Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-13
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 de-
signs 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 i'm
portance Of his own establishment but to
what he no doubt considers the secondary
question of whether such designs are pos
sible 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
a style as alphabetically as they will de-
Stroy government, and with just as little
compunction about the ultimate verities in
Volved.
In reality, our enterprising bazaar keeper
of Montmartre is not so original as may be
tagion of eccentrcty 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 re-
pudiatiOn of everything traditional. In VI
emma. 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 debaucheries
Of meaningless decoration: jewelers. have
twisted gold and enamel and precious stones
into the newest deformities Of an extraya-
giant Improperly
For very many wears France was the CON-
ter OF the artistic light of Europe. In many
ways she must be still. But a death blow
was dealt to more than monarchy by the
events of 1889. Throughout the eighteenth
owl
tralizing influences of the Grand Mon
argue" gradually increased in the varied
power or 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 six
teenth century of a renaissance which took
Its whole departure from the central prin-
clple of the rehabilitation of the Individual
Temples were forgotten, for houses had to
be built. Artists turned from monumental
work to lavish a divine ingenuity on the
production and decoration of objects in
Which the personal motive was predcm-
inant. The chateau called into harmonious
service all the larger arts; furniture be-
came the epitome of all the lesser On such
foundations worked the men who made
eighteenth century furniture from France
whose names were Jean Lamour, Caffieri
Boulle, Charles Crescent, Riesener. Gou-
There, whose collaborators were Vatican
Fragonard, Boucher, Natoire, Van Loo
Hoet, Van Sapendonck. You may see as
fine specimens Of their work as exist any,
where in the Jones collection at the South
Kensington Museum or in the Wallace COL
lection at Hartford House. Everywhere
reigns good breeding. Not a trick Of fash
ionable coquetry is lost, or Of that sweet
disorder in the dress, kindling in cloathes
wantonesse," which is as far from gross
ness as it Is different from modesty The
artists had an exquisite tact, a happy
license, an attractive piquancy in days
when convention had .1ser influence on
life and conduct than 1t ever had before or
since. Better die than be ungraceful" was
their motto, and in 1t Is all the charm Of a
gallant, careless, aristocratic age that has
passed away forever. 1t bloomed the fairer
because it was on the verge Of the abyss
The guillotine cut off at stroke the old
traditions Of spacious luxury for which the