A Historical Perspective of French Provincial Furniture

The beginnings of French Provincial Furniture, as we know it today,  date back to the reigns of Henry IV (reign: 1589 - 1610) and Louis XIV (reign: 1643 to 1715). During  this time the French bourgeoisie - merchant or middle class - began to gain in number and stature and could afford to employ craftsman for furniture making. Prior to that there were two classes - the nobility and the peasants - the very rich and the very poor. 

Prior to this time, rural or provincial French furniture was mostly devoid of design - primarily because Europe was engulfed in territorial and religious wars. Provincial furniture had been based more on functionality and necessity rather than on aesthetics.- serving function over form. 

Notable pieces from the post Middle Ages period were mostly  influenced by 16th Century Italian design as the Italian Renaissance spread throughout Europe. Many examples from this period are heavily laden with appliqué carving, inlaid with mosaic of exotic woods or encrusted with precious stones, ivory or mother of pearl. 

The reign of French King Henry IV (1589 - 1610) brought peace to France and focus was turned towards improving domestic life. It was during this period that attention was first directed towards furniture design in dwellings of rural France. The subsequent reign of Louis XIV saw the blossoming of provincial furniture design - mostly based on the designs of Parisian furniture being crafted for the French court and nobility. 

The furniture designs of the different regions of France were heavily influenced by the climate, geography and customs of the individual regions of France. What follows in a summary of the characteristics of the furniture from these different regions of 17th and 18th Century France. The following map of 18th Century France is useful in visualizing the geographical relationship between the various regions. 

• Flanders, Artoise and Picardy (Provinces on the Northern Border of France)
• Dutch iInfluence in the use of veneers, marquetry and inlay
• Gothic details
• Heavily carved reliefs

• Brittany and Normandy (Northwest Atlantic Provinces)
• Dominant use of oak woods
• Incorporated baluster, spindels, circular discs - framed in by massive wood panels
• Profusion of ornamentation bordering on excessive
• Heavily carved details
• Diamond shaped or Maltese cross panels
• 3 Primary pieces of furniture: The Table, The Buffet and The Grandfather Clock with curved lines (Think Violoncello)
• Polished steel hinges

• Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne (North Eastern provinces flanking Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Germany)
• Architecturally inspired.
• Incorporated columns and pilasters
• Facades ornamented with doors and windows 
• Pediments and casements outlined by heavy moulding
• Swiss, Austrian & German influences
• Empire and Louis Phillippe popularized
• Poorly constructed cabinets with inferior joinery covered over by columns or pilasters
• Colored decoration (polychromia) with oil paints
• Utilized oak, walnut and fruit woods (cherry)         
• Polished steel hinges and hardware

• Auvergne, Limousin, Poitou, Vendee, Angoumois and Saintonge (Mountainous Central Provinces)
• Dominant use of local walnut , cherry and pear woods for pieces of greater importance; Chestnut, alder ash and beech used in lesser pieces
• Armoires heavily shaped with diamond point and circular insets
• Minimal carvings - crude if any
• Bonnetiere (or single door armoire) predominant 
• Common practice of mixing fruit woods in one piece

• Burgundy, Charolais, Franche, Comte, Bresse, Beaujolais, Lyonnais, Savoie and Dauphine (Central - South Eastern Provinces)
• Italian Renaissance influences
• Intricate wood carving
• Architectural detailing
• Well crafted joinery construction
• Delicately carved ornaments 

• Provence and Bas-Languedoc (South Eastern Provinces on the Mediterranean)
• Dominant use of native oak, walnut, chestnut and cherry woods
• Use of thick panels
• Finely executed joinery
• Opulent moulding
• Shallow relief carvings inspired by the native flora, pine cones, olive branches, sheaves of wheat and bunches of grapes
• Massive steel hinges and locks
• Swelled fronts, in-curved sides and S-shaped doors
• Cut out Fronton embellishments
• Profiled cornices
• Round and fluted columns

• Guienne, Gascony, Haut-Languedoc and Le Pays Basque  (Southern Provinces Flanking Spain)
• Predominant with Louis XIII style furniture
• Vast, heavy armoires with heavy cornices
• Doors ornamented with diamond point designs and cake shaped insets
• Double bodied cabinets with narrower cabinet atop
• Use of twisted columns

Over time, French Provincial furniture transgressed the centuries with practically the same design lines that characterized it in the 1700’s. The only significant changes were in the degree of ornamentation - early designs relying on carved moldings and later designs adopting intricate carvings and inlays. The subsequent Directoire, French Empire and Louis Phillippe design trends had little effect and influence on French Provincial furniture design. It remained consistent with little variation until the late 19th Century when the industrial age changed everything.