French

French styles run through this section, from the carving of the Rococo to the gilt bronze of the Empire. Start with the timeline of French furniture styles, then read how Empire style differs from the periods around it. Other articles here take in the console table, chandeliers, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the marks on antique French mantel clocks.

French Provincial 5 stories Louis XV 2 stories
Rococo style vs Baroque furniture: the Baroque side, a Rome console table with scrolled legs carved with female busts, a gilded base and a green porphyry top

Rococo Style vs Baroque Furniture: How to Tell the Two Apart

FurnitureAntique French clock of about 1745, a gilt-bronze mantel clock with a scrolling case, small Chinese figures and a white enamel dial, shown against a gray backdrop

How to Identify an Antique French Mantel Clock: Signatures, Stamps and Cases

ClocksFrench Art Deco furniture and decoration in Ruhlmann's small salon, 1925 colour plate: pale panelled walls edged in gilt, a tiered crystal chandelier, a gilded relief above a mirror, a dark desk with a slatted lid, a cream armchair and a round painted panel of birds before the fireplace

French Art Deco Furniture: Ruhlmann’s Pavilion at the 1925 Paris Exposition

FurnitureTapering mahogany cabinet in the form of an Egyptian gateway, one door open to show rows of small drawers with silver mounts and a silver winged disk below the cornice

French Empire Style Furniture: Forms, Mounts and How to Recognize It

FurnitureGilded carved console table with a shaped dark red marble top, a gilt mask at the centre of the frieze, S-shaped legs topped with carved dragons and a stretcher with a helmet at the centre

Antique French Console Table: Periods, Carving and What to Check

FurnitureLow two-door cabinet of polished wood with gently curving sides, swirling reddish marquetry on both doors and gilt-metal mounts at the corners, photographed in a grey studio

Art Nouveau Furniture: How a Flowing Line Replaced the Revival Styles

FurnitureAntique French chandelier of gilt bronze with three tiers of scrolling arms, long clear crystal drops and a large crystal pendant at the base

French Chandeliers: Bronze, Crystal and What to Check Before You Buy

Lighting

More in French

Antique French writing desk of crimson lacquer painted with gold landscapes, with curving legs, scrolling gilt-bronze mounts and a flat dark leather-lined top

Bureau Plat and the French Writing Desk: A Short Guide to the Form

FurnitureTall black armoire with two doors inlaid in gold-colored brass with scrolling ornament and corner mounts of gilded bronze, standing against crimson damask

The French Armoire: Its History, Regional Styles and What to Check

FurnitureAntique French commode with a low black body inlaid with brass and tortoiseshell, carved gilt-bronze figures at the corners, spiral and scrolled gilt feet and a dark green marble top

The French Commode: A Guide to the Chest of Drawers, Its Periods and What to Look For

FurnitureMantel clock with a white enamel dial between two winged sphinxes in gilt bronze, on a white marble base with a gilt-bronze frieze of medallions, against a grey ground

Ormolu and Gilt Bronze: The Gold on French Furniture, Explained

ClocksBlack-and-white photograph of a long carved walnut daybed with cabriole legs, a carved scalloped apron and a high upholstered back topped by a pierced shell cresting

French Provincial Furniture: What the Name Means, and What It Doesn’t

FurnitureBlack lacquer drop-front secretary on a slender stand with gilt-bronze mounts, a marble top and a gilt urn between the legs, against a grey ground

Louis XVI Furniture: Neoclassical Lines and How to Recognize Them

FurnitureBlack lacquered commode with two drawers, a marble top, tall curved legs and gilt-bronze mounts framing painted Chinese figure scenes

Louis XV Furniture: A Guide to the Style, Its Forms and How to Recognize It

FurnitureBlack and white photograph of a mahogany daybed with a scrolled end, sphinx-shaped arm supports, a pale patterned cushion and slim tapering legs

French Furniture Styles: A Visual Timeline from Louis XIII to Belle Époque

FurnitureGilded beechwood bergère with closed, upholstered sides and a loose seat cushion, covered in pale silk with a Chinese-style scene, in front of painted wall panelling

Bergère Chair and Fauteuil: How to Tell the Two French Armchairs Apart

Chairs & Armchairs
Elsewhere in the journal
French Art Deco furniture and decoration in Ruhlmann's small salon, 1925 colour plate: pale panelled walls edged in gilt, a tiered crystal chandelier, a gilded relief above a mirror, a dark desk with a slatted lid, a cream armchair and a round painted panel of birds before the fireplace

French Art Deco Furniture: Ruhlmann’s Pavilion at the 1925 Paris Exposition

Art Nouveau & Art DecoBaroque furniture: a tall state bed hung with blue silk damask, with a deep fringed canopy and curtains, shown in a dark museum gallery beside an upholstered armchair

Baroque Furniture: The Roman Baroque Bed

Baroque & RococoDark wooden cabinet with asymmetrical stepped shelves and small open compartments above, gold and red carved panels in the lower doors and a pierced brass grille at the centre

Japonisme: How Japanese Art and Design Reshaped Western Interiors

Asian · Japanese