There was a great deal of beautiful ornament in gilded bronze and ormolu on the furniture, and many colored woods were used in marquetry.  The fashion of using Sevres plaques in inlay was continued.  There was a great deal of white and colored marble used and very fine ironwork was made.  Riesener, Roentgen, Gouthiere, Fragonard and Boucher are some of the names that stand out most distinctly as authors of the beautiful decorations of the time.  Marie Antoinette’s boudoir at Fontainebleau is a perfect example of the style and many of the other rooms both there and at the Petit Trianon show its great beauty, gayety and dignity combined with its richness and magnificence.

The influence of Pompeii must not be overlooked in studying the style of Louis XVI, for it appeared in much of the decoration of the time.  The beautiful little boudoir of the Marquise de Serilly is a charming example of its adaptation.  The problem of bad proportion is also most interestingly overcome.  The room was too high for its size, so it was divided into four arched openings separated by carved pilasters, and the walls covered with paintings.  The ceiling was darker than the walls, which made it seem lower, and the whole color scheme was so arranged that the feeling of extreme height was lessened.  The mantel is a beautiful example of the period.  This room was furnished about 1780-82.

Compared to the lavish curves of the style of Louis XV, the fine outlines and the beautiful ornament of Louis XVI appear to some people cold, but if they look carefully at the matter, they will find them not really so.  The warmth of the Gallic temperament still shows through the new garb, giving life and beauty to the dainty but strong furniture.

If one studies the examples of the styles of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI that one finds in the great palaces, collections, museums and books of prints and photographs, one will see that the wonderful foundation laid by Louis XIV was still there in the other two reigns.  During the time of Louis XVI the pose of rustic simplicity was a very sophisticated pose indeed, but the reaction from the rocaille style of Louis XV led to one of the most beautiful styles of decoration that the world has seen.  It had dignity, true beauty and the joy of life expressed in it.

[Illustration:  Rare Louis XVI chair—­an original from Fontainebleau.]

[Illustration:  The American Empire sofa, when not too elaborate, is a very beautiful article of furniture.]

The Empire

The French Revolution made a tremendous change in the production of beautiful furniture, as royalty and the nobility could no longer encourage it.  Many of the great artists died in poverty and many of them went to other countries where life was more secure.