The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1903-02-06
FRET. cH FURNITURE.
Attempt to Restore or Replace the
- eauties of Old Types.

w.
Ears" in Paris, from which lola drew
his "Bonheur des Danes" has offered
a prize for such designs in furniture
End house decoration as shall best
typify 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 r 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-
tire and the studios of the Quarter
Latin have long ago composed their
answers to a challenge so Seductively
held out. They will create you a style
as light-heartedly as they will destroy
q 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 q
perfect contagion of eccentricity has
rioted across the continent, under the
name of"L'Art N~ouveau." The year
just closed has seen several exhibit
tons inspired by the same repudia-
ton of everything traditional. In vi
emma, in Berlinandin Munich 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; jewellers 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
argue" gradually increased in the
varied power of its expression. AT
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 or
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 thu
epitome of all the lesser. On sucf
foundations worked the men who
made eighteenth century furniture
from France, whose names were Jea1
Lamour, Cafieri, 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
: UNI or in the Wallace collection a
HEREFORD house. Everywhere reign
t good breeding. Not a trick of fash
r ionable coquetry is lost, OF of tina
t "sweet disorder in the dress, kindlin,
in cloathes a wantonesse," which is a
! far from grossness as it is differen
from modesty. The artists had an ex
, quisite tact, a happy license, an at
tractive piquancy in those days whel
convention had a greater infuenc
on life and conduct than it ever ha'
{ before or since. "Better die than b
e u%ngraceful" was theirmotto, and in j
is all the charm of a gallant, careless
y aristocratic age that has passed ava
forever. 1t bloomed the fairer be
cause it was on the verge of an abyss
S The guillotine cut off at a stroke tn
old traditions of spacious luxury 70
which the exquisite furniture O
Louis XIV. and XVI. has been ere
/ ated.
n