Louis XV furniture

also: Style Louis XV

style 1715-1774 France

Furniture of the Louis XV period (1715-1774) replaced the monumental formality of the previous reign with curved forms, lightness and comfort, designed for the smaller, intimate salons of the king and his mistresses Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry. Its three phases trace the arc of the Rococo: a Regency opening still close to Louis XIV, a brilliant rocaille middle (c. 1730-1750) of shells, C-scrolls and deliberate asymmetry, and a final turn toward neoclassical order after 1750. Cabinetmakers such as Charles Cressent, Bernard II van Risamburgh and Jean-François Oeben refined curved commodes with gilt-bronze espagnolettes, floral marquetry of exotic woods, and lacquer panels in the Chinoiserie taste. The period's close collaboration of designers, ébénistes, bronziers and lacquerers made French furniture the benchmark of European craftsmanship.

French, Paris; Commode; Woodwork-Furniture
French, Paris; Commode; Woodwork-FurnitureCC0 (credit: Charles Cressent) · source

Defining characteristics

  • Curving, organic forms: rounded commode fronts, cabriole legs, serpentine edges
  • Rocaille ornament: stylized shells, rockwork and intertwined C- and S-scrolls
  • Asymmetrical, naturalistic marquetry - flowers, trophies and picturesque scenes in exotic woods
  • Gilt-bronze mounts: smiling faces, espagnolettes, flower-shaped handles and bat-wing motifs
  • Comfortable, movable pieces: violin-back chairs, duchesse, ottomane and sultane seats
  • Lacquered panels and Chinoiserie decoration on case furniture

Key figures

  • Charles Cressent (1685-1768) — Sculptor-cabinetmaker whose graceful commodes define the Régence and early Rococo
  • Bernard II van Risamburgh (active c. 1730-1767) — Stamped BVRB, outstanding ébéniste of the Rococo with perfectly balanced mounts and marquetry
  • Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763) — German-born Parisian ébéniste, first designer of the Bureau du Roi and master of refined marquetry

Example works

  • Commode (Waddesdon Manor) — Charles Cressent (c. 1730)
  • Commode (J. Paul Getty Museum) — Bernard II van Risamburgh (c. 1750)
  • Bureau du Roi (roll-top desk of Louis XV) — Jean-François Oeben and Jean-Henri Riesener (1760-1769)

Sources

← Back to the catalog