Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-10-02
THE DEMOCRAT
Octobre, Ioos Ten Pages
FRENCH FURNITURE.
Attempt to Restore or Replace the
Beauties of Old Types.
Ten Pages

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of those enormous universal ba-
zars' in Paris, from which lola drew
! his s'Bonheur des Danes" has offered
a prize for such designs in furniture
and house decoration as shall best
typifv and reflect the civilization of
the third republic. His astute pro-
posal has drawn attention not only to
| the importance of his own establish
ment, but to what he no doubt con-
siders the secondary question Of
whether such designs are possible at
! all, and what the "Style Troisieme
Republique" may fairly be considered
to be- There is, of course, no shadow
| of doubt that the cafes Of Montmar-
ire and the studios Of the Quarter
Latin have long ago composed their
answers to a challenge so seductively
| held out. They will create you style
as light heartedly as they will destroy
a government, and with just as little
conjunction about the ultimate veri-
ties involved.
In reality, says the London Tele-
graph, our enterprising bazar keep
er Of Montmartre is not so original as
may be imagined For some years a
perfect contagion Of eccentricity has
rioted across the continent, under the
name Of Tart Nouveau" The year
Just closed has seen several exhibi-
tions inspired by the same repudia-
ton of everything traditional. In vi
emma, in Berlinand in Munich what are
called secession" galleries have been
filled with skillful monstrosities. AT
Turin the same tendency was every
where observable Artists have wan
dered off in debaucheries of mean
ingless decoration; jewelers. have
twisted gold and enamel and precious
stones into the newest deformities OF
an extravagant improperly.
Forvery many years France was the
center of the artistic light in Europe
In many ways she must be still. But a
death blow was dealt to more than
one monarchy by the events of 1889
Throughout the eighteenth century
French art, fostered by the centraliz-
ing influence of the grand mon
arque," gradually increased in the
varied power Of its expression. Al
| the death of Louis XIV. two styles
associated with the names of his i'm
mediate successors, were logically and
| beautifully developed, which have
been the joy of collectors ever since
They inherited the rich harvest OF
the sixteenth century of a renaissance
which took its whole departure from
the central principle of the rehabilita
ton of the individual. Temples were
forgotten, for houses had to be built
Artists turned from monumental
work to lavish a divine ingenuity OF
. the production and decoration of OBJ
jects in which the personal motive
was predominant. The chateau
. called into harmonious service all the
. larger arts; furniture became the
epitome of all the lesser. On sucl
foundations worked the men who
made eighteenth century furniture
; from France, whose names were Jea1
; Lamour, Caffieri, Boulle, Charles
Crescent, Riesener, Gouthiere, whose
collaborators were Vatican, Fragon
ard, Boucher, Natoire, Van Loo
Hoet, Van Sapendonor. You ma.
see as fine specimens of their work a
exist anywhere in the Jones collec
ton at the South Kensington muse
um or in the Wallace collection a
Hartford house. Everywhere reign
good breeding. Not a trick of fash
ionable coquetry is lost, or of tina
"sweet disorder in the dress, kindlins
in cloathes a wantonesse," which is a
far from grossness as it is differen
from modesty. The artists had an ex
quisite tact, happy license, an at
tractive piquancy in those days whel
convention had q greater infuenc
on life and conduct than it ever hat
before or since. "Better die than b.
ungraceful" was their motto, and in
is all the charm of gallant, careless
aristocratic age that has passed ava:
) forever. It bloomed the fairer be
J cause it was on the verge of an abyss
The guillotine cut off at stroke tn
; old traditions of spacious luxury TO
which the exquisite furniture o
Louis XIV. and XVI. has been ere