1000 Masterpieces of Decorative Art. Victoria Charles

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      This was the period when jewellery, locks, woven and stitched fabrics with light, graceful patterns in soft, shimmering colours were at their height. Finally, this was the period when Du Cerceau’s drawing and engravings were in fashion and disseminated the most characteristic decorative motifs for both buildings and furniture. Where jewellery was concerned in particular, decorative value was beginning to be an end in itself, in other words, the precious materials were no longer the be all and end all. There follows a list of remarkable sculptors of the Renaissance: Jean Goujon (who was also one of the architects who designed the Hôtel Carnavalet); Ligier Richier, to whom we owe the famous Holy Sepulchre group in Saint-Mihiel; Michel Colombe, sculptor of the Duke of Brittany’s mausoleum (in Nantes cathedral); Germain Pilon, Jean Goujon, who popularised the use of the low relief for general decoration, Jean Juste of Tours, sculptor of Louis XII’s tomb; Pierre Bontemps, etc. Étienne de Laulne and François Briot are two goldsmiths who are worthy of mention.

      Renaissance art was characterised by the fusion of different styles. The renewal was a result of artists’ relaxed approach, of the uninhibited love of luxury which artists, architects, and sculptors all worshipped and served. Statues and ornaments are no longer made in barbarian traditions. They have better models in nature and their makers embellish them with lifelike representations. Indeed, nature alone is not sufficient to fire the imagination of the artists of the period and they turn to the world of myth and story or to combinations of human and animal figures. Perfectly-lifelike fruits and flowers are also included in the works of these artists, who are fervent admirers of all life’s great creations. Note that, aside from the character of the styles, independently of the patinas and the original colours having faded over the centuries, it is the easiest task in the world to tell real antique furniture apart from a copy! All one has to do is run one’s hand lightly over the mouldings and the carvings and the feel of them is conclusive. The enthusiast will not be deceived because no-one has ever been able to fake the fine touch of such furniture, any more than a flower can be faked. The secret lies in the reliefs, which have been gradually worn by time and use, and in the wood which turns into velvet. Furthermore, velvet, silk, and satin were everywhere during this fascinatingly fresh, gay period of intellectual creativity. It was a period which turned the excessively flamboyant tracery of the most exuberant Gothic style into a kind of lace, this time without ornamental apertures, which was used profusely on all kinds of woodwork. However, it seems that even the Renaissance eventually fell into decadence, a period marked by a similar exuberance.

      Renaissance jewellery, was worthy of the beauty and decorative creativity prevalent in architecture at the time. It was light, with delicate openwork and the images that were the chief source of its charm were embellished with harmoniously-coloured enamels, the like of which had never been seen before. Furthermore, towards the end of the 16th century, the art of cutting precious stones added brilliance to jewellery, varying its design and increasing prices. The name of Pericles is linked to the great art of ancient Greece, the names of the Medicis, of Pope Julius II, and of Pope Leo × are bound up with the Italian Renaissance and the name of Francis I, second only to that of Charlemagne, is equally gloriously connected to the history of French art.