 t a theoretical level, furniture
can be divided into two broad categories. The first of these groupings includes all case
furniture that encloses space, as does architecture. Armoires, buffets, cupboards and
commodes have often been an integral part of the architectural structure, built into,
nailed against or hanging from the walls, imitating in their decorative elements the
architectonic/stylistic features of their surroundings. These are what the French call meubles
meublants. Furniture of the second sort seems a replica and an extension of the human body into both the shape and the lexicon of furniture parts (foot, leg, arm, back, seat), as cornice , door, panel and post come from the terminology of architecture. Nothing could be more obvious than the swelling cushions and sinuous lines of eighteenth-century bergères and marquises, whose tender colours and voluptuous profiles resemble so closely the female nudes of François Boucher (1703-1770). |
  Armoire Last quarter of 18th century Canadian Museum of Civilization  he 144 diamonds that decorate the doors and sides of this large
armoire illustrate one of the ways in which elementary geometric and architectural forms
can create a powerful visual effect through simple repetition. By covering the surface
with sculpted diamonds, the artisan has also created a sense of both volume and texture,
which give an unusually tactile quality to the armoire's surface. |
Date Created: March 1997 | Last Updated: September 1, 2009
