Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-21
FRENCH FURNITURE.
Attempt to Restore or Replace the
Beauties of Old Types.

From the London Telegraph.
An enterprising proprietor Of one of those
enormous universal bazaars'' in Paris
from which lola drew his "Bonheur des
Danes has offered a prize for such designs
in furniture and house decoration as shall
best typify and reflect the civilization of
the third republic. His astute proposal has
drawn attention not only to the Importance
Of his own establishment, but to what he
no doubt considers 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 Montmartre and the stu
dos of the Quarter Latin have long ago
composed their answers to a challenge so
seductively held out. They will create you
stroy government and with Just as little
conjunction about the ultimate verities in
volved.
In reality, our enterprising bazaar keeper
OF Montmartre Is not SO original as may be
imagined For some years perfect con-
tagion of eccentricity has rioted across the
continent under the name Of Tart nou-
veau." The year Just closing has seen sew
eral exhibitions inspired by this same repu-
diation of everything traditional In Wen
ma. in Berlin and in Munich what are called
+ secession" galleries have been filled with
skillful monstrosities. At Turin the same
tendency was everywhere observable Artists
have wandered off in debaucheres Of mean
ingless decoration; jewelers. have twisted
gold and enamel and precious stones into
the newest deformities of an extravagant
improperly.
For very many years France was the CEN
ter of the artistic light of Europe. In many
ways she must be still. But deathblow
was dealt to more than monarchy by the
events of 1859. Throughout the eighteenth
century French art, fostered by the CENTRAL
izing influences of the Grand Monarque,"
In he tod
its expression. At the death of Louis XIV
two styles, associated with the names of his
immediate 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 it's whole depart
ure from the central principle of the reha-
Utilization of the individual. Temples were
forgotten for houses had to be built Art
lists turned from monumental work To law
ish divine ingenuity on the production and
decoration of objects in which the personal
motive was predominant. The chateau call,
ed into harmonious service all the largen
arts; furniture became the epitome of all
the lesser. On such foundations worked
the men who made eighteenth century fur
niture from France, whose names were
Jean Lamour, Cafferi. Boulle, Charles Cres-
sent, Pasener, Gouthiere, whose collabora-
tors We're Vatican, Fragonard, Boucher.
Natoire Van Loo, Hoet, Van Sapendonck
You may see as fine specimens of their
work as exist anywhere in the Jones collec-
tioh az the ooutu heilSlngtOn museum or in
the Wallace collection of Hartford House
Everywhere relgns good breeding Not a
trick of fashionable coquetry is lost, or of ,
that sweet disorder in the dress, kindling
In cloathes wantonesse," which is as far
from grossness as it is different from mod
esty. The artists had an exquisite tact, a
happy license, an attractive piquancy in
days when convention had greater infu-
ence on life and conduct than it ever had
before or since. Better die than be un-
graceful" was their motto, and in it is all
the charm Of a gallant. careless, aristo-
cratic age that has passed away forever
It bloomed the fairer because 1t was on the
verge Of the abyss. The guillotine cut of
at stroke the old traditions of spacious
luxury for which the exquisite furniture of
Louis XIV and XVI had been created