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Lot 4
Description:
Panneau encadré de deux pilastres finement ciselés sur deux registres le premier du thème d'Adam et Eve sous l'arbre de la tentation et sur l'autre de l'expulsion du jardin d'Eden,
divers animaux complètent la composition. Bois de chêne. Début du 17 eme siècle. 44,5 cm x 170 cm.
The English translation is just a courtesy from the auction house.
La traduction anglaise n'est qu'une courtoisie de la maison de ventes.
Panel framed by two pilasters finely carved on two registers, the first with the theme of Adam and Eve under the tree of temptation and the other with the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Various animals complete the composition. Oak. Early 17th century. 44.5 cm x 170 cm.
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Literature:
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The term "Haute époque" is used by antique dealers to refer to furniture and art objects dating from or related to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the 17th century. Lacking historical specificity (encompassing over ten centuries), it also lacks a precise aesthetic meaning, as it can refer to objects ranging from Gothic to Romanesque, Byzantine, Baroque, Arabic, etc. It encompasses everything, whether authentic or less authentic, related to the Middle Ages, based on the imagination of the 19th century, when the term "Haute époque" was coined.
Furniture during this period was primarily composed of chests, ranging from simple boxes, sometimes adorned with carved motifs, to diamond-point chests. Some served as wedding chests, featuring an interior compartment for the bride's precious small items. Specialized chests, such as huches and pétrins, were also crafted and replicated in the following centuries.
Although trestles and planks were commonly used (especially during the early Middle Ages), there were also large showcase tables, particularly in Tuscany, as well as grandiose tables from the Louis XIV period, both types highly sought after in auctions.
In France in the second half of the 16th century, two prominent cabinetmakers were present: Hugues Sambin (Burgundy), a sculptor and architect, presumed author of large wardrobes and tables adorned with rich ornamental terms. Examples can be seen at the Louvre Museum and in Dijon. André du Cerceau, on the other hand, created more modestly decorated but column-rich furniture (see the table at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris).
Sculpture is perhaps where the Haute Époque showcases its mastery. In France, artists like Claus Sluter, known for the famous Chartreuse de Champmol, the Tomb of Philip the Bold (Dijon Museum), and a Christ's head at the Archaeological Museum of Dijon, demonstrate great talent. Many other highly skilled sculptors, such as the Master of Chaource in the Troyes region, contributed to the art scene in France.
More than for other periods in art history, the Haute Époque is dual-faced in auctions. Lower and mid-quality pieces are dispersed at lower prices compared to the end of the 20th century. Conversely, high-quality items experience a surge in demand, whether it be for ivories and enamels (as seen in the successful Dormeuil collection auctioned by Sotheby's on November 19, 2007) or high-quality tapestries (Tajan auction in December 2007). The Haute Époque is particularly cherished in Germanic countries and Belgium.
The sales of Haute-Époque encompass works created between the end of Antiquity and the beginning of the Renaissance. The term "Haute Époque" is still highly debated among art historians. However, it has been adopted by auctioneers and antique dealers. It refers to furniture and art objects dating from or referring to the Middle Ages, encompassing the Renaissance and the 17th century. It thus covers several centuries of artistic creation, notably distinguishing two periods: the Romanesque and Gothic eras.
The Haute Époque classification generally includes furniture, sculptures, and metalwork objects (utensils and decorative items in hammered copper or brass).
Used by antique dealers to refer to objects and furniture from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, including the Renaissance, the Haute Époque is a fascinating period. France boasts numerous works of art from this era, cherished by collectors worldwide. Have you inherited a piece of Haute Époque furniture? Have you discovered a treasure at a flea market or in your attic? Here's everything you need to know about the Haute Époque in terms of art.
What is the Haute Époque?
In art, the Haute Époque is a period that encompasses all works and objects produced from the Middle Ages to the 17th century. Initially used by antique dealers, the term has expanded to include artworks from the 16th and 17th centuries. Although it particularly covers the Romanesque and Gothic periods, the Haute Époque lacks significant historical interest as it spans over 10 centuries.
Indeed, the Haute Époque includes several periods, including:
Medieval art before the 14th century.
From the 14th century onwards, the development of Marian devotion. Stone sculptures of the Virgin and Child multiply, and furniture such as cathedras begins to appear.
Gothic art from the 15th century. Sculptures become more expansive, and furniture elements depict religious scenes.
The Renaissance from the late 14th to the 15th century. Marble begins to be used in sculpture, and new furniture types emerge, such as ceremonial seats or Henri II cabinets, as well as biblical tapestries.
Classicism from the 17th century.
Haute Époque thus includes furniture, sculptures, and metalwork objects. While the term is contested by art history specialists, it has been embraced by professional auctioneers and antique dealers.
Artistic Movement of Haute Époque: What Are the Codes?
Often rare, basic but decorative, objects and furniture from the Haute Époque artistic movement feature ivory, copper, and enamels. However, they show few aesthetic codes, as creations draw inspiration from various sources, including Gothic, Romanesque, Byzantine, Baroque, and Arab influences.
Which Antique Furniture Dates from the Haute Époque?
Among the many pieces of furniture from the Haute Époque, one finds:
Arches or chests with curved lids.
Bishop's chairs, or cathedras.
Ceremonial chairs, or chayères.
High-backed chairs, or caquetoires.
Clothes chests, or huches.
Buffets, also called dressers.
Tables from monasteries.
Certain categories of antique furniture are more sought after than others, such as cabinets equipped with drawers and a section with doors, sometimes adorned with ivory, shell, or copper decorations. Dressers, former buffets used to display dishes before serving, are also highly valued.
Unfortunately, Haute Époque furniture is not always well-preserved. Original pieces are rare, with more or less well-executed restorations. Therefore, in-depth historical and artistic knowledge is essential to understand the significance of this particular furniture. Professional guidance can also be sought.
Haute Époque and Antique Paintings
Since it spans several centuries, Haute Époque encompasses famous works of art and paintings of various styles and techniques.
Watercolor, pastel, acrylic—the opportunities to add a Haute Époque painting to one's collection and heritage are numerous.
As in many aspects of life in the Middle Ages, there are very few sources available to study medieval furniture. While iconographic sources are relatively abundant throughout the period, archaeological sources are sorely lacking, especially for the period up to the 14th century, for which only four or five objects have been found.
While peasant furniture remains simple, nomadic lords (traveling between residences and facing numerous feudal wars) use transportable furniture, with the basic element being the chest, serving both as storage and a bench. All furniture is disassembled, moved using ingenious systems, and transported by a convoy of "sumpter" animals (pack animals loaded with chests) that precede the traveling lord.
Historians arbitrarily define the Middle Ages as the period from the 5th to the 15th century:
Early Middle Ages from the 5th century (476, fall of Rome) to the 9th century.
Merovingians from the 5th century to the 7th century.
Carolingians from the 7th century to the 9th century (843).
Late Middle Ages from the 9th century to the 15th century.
Romanesque art from the 10th century to the mid-12th century.
Gothic art from the 12th century to the mid-16th century in some regions, already ending in the 15th century.
The 14th century was a period of significant changes in all aspects (political, cultural, architectural). Furniture also evolved, and its domestic importance increased. This explains why more furniture has been found from this date onward.
Medieval furniture seems to partially break with the Latin furniture tradition. However, there is some continuity for princely furniture. For example, Dagobert's throne is classically inspired with its X-shaped curule seat. Moreover, throughout the early Middle Ages, art in general and furniture in particular were influenced by barbarian cultures, especially the Visigoths and Franks.
The ornamentation of medieval furniture is inspired by contemporary architecture. Romanesque period chests and wardrobes are decorated with rounded arches (Aubazine wardrobe), while Gothic furniture features elaborate tracery (decorative carved window motifs) characteristic of this architecture.
During the Romanesque period, luxurious furniture is rarely made with visible wood: their ornamentation often consists of painted and embossed leather or painted and applied canvas. This partly explains why so few pieces of furniture from this era have been found because once the leather or canvas has hardened, the furniture loses its decorative interest, especially as its form goes out of style, ending up as firewood.
Forged iron fittings, often curvilinear, initially served to reinforce the furniture but gradually transformed into independent ornaments. It is sometimes said that furniture in this period is more a work of ironwork than carpentry. Locks also play a significant role in the decoration of furniture, persisting until the end of the Renaissance.
The leather covering during the Romanesque period was gradually replaced by velvet or skin that highlighted the cutout designs of hinges and locks. In the 15th century, this gave rise to a trend (initially in Burgundy and Flanders, then across Europe): panels in 'pleated parchment' or 'napkin folds,' as seen on the cathedra depicted at the beginning of the article[Where?]. This ornamentation draws inspiration from the shapes leather takes as it becomes weathered. In this nostalgic taste, one can perceive a kind of yearning among declining aristocratic classes faced with the expanding royal power, the progressive centralization of the state at the expense of the feudal model, and the emergence of cities and the bourgeoisie. Conversely, it can be a way for these 'newly rich' individuals to invent a glorious past [citation needed].
Decorative motifs include spirals on chests from the 13th century, napkin folds, and flamboyant decorations in the form of broken arches, often found on fenestrages with orbe voie.
The most commonly used furniture in the Middle Ages is primarily chests (usually equipped with locks and handles) and seats. However, this statement needs to be nuanced: for a long time, it was believed that these two types of furniture were the only ones existing until the 14th century because they were the only ones found. However, iconography also shows tables, wardrobes, and cupboards, but they have all disappeared because they are not transportable and have likely burned in the numerous fires that plagued wooden cities or were lost during the wars that shook the end of the Middle Ages. These destructions are not exclusive to the Middle Ages, and one can mention, for example, the wardrobe of the Noyon Cathedral, a splendid sculpted and polychrome wardrobe from the 13th century described by Viollet-le-Duc and destroyed during the bombing of the city by the French in 1918 [citation needed].
Romanesque furniture is of simple construction, consisting of massive panels assembled by notched, nailed crosspieces, hinges, or by tenons and mortises. Gothic furniture remains massive and austere, generally rectilinear in shape. It evolves from the 14th century: thin wooden panels are assembled by grooves and tongues and a miter cut; they are framed by a massive structure formed by uprights and crosspieces always assembled by tenons and mortises.
In the 13th century, the chest is on legs with hinges decorated with spiral motifs (foliage, fruits, and animals). Called 'arche,' it is used to store 'archives'; called 'arche-banc,' sometimes with a backrest and armrests, it serves as a seat. In the 15th century, the chest is covered with a tabletop and serves as a table; it has flamboyant decorations with fenestrage at orbe voie, such as broken arches in accolade.
Among peasants, the chest called 'huche' serves both as storage and a bench.
From the mid-14th century onwards, furniture diversified and became increasingly luxurious as the fortunes of urban merchants and courtiers grew.
It is at this time that many types of furniture were created, some of which are still used today.
Credence:
By raising the chest to a person's height and placing doors on the front for ergonomic reasons, the credence was obtained. This piece of furniture took on a particular utility. Installed in the dining room, it served to lock up food, waiting to be served after it had been tasted to search for potential poisons. This practice gave rise to the expression 'faire crédence' ('to make credence'). From a utilitarian piece of furniture, it became a decorative piece and served to present dishes. It is the ancestor of our modern sideboards and buffets.
Chayère/Cathedra:
The chayère or cathedra is a seat from the 12th century, initially reserved for kings and later for ecclesiastics. It has a footrest and, as decoration, oculi and arcades. Representations of King Dagobert's chayère can be found. In the 13th century, it gradually transformed into a pulpit.
Pulpit:
The pulpit (13th century) is a wooden seat with a high backrest and solid armrests, reserved for the head of the household. It is without a canopy until the 15th century.
Faudesteuil:
The faudesteuil is a type of stool.
In the Middle Ages, the choice of material depended on technical and economic considerations as much as on the symbolic charge of the material. For example, walnut was used very late despite its certain advantages, especially for sculpture, due to its negative connotation: it is a tree very toxic to other plants.
The most commonly used woods were oak and fir, as well as indigenous species from the place of furniture manufacture (fruit trees, lime, alder, chestnut, ash...).
Poplar, which will later be widely used for lower quality furniture, does not yet exist in Europe.
Metals are also very present: steel for construction, ironwork, and reinforcement of furniture, copper, tin, gold leaf, and enamels for the ornamentation of princely or cult furniture.
The use of ivory for small objects or accessories (mirror valves, combs, boxes, reliquaries) and sometimes even for entire pieces of furniture, such as the throne of Saint-Maximin (6th century), is also noted. Furniture can also be covered with leather or fabrics that serve as its main decoration.
Notes:
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PHOTOGRAPHE François MALLET
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November 18, 2023 2:30 PM CET
Barcelona, Spain
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