in the context of French Baroque interiors?

A living room or parlor Signup and view all the answers

During whose reign did the French Baroque period, France's Golden Age, occur?

Louis XIV Signup and view all the answers

Which of these features were commonly found in French Baroque interiors?

Curtains and columns setting off the bed in state bedchambers Signup and view all the answers

What were the floors in French Baroque interiors typically made of?

Wood parquet or black and white marble Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following were used for the decoration of French Baroque ceilings?

Painting, fresco, and stucco Signup and view all the answers

What kind of mirrors were used in French Baroque interiors?

Large plate glass mirrors Signup and view all the answers

Which type of chandelier was commonly found in French Baroque interiors?

Crystal or carved wood chandelier Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'ebeniste' refer to?

Someone who makes furniture with ebony Signup and view all the answers

Which decorated feature was frequently seen over doors or windows in French Neoclassical interiors?

Trumeau Signup and view all the answers

What shape were the only curves used in French Neoclassical interiors?

Ovals, ellipses, and circles Signup and view all the answers

Which type of ceiling decoration was most common in French Neoclassical interiors?

Flat ceilings with classical motifs Signup and view all the answers

Which element was NOT characteristic of French Neoclassical interior furnishings?

Bold and irregular shapes Signup and view all the answers

Which shape did the backs of fauteuils typically have during the French Neoclassical period?

Square or medallion back Signup and view all the answers

What was the common form of leg in French Neoclassical furniture?

Rectilinear, tapered, and fluted legs Signup and view all the answers

Which element was a significant motif in French Neoclassical decoration?

Classical orders and laurel wreaths Signup and view all the answers

Which finish was characteristic of French Neoclassical furniture?

Ivory or white enamel Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

History of Art and Interior Design

Walls

Paneling reaches from floor to ceiling
Intarsia in decorations
Cartouche

Windows and Doors

Square-headed windows were usual
Doors set in deep reveals

Fireplace

Strong focal points of a room
Highly ornamented with sculptural reliefs
Mantel was the most decorative feature in the room

Ceilings

Flat ceilings with exposed beams and girders

Stairways

Spiral, straight, and dogleg flights

Furniture Elements

Chairs had thronelike backs, straight arms
Chairs had turned, spiral, or baluster legs with bun or Flemish scroll feet
Motifs: olive, laurel, or acanthus leaves, foliated scrolls, rosettes, cartouche, medallions, shells, chimera, griffins, caryatids, grotesques, gadrooning
Furniture joints were concealed

Furniture Types

Stool/Tabouret
Escabelle

Other

Caquetoire: From caqueter ("to chat"), woman's chair had trapezoidal form standing on four legs
Armoire: Italian form of double cabinet for linen or clothes
Commode: Chest of drawers

Commode en Tambeau

Tambour-shaped commode

Lit d'ange ("Angel's Bed")

A bed with a tester but no posts
The tester floats like an "angel" over the bed

Cabinet on Stands

French Regency

The term regency loosely described the transition period from the height style of Louis XIV to the feminine style of Louis XV
When Louis XIV died, Philippe d'Orleans acted as regent for Louis XV
The craze for chinoiserie was responsible for much of the character of the Regency and Louis XV styles

Furniture Elements

For chairs, the heavy rectangular back of the Baroque combined with cabriole legs

French Rococo

Reign of Louis XV
Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's mistress and France's most outstanding patron of the arts

Interiors

Planned with intimate special-purpose rooms
Pastel-painted panels with curved moldings replaced the marble and stucco walls of the previous era
Pastoral or mythological scenes, decorative chinoiseries, and/or Rococo ornamentation in low relief, often gilded, were placed asymmetrically within the panel
Wallpapers were popularized by the middle class, and flocked papers imported from England
Parquet floor was covered with patterned carpets in soft colors
Fireplaces were often ornamented with Irumean or overmantle, combined paneling, mirror, and painted ornamentation

Guild System for Craftsmen

Ebeniste: Maker of veneered furniture
Menuisier: Maker of solid wood furniture
Fondeur: Maker of metal mounts
Ciseleur: Maker of bronze chasing
Vernisseur: Lacquerer
Marqueteur: Maker of marquetry panel
Doreur: Gilder

Furniture Types

Fauteuil: Armchair with pierced arm
Bergere: Lounge chair with full arm
Coupé: Small, two-seat sofa with an exposed frame
Marquise: Completely upholstered small sofa similar to a wide seat or a wide bergere; a seat for two people
Voyeuse: A straddle chair, in which the sitter faced the chair back and rested his arms on the upholstered top rail
Cabriolet: A small chair with a concave back and cabriole legs

Furniture

Lit de repos: A daybed, was the chaise lounge, an upholstered chair with a long seat for reclining
Duchesse-brisée: Two upholstered chairs put together and connected in the middle with an ottoman between them
Confidente: Three seats to a single unit, with the two end seats smaller and separated by arms from the center section
Console table: A table fixed to a wall with its top supported by consoles or front legs
Table de chevet: Bedside table
Table coiffeuse: The dressing table with drawers that opened to reveal a mirror

Design Pieces

Rolltop desk (bureau a cylinder)
Bureau Du Roi (King's Desk): Took nine years to finish
Commode: A low chest of drawers, the most typical
Eincsignure: A corner cupboard mainly built into the room
Armoire: Continued to be used for clothing storage
Secretaries: Writing cabinets with drawers hidden by the writing surface

Bonheur-du-jour

A small light lady's writing desk with a central drawer in front, tiered shelves and cupboards in the back, and sometimes shelves between the legs

Accessory

Glass mirrors
Sèvres: Porcelain vases, portrait busts, Celadon vases from China, and Vincennes-Soft paste figurines and serving pieces
Mantle clocks in exotic animal shapes

French Neoclassic

Under the reign of Louis XVI, there was a revived interest in classicism with the excavation of the ruins of Herculaneum in 1738
George Jacob founded a dynasty of cabinetmakers during this time
Henri Riesener, a Parisian cabinetmaker and student of Oeben, designed many pieces for Marie Antoinette

Interiors

Interior architecture and furnishings are the most important aspects of the Neoclassical style
Proportions were light and refined, retaining intimacy and charm, but with an emphasis on straight lines and geometric forms
Ovals, ellipses, and circles, which were usually segmental, were the only curves used
Wide and narrow panels of painted wood or plaster covered with rich fabrics or wallpaper or filled with mirrors or paintings, were symmetrically arranged
Slim panels on the walls, called boiseries, (carved woodwork picked out in gilt) were popular
Doors and windows had rectangular or elliptical panels over them and were symmetrically arranged, with flatter more austere moldings, such as the egg and dart
The trumeau (overdoor or overpaneling filled with paintings or mirrors) were frequently seen
Color prints and paintings were popular
Ceilings were usually flat and decorated with simple classical motifs, with a large glass chandelier in the center
Rooms with high ceilings had an entablature crowning the paneling, rooms with low ceilings had a simple comice or a cove

Furniture Elements

Manchettes (padded armrests): The arms ended in a volute or hoop back (the latter had up-rights and top rail in one continuous arch)
Legs were rectilinear, game (a pedestal leg which tapers towards the bottom), fluted, turned, and quiver-shaped, or spindle-shaped and fluted
Numerous innovations appeared, such as dining tables, combination secretary and chest-of-drawers, cylinder desks, mechanical furniture, and furniture with metal tops
Motifs were derived from Greek sources and from nature: classical orders, fruit, flowers, laurel wreaths, garlands, ribbons and bow-knots, mythological scenes, shepherds and shepherdesses, caryatids, trophies, hunting and music symbols, arabesques, running motifs such as guilloche, beads, leaf bands

Furniture Types

Fauteuil: with a square or medallion back that did not extend to the seat rail; Often slightly concave
Dressoir or sideboard: storage piece for display holding food or plate; literally "dressing the food"
Credence

French Baroque

The first of the purely native styles
During the reign of Louis XIV, France's Golden Age
Andre Charles Boulle appointed master cabinetmaker to Louis XIV

Interiors

Rooms in enfilade arrangement from public to more private spaces
Salone - (a living room or parlor), means a conversational gathering
Suites at each end
Apartment
- Antechamber
- Chamber
- Cabinet
State bedchamber bed set off by curtains and columns
Variety of interior spaces
Vertical perspectives resulting from the light and dark contrasts in the staircase
The rooms had massive proportion, and walls, ceilings, ornamentation were coordinated with the furnishings
Furniture was still placed next to the wall because most activities took place while people were standing
Colors were rich and vivid, and some of the combinations were violet and red, silver and gold, or red and green
Large plate glass mirrors were used, and imported Chinese wallcover covered the walls
Fireplace - ornamented with cartouche, swags, scrolls, and various classical ornaments
Ceilings
- contours varied: flat, barrel-vaulted, dome-vaulted, and with a cove from wall to ceiling
- Painting, fresco, and stucco
- Encouragement of vistas and the distinctive variation of ceiling configuration
Doors and window trim was architecturally treated with a heavy molding, crowned with a comice
Floors were wood parquet or black and white marble
Crystal or carved wood chandelier in the center room with additional wall torcheres
Accessories include: busts, hanging

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Description

This quiz covers the characteristics of Renaissance interior design, including walls, windows, doors, fireplaces, ceilings, and stairways. Learn about the ornate features and decorative elements of this historic design period.