Antiques Hunter

Antique Venitian Rococo chair (1820c)

url:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-collectables/furniture-woodenware/furniture/pre-1900/auction-467720916.htm

On trade me I have found an antique chair that is titled as a piece produced from the Rococo era, so I will investigate and argue whether this chair really is a piece of authentic Rococo furniture or not.

The seller claims that this chair was made in 1820c, however the rococo period spanned from 1720 to 1760 when LouieXV was in power in France. This does not support the facts because this chair supposedly was made a century after the rococo period.However there are a lot of visual features such as excessive curves and botanical symbols such as leaves and flowers that mimic the conventional styles and characteristics of Rococo. The materials used often used in Rococo furniture include velvet upholstery which is used repeatedly throughout many designs as well as silk, which emphasizes luxury and wealth, which is actually where the Rococo era was rooted from, and aristocrats in France that made this style popular and fashionable. The seller does not specify the materials in this chair but it is clear that the fabric in this chair could be velvet or a replicate of velvet, even suede, which helps complete the rococo look. Additional features such as the trimm around the fabric which is almost braided creating a curvy, over-the-top and almost unnecessary detail, contributes towards the Rococo style as well as the golden coloured carvings on the legs, arms and body which embellish the entire frame work of the chair. Lots of intricate details are common in the Rococo style and the more elaborate, the more wealthy the product appears, which is what Rococo represents. What makes the Rococo style so unique and extravagant is that there is a lot of emphasis on asymmetry, where the carefree lifestyle of the wealthy is expressed through the carefree logic of the designs. This chair however is not so lavishly decorated and there is symmetry throughout the design so this does not show that this would be an original Rococo design produced during the late 1700's.  While it is evident that this chair was not produced during the Rococo period, the dates and visual characteristic prove that this chair could be produced during the Rococo revival era, starting from 1820-1930, which became more popular throughout the mid-19th century. This would make more sense, not only because of the time this chair was produced in, but also because of the amount of decoration and how much less lavish the decoration is, due to the less carefree aristocratic lifestyle of society during the 1800s and the increase of the middle class, particularly in England.

References:

1)"The Rococo Period began in 1720 in France. This was during the reign of King Louis XV of France. This period has been called the Louis XV or the Louis Quinze period. Madamede Pompadour, the official mistress of King Louis XV employed the stylish marchards-merciers. These merchants transformed or made various pieces for homes in Paris."

"They transformed Chinese vases into ewers (a pitcher with a mouth used for liquids) with Rococo handles or gilt-bronze. They also mounted writing tables that featured new Sevres porcelain plaques. At Pampadour’s request King Louis XV took over the porcelain factory in Vincennes. It was later relocated to Sevres. This factory became a major producer of porcelain slabs and painted plaques that were often used on tabletops and other pieces of Louis XV furniture."

"Rococo style furniture makes for a wonderful antique. It came after the Baroque period. Rococo had more to offer with plant motifs, stalactitic representation, scrolls, acanthus leaves, Grotesques and floral or fauna designs. It was more of an excessive version and asymmetrical, while Baroque was more symmetrical in design. Cabinet making was very popular and ornate during the Rococo period."

"The Rococo Period was more playful and delicate. It was lighthearted and elegant, some people of the time thought it was frivolous. Shells and wave-like motifs can be found on antique furniture of the Rococo Period such as armoires, tables and chairs. Foliage and seashells were also carved into beds and mirror frames. For collectors of this time period look for a signature or stamp on the furniture. Parisian guild workers were required to stamp or sign their pieces form 1743-1790."

"In 1730 the Rococo Period took off and was became widely purchased in upper class homes form adornment. It only stayed around until around 1760 when Neoclassic culture made itself known. By 1780 the passion for Rococo was mostly gone in France due to the write and philosopher Voltaire. He criticized society for being degenerate and superficial. Rococo paintings were either erotic, pastoral or sentimental. A few famous painters of the time were Antoine Watteau and Francois Boucher."

2011. Antique rococo furniture. http://www.antiquefurniture.com/antique-rococo-furniture/

2)"Rococo furniture refers to interior design pieces from inspired by the extravagantly decorated Rococo period in 18th century France. Noted for its extensive decoration, Rococo furniture is sumptuous and extreme in design, and often employs many different types of material and ornamentation in a single piece. While Rococo furniture may not suit more modest taste, it can provide an aura of luxury and will definitely create an design centerpiece that is impossible to miss."

"The Rococo period in France and central Europe came on the heels of the slightly more restrained Baroque period, beginning in the mid 1700s. Popularized by Louis XV's influential mistress, Madame de Pompadour, Rococo design emphasized detail, well-defined sculpted lines, and ornamentation. This era is sometimes considered the height of French decorative art, thanks to the extreme focus on perfected details in every piece. Not surprisingly, the Rococo period was followed by a Neoclassical backlash, in which curving, gilded swirls were overtaken by a return to plain, monochromatic, and geometric styles reminiscent of Ancient Rome."

"Many decorative arts, such as painting, gilding, and bronzing, were used to add additional levels of detail and magnificence to Rococo furniture. During the period, a decorative chair might pass through several different workshops on its path to completion, including a carpenter, carver, upholsterer, and gilder. Not surprisingly, the detailed style was primarily used by wealthy merchants and the nobility, as few middle-class or working-class households could afford such dramatic decoration."

"Rococo furniture tends to feature a fully sculpted look, in which no element has been left without attention and detail. Tabletops, for instance, are often shaped and carved, rather than being left as rough rectangles or circles. Some traditional Rococo furniture also features intentionally eschew symmetry, finding charm in the contrast between asymmetric lines. Surfaces are carved in S-shapes, curls, or shell-like designs, mimicking the undulating lines found in nature, rather than straight lines."

"Popular types of Rococo furniture include chairs, sofas, tables, and bed stands. Mirrors with highly ornamented frames are especially popular in Rococo design, as the period marked the beginning of access to inexpensive, well-made glass in Europe. Small tables and footstools are also associated with Rococo furniture, as the era popularized the idea of light, easily moveable furniture."

"Upholstery fabrics are also important to Rococo; silk and velvet fabrics are typical choices. Fabric patterns frequently displayed floral or pastoral designs, sometimes made to match the carved decorations on the furniture. Chinese design also influenced Rococo upholstery, many reproduction fabrics depict highly romanticized views of Chinese pagodas, dragons, and villages"

2012. What is rococo furniture?. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-rococo-furniture.htm

3)"The Italian Baroque period of the 17th century evolved into the French Rococo style around 1740. The word "Rococo" blends the French words "rocaille" (rocks) and "coquilles" (shells) to describe its prominant shell motif, sensuous curvilinear design, and layers of textures and colors. The style was a reflection also on the changes in French society, mirroring the wealth of the rising French middle class"

"Rococo furniture, art and architecture were built on curves and more curves. Everything Rococo was sensuous and sinuous, reflecting a less serious, more frivolous lifestyle. Through the Baroque period the adherence to symmetry prevailed. Then master craftsmen devised a way to create different design elements on each side of a piece of furniture, without losing a sense of balance. This asymmetry is indicative of Rococo"

Sandra Kirkland. August 02 2011. Characteristics of the french rococo furniture. http://www.ehow.com/info_10020826_characteristics-french-rococo-furniture.html

4)"Beginning in the 1820s and 30s there was a revival of Rococo, which began with patronage by the wealthy elite. To them, Rococo represented the aristocratic culture and status of the past in contrast to the rising middle class power of the 19th century. The architect Benjamin Dean Wyatt was a major advocate for the style, and he created Rococo Revival rooms for the Duchess of Rutland and the Duke of York, among others. Artists such as Jules-Robert Auguste, R. P. Bonington, Eugène Delacroix and Paul Huet imitated Watteau and other Rococo artists in their own work."

"Evidence from the Great Exhibition in London of 1851 suggests that Rococo revival was one of the dominant commercial styles of the mid-century, but by the 1860s it was declining in popularity."

2005. Rococo revival. http://bindings.lib.ua.edu/gallery/rococo.html