The French Baroque

Louis XIV was an important man in the French Baroque period. He created a notional style of art. The Vaux-le-Vicomte is apart of the French Baroque and entails 105 lavish rooms, 170 acres of gardens, persian carpets, gold chandeliers, gold clocks, silver vases, and entertained 6,000 guests. Below is a picture of the Charles Le Brun dining room at the Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Palais de Versailles also made an impact on the French Baroque period. It was originally a hunting lodge and started in 1668. This housed 10,000 people and was designed by Louis Vau. The Palis de Versailles had several classical architecture and decoration. They used rectangular shapes, symmetrical design, and balances windows with mirrors. In the interiors you will find paneling usually white, off-white or gray with moldings carved ornament gilded, brighter colors in paintings, tapestries and rugs, and the furniture used was usually found against walls.

The Palais de Versailles has a beautiful main garden facade. The scale and details remain the same but they have built extensions on the north and south side. It has advancing and receding planes and floor levels visible on the exterior. It contains sculptured figures and has reflecting pools that project images of the buildings. 

If you are interested in knowing more about Palais de Versailles, here is a youtube video that shows everything form the interiors to the garden facade. 

The Baroque has very interesting furniture pieces. The master of Marquetry, Andre Charles Boulle was a chief cabinetmaker and was famous for his elaborate armoires. He worked at Versailles where the mirrors walls, the floors of wood mosaic, the inlaid paneling and the marquetery furniture in the Cabinet de Dauphin were regarded as his most remarkable work. The materials used were tortoiseshell, metal, brass or silver, and ebony. 

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Discussion:

The two blogs I reviewed were Dana's and Flor. Dana's gave me a lot of great information about the french furniture. Their furniture made a great impact on interior design throughout the world. We still use a lot of their furniture designs today. Flor focused her attention on the neoclassic period. She talked a lot about the chateaus design designed by the french architects which rulers and kings used as getaway and hunting places.