The Furniture and Accessories of French Kings

Welcome to a post filled with opulence and grandeur. The Furniture and Accessories of French Kings.

This stunning bed first belonged to Louis XVIII (the 18th) and later by Charles X (the 10th) in the Tuileries palace.

The Furniture and Accessories of French Kings

All of the objets du art in this post can be found on the first floor of the Richelieu Gallery in room 75 close to Napoléon III’s apartments at the Louvre. The description of each item was written in French and I have done my best to translate as well as provide additional information from my personal research. I welcome any clarification of discrepancies.

This bed and its coverings were created with extreme opulence in mind. The bed itself was made of gilded wood and the covering and drapes of embossed blue velvet.

Have you ever seen such a headboard!

The panache (ornamental tuft) of ostrich feathers was a sign of wealth and royalty as such feathers would have been very rare and costly.

Little Royals

Even the littlest royals slept well, like royalty. I adored the gilded harp detail on either end.

This sumptuous berceau (cradle) features beautiful wood marquetry and heavy taffeta drapery.

This was my favorite fauteuil (armchair) in the collection.

It was made from beech wood which was hand carved then gilded.

The upholstery featured petit point which is similar to needlepoint but the stitch is done on a much smaller canvas.

The underlayer was made of velvet, attached, then covered with nail heads on grosgrain ribbon trim. LOVE!

Fabulous Furniture

This crystal and gilded dressing table and chair were absolutely stunning.

The official term for the gilding process is verre églomisé, in which the back side of the glass is gilded with gold or metal leaf upon which designs can then be engraved.

The set was created for Duchess du Berry for her château Rosny-sur-Seine in 1819.

The set was created by a company, L’Escalier de Cristal (the Crystal Stairs), which was founded by a woman, Marie-Jeanne-Rosalie Désarnaud-Charpentier, a daughter of a goldsmith.

Look at this lovely fairy detail!

Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile, duchess de Berry

The owner of the set was Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile, duchess de Berry who was the daughter of Prince Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Naples and Sicily). Caroline, as she was known, married the nephew of France’s King Louis XVIII (the 18th), Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, the Duke de Berry. This portrait was painted by Thomas Lawrence in 1825.

There were also a number of tapestries in the collection. This particular tapestry was just immense and still retained much of its original vibrant color.

To give you an idea of its size this mythological faun was bigger than my hand and can be found on the lower border, on the right side of the center medallion. The tapestry featured petit point which given the vast size must have taken many royal ladies of the court several years to complete.

Detail portrait of Eleanor of Austria featured on a cheminée created between 1835 – 1840 of  French hard-paste porcelain.

Jacob Mardouché Petit began his career as a painter at the porcelain factory at Sèvres. Petit bought the Baruch Weil porcelain factory in Fontainebleau in 1833.  His glorious work was recognized by Louis XVIII, Charles X and the Duchess of Berry.

The cheminée is just under 4 feet tall and also features a detailed portrait of Francis I.

A lovely settee made of beech wood, carved and gilded.

Center detailing on the upper back.

Lower petit point detail on center seat.

This ebony and Sèvres porcelain chest was given as a gift to Isabelle II of Spain by Louis Napoléon in 1851.

I was so eager to get a closer look at the beautiful details that I accidentally set off the alarm. 

After that close encounter, I ended my time in this gallery.

Laura