Middle Renaissance - Reviews

Amanda: I really like the amount of detail that Amanda went into. She provided so much detail on all of the important people as well as all of the important design aspects of this time. 

Becca: Becca did a great job at going into detail on the Great Fire of 1666, i liked this because the information she provided wasn't in our notes. Also the pictures that she chose to show the legs of the furniture was really neat to see and put it into another perspective. 

English Period- Middle Renaissance

      The Middle Renaissance period took place from 1660 until 1750. There were various different people during this time that helped influence the design aspects. Charles II and James II aided in the restoration period, William and Mary helped in the age of walnut, and Queen Anne aided in the furniture development. The great fire of 1666 took place at this time, and and it resulted in the burning of a large section of London. Because of this Sir Christopher Wren set new standards of design known as the baroque urban design. This style was strongly influenced by the french. His standards consisted of wall thicknesses, floor heights, and materials were specified. Sir Christopher Wren was the most renowned english architect of all time. Wren's one major masterpiece is the St. Pauls Cathedral. The design of this cathedral has influenced many other church designs. 
       William and Mary was the Age of Walnut. During this time the new standards for furniture arose, and there was beautiful furniture for masses. Upholstery appeared for the first time at this point, and the english oak was replaced with walnut. The furniture has straight, turned legs or cup turned legs. The low horizontal "X-stretcher was common, there was also curved cross stretcher. The veneers were perfected, and marquetry  as well as lacquer work is present. At this point in time they brought about the William and Mary chairs, William and Mary lowboy and highboy. There was a huge oriental influence on their furniture pieces. The fabrics often used were velvet, brocade, chintz, leather, and needlepoint. 

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Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_GeDe0YTog

Neoclassical -Reviews

Angie: I think that Angie did a great job in focusing on the interior aspects of the Neoclassic Style!

Katie: Katie did a great job at included details on all aspects of this style. Including the interiors, as well as the architecture, and furniture as well. 

French Periods-Neoclassic Style

     The Neoclassic style took place from 1760 until 1789. During this time King Louis XV's favorite women turned the rococo style towards classicism. These women included Madame de Pompadour, and Madame du Barry. Madame de Pompadour developed art and architecture in France, and sponsored the work of serves. She is also the one that lead the movement towards eastern products. Madame de Pompadour also suggested the Petite Trianon, although Madame du barry is the one that received it from the aging Louis XV. The architectural style and schemes at the time were rather strict. The walls were painted to look like marble- with dark greens, and reds. With the use of ancient egyptian ornamentation and decorative details, while also incorporating military symbols of roman armies. Although the furniture was more distinctive than the architecture at this time. The interior walls were paneled and painter with outer moldings raised and decorated with classical ornament. The panel corners often had square rosettes, as well as classical arabesques. The colors of the interiors were pale, white, and off white with minor touches of gold. The ornaments and Motifs used during this period were from the roman and greek architecture. 

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Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgrFpesb5Hc

French Periods- Baroque Style- Reviews

Savannah: I really liked that savannah went into a great detail on the Palais de Versailles. I also really like the pictures she chose, I think that they really demonstrate a royal "taste" that is used during this time period

Holli: I think that Holli did a great job at going into a lot of detail on everything during this period. She went into so much detail on both the interior designs, as well as the historical people of this time. 

French Periods- Baroque Style

      During this era, rulers influence was more important than the religious and political factors. Royal "taste" is what determined their design styles at this time. The Baroque style was used during this time which was known as "The Golden Age," and it was led by Louis XIV. Louis XII died in 1643, and Louis  XIV was proclaimed the king at only 5 years old. 
      The Palais de Versailles was built during this time, and it was considered the original hunting ground. The interiors during this time gave off a very royal appearance. The public rooms had the same interior appearances to them. They had a classical architecture style as well as the decorations. They had very regal dimensions such as, 15' ceilings, and 11' doors. There design was mainly symmetrical , with balanced doors and windows. These rooms can be summed up with the words large and dignified. The hall of mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) had a barrel vault ceiling, the windows matched the mirrors, and the furniture chandeliers, sconces, and planters were all solid silver. They also used a royal "L" monogram at this time for the interiors. Color was definitely emphasized in the architecture. They commonly used colored marble, and pilaster shafts. The paneling was usually white, off white, gray with moldings, or carved ornament gilding. While the brighter colors were used in paintings, tapestries, and rugs, and the furniture was usually placed against the walls and pulled out as needed. 
      The furniture during this time was most commonly made by Andre Charles Boulle, and he was considered the chief cabinetmaker. He had the most remarkable work at the place of versailles especially. The materials that were commonly used were Tortoise shell, metal (brass or silver) or ebony. And it was a very lengthy process to make all of this. There was one chair used quite often. This was the Louis XIV chair. It had a high back, which demonstrated a sense of greatness, there was also a wide seat for wider dresses. There was also a Berger chair that was introduced during this time, and its still used today. This chair is an upholstered french arm chair with an upholstered back with armrests on the upholstered frames. Materials during this time were from china and japan. Such as porcelain figures, vases, lacquer work, silk, and screens. 

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Extra Credit:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQK6F7hmJk

French Period 1 - Reviews

Claire: I really liked how Claire noted that the interiors weren't the only important thing during this time, and then went on to go into detail on why she stated this. 

Haley: I think that Haley did a great job in terms of going into details on the architectural elements during this time, and the typical styles for the chateaus.