Fine art is part of fine living!!

Chers Amis de L’Ecole du Bon Gout, Bonjour! Today I would like to address the many values of living with fine art.

When furnishing your interiors, the focal points of your walls becomes very important. A great art work, placed center stage on a wall, can set off a chain reaction. It can dictate the level of sophistication, influence the color scheme as well as the mood developed for the rest of the décor of the room.

Landscape paintings or tapestries have a specialized capacity in that they give you another “window view to look out on”, which becomes more important at night in any room or even by day if the room is lacking in pleasing exterior views.

Still life paintings of eatable subjects are great for enlivening and animating the dining room or the kitchen.

A portrait with a riveting glance can command your attention from all corners of a room!!

The framing of art works is a subject I pay a lot of attention to because the frame not only can enhance your enjoyment of the art work within it, but it can be a work of art in itself. Recently the Musee Arts Decorative wing of the Musee Louvre is taking picture frames seriously and not only exhibits empty frames as works of art in themselves, but has begun including information regarding the frames themselves on labeling of various paintings!

Here at Au Vieux Paris Antiques there is a diverse selection of 18th c and 19th c two dimensional art works : oil paintings and tapestries of various sizes as well as framed and unframed engravings and original drawings.

See here two views of a new “ antique art gallery” section installed here, as well as photographs of some of the many works on view. The last photograph is of some empty Louis XV frames, exhibited as works of art at the Musee Arts Decorative wing of the Musee Louvre.

Please call if you have questions (337 332 2852) , or plan a visit to enjoy these works in person, or visit the web site at www.auvieuxparisantiques.com

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith

Visit the Au Vieux Paris Antiques homepage (click here)
Browse a sampling of the merchandise available (click here)

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith   (337) 332-2852
http://www.auvieuxparisantiques.com

Modern innovations in furniture, circa 1500

Chers Amis de L’Ecole du Bon Gout,  Bonjour!    Today, I want to look at those two fairly “modern” inventions in furniture evolution: the buffet and the “commode” (chest of drawers)!

     In the early years of the Middle ages( 1200 to 1490), most all storage took place in “coffres” (chests), which in some cases had the multiple functions of being used as a seat or a table top!  In the early Middle ages, a “coffre’s” main point of visual interest was the extensive forged iron hardware and reinforcing straps binding the pieces.    By the Gothic period, the “coffres” could be very decorative with much elaborate and detailed carving.

     Starting in Gothic times and even more so by the time of the Premiere Renaissance (1490 to 1530), though “coffres” were still much in use, some “modern” households had complex two or three level buffets which were called “dressoirs” . These had a lower and/or an upper section of open shelves to display silver or pewter “plate”.  The buffet section, which had lockable doors figured into that period’s rampant paranoia regarding poisoning!!  A rich property owner was often worried about his future heirs “speeding up” his succession!  Poisons then were secretly administered in many ways: candles , bed sheets, clothing, books, lipstick, perfume,... but the easiest dispersal method was in food!  So the rich property owner would have the food brought by the trusted chef and put directly into the locked “dressior”, from which it was later served, first to the property owner, and then after to his guests!!

     Buffets became increasingly popular because access to their contents made life easier!   Then in the early Louis XIV period ( 1643 to 1715) , the “modern marvel of easy living and convenience”, the commode, appeared on the scene, remaining a great success for the next 300+ years.  This was because accessing its contents was truly easy, compared to that of a “coffre”!   Marvelous functionality and convenience, yes; however the Bon Gout importance of these pieces is also just as great!

     Buffets and commodes, though they have visual beauty to enjoy on their own, can also easily “anchor” the composition of an entire wall, becoming the foundation for a collection of objects arranged on their tops, as well as a mirror or a painting above, and all this, further supporting a pair of sconces to each side!

     See here a photo of a Gothic room at the Louvre with a “coffre”, which could easily be used as a bench or table top.  Next is a photo of a Renaissance “coffre de mariage” in a home setting of that period.      Following these are 11 photographs of commodes and buffets available for sale at Au Vieux Paris Antiques.

     Beauty, craftsmanship, functional storage, and the effortless anchoring of an entire wall composition; this is true Bon Gout at its best!!   Call me with your questions:( 337 332 2852), or plan a visit here in person, or visit our web site at   wwww.auvieuxparisantiques.com

  

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith

Visit the Au Vieux Paris Antiques homepage (click here)
Browse a sampling of the merchandise available (click here)

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith   (337) 332-2852
http://www.auvieuxparisantiques.com

     

The Enchantment of Fireplaces

   Chers Amis de l’Ecole du Bon Gout!,     With the fall air promising winter is on its way, I would like to address the timely subject of fireplaces and their multiple uses and connotations.  Ever since the invention of the fireplace some 900 years ago, it has had a very central role in indoor human life.   It is where your eyes gravitate to first when entering a room and this alone gives you an idea of its importance!

   The area surrounding it, and particularly  its top shelf becomes a veritable family “altar” displaying family portraits as well as decorative objects communicating taste, wealth and social standing. ( All modern gods???)  The worship of fire is almost as old as the human race, so this “altar function” is just a modern continuation!!   It is also where magical things take place: remember Santa Claus only comes down the chimney!!

   I have often thought that the hypnotic spell TV holds for many, has its power rooted in the ancestral memories of humans watching for centuries, the flickering fireplace, long into the night!  Note that the proportions of the TV screen and that of a fireplace hearth opening are quite similar as well as the original placement of the TV set, at its outset, down close to the floor!   All this can be pondered, but to me the most important reality of a fireplace chimney is that it is THE most powerful opportunity to enliven and energize a room and your life in it with Bon Gout!!

   The first photo shown here is of a wall of a client’s salon before and then 1 month after the installation of a splendid Louis XIV style mantle and assorted decorative items from Au Vieux Paris Antiques.  The room went from being a totally boring blank box to what you see in the second photo, a salon fit for a lux Parisian town house!

   Following these are four photographs showing totally "new" installations, all sourced from Au Vieux Paris, followed by photographs of some of the nine fireplace mantles and many other related objects which are now in stock and ready to come together in your own personal creative installation.

   Please call with your questions ( 337 332 2852) or come for a visit and see for yourself in person,  or visit our website at www.auvieuxparisantiques.com

Merci cordialement,  Robert Smith

Visit the Au Vieux Paris Antiques homepage (click here)
Browse a sampling of the merchandise available (click here)

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith   (337) 332-2852
http://www.auvieuxparisantiques.com

Our light experiences

     Chers Amis de L'Ecole du Bon Gout., Bonjour d'Uzes!! Here in Provence, ( Where many of the impressionist painters chose to live with good reason!! ) the sun light has a unique quality which infuses everything it touches with a special richness and liveliness which is best experienced in person to be appreciated! For me, candle light, in its own unique way, gently infuses a special richness and lively glow to all it touches by night. Additional "bon gout" rewards are achieved as this candle light is reflecting off of the bronze dore surfaces of the fixtures themselves or when this light is transmuted by the crystal prisms.

     Today, in our modern daily life, we have many diverse and largely unpleasant artificial lighting experiences. ( I. E. florescent lights, TV and computer screens, auto head lights,.........!) Because we have to function in our modern world with these "realities", I think the best antidote is to enjoy the benefits of candle light and soft artificial lighting when one is at home. These more "nourishing" forms of lighting, can be further enhanced if the source is a beautiful antique fixture, which in itself is a work of art and a joy to look at by day or by night!

     Last week, I visited one of my top favorite museums, Musse Vouland in Avignon, to see a special summer exhibition of antique chandeliers and candlesticks. In this very tasty exhibit, which dated from Gothic to late 19th century, the fixtures were presented hanging at eye level like works of art, which of course they certainly are!!

     Find attached here four photos capturing light in Provence by day and night, as well as six photos showing only some of the extensive stock of antique lighting fixtures now at Au Vieux Paris Antiques in Breaux Bridge. Treat yourself to a visit in person or visit our web site at www.auvieuxparisantiques.com , now updated with videos svp!!

Merci Cordialement, Robert E Smith

Visit the Au Vieux Paris Antiques homepage (click here)
Browse a sampling of the merchandise available (click here)

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith   (337) 332-2852
http://www.auvieuxparisantiques.com