Cage à oiseaux by GeninMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Furniture from the region reflected the expertise of inventive craftsmanship, and Nîmes' status as a rich and prosperous city.
Chaise à porteur (18ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Designed around 1720, this rococo-style sedan chair allowed wealthy people to escape traffic jams. It also replaced horse-drawn carriages, which couldn't circulate in the small alleys of the historical center of Nîmes.
Several trades were involved in their manufacture. These saddlers, upholsterers, painters and carpenters were all called "coachbuilders".
Canapé by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
The prosperity of the city of Nîmes led its inhabitants to decorate their interiors according to the fashions coming from the capital.
Covered with a blue silk fabric with a palmette pattern, this cherry wood sofa has the main characteristics of the Louis XVI style of the end of the eighteenth century:
The feet are straight, turned and fluted.
The armrests are on molded supports reminiscent of colonnades. The discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii in Italy gave rise to these ornamental motifs, inspired by Roman antiquity.
Table de billard (19ème siècle) by BernassauMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Made by the cabinetmaker Bernassau Jr., one of the four billiard table makers present in Nîmes in the nineteenth century, this board game is inlaid with light-colored lemon wood marquetry depicting exotic scenes, which were very in vogue at that time.
The décor represents a hunt. A man battles against ferocious beasts to protect his wife and children.
Golden bronze mascarons with female heads and rosettes also adorn the six feet.
Meuble miniature : la panetière BoisMusée du Vieux Nîmes
How was this miniature furniture used?
From 15 to 20 centimeters and typical of the Nîmes and Arles region, these would be models or masterpieces of the craft guilds, demonstrating the technical and stylistic knowledge of cabinetmakers in the region.
Their small size facilitated their transport and allowed the cabinetmaker to present them as a model to his customers.
Artisans could then make full-size furniture, such as this bread bin that was fixed to the wall, which was once used to keep bread away from rats.
Cage à oiseaux by GeninMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Made in the nineteenth century, this birdcage has an appealing elegance. It takes the original form of a neo-renaissance mansion, built in Nîmes at 14 Quai de la Fontaine in 1847 for Dr Cincitus-Fontaine.
Popular in the bourgeois houses of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they featured colorful birds that testified to the taste for exoticism that was particularly in vogue at the time.
Coffre avec ses clés (17ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Did you know?
The trunk was the most common storage method before the invention of the wardrobe in the seventeenth century. Included in the bride's dowry, all kinds of objects were stored there: clothes, bed linen, dishes, etc.
Armoire languedocienne (17ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Typical of the Bas-Languedoc region, the figural cabinets date from the seventeenth century. They combined the expertise of master carpenters and master sculptors.
They have the unique feature of being richly decorated with bas-relief decorations carved in walnut wood. Only the shelves and the back part are made of chestnut, a wood reputed to be rot-proof, typical of the region.
Armoire languedocienne (17ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
The wardrobe is massive, almost as wide as it is high. The smooth and simple sides differ from the very richly ornamented façade.
The uprights are carved with plant friezes.
The two doors are divided into two panels, plus a smaller one in the center.
They are surmounted by a crosspiece decorated with a heavy frieze, then by a cornice abundantly decorated with mythological or religious scenes.
The decorations of the figural cabinets have a role in the architectural organization of the furniture. Their shapes adapt to a precise space. This explains the shrunken legs and the strange shapes of the bodies. Here we find an angel riding a dragon.
Angels had a religious connotation on carved cabinets depicting biblical scenes.
Terme (17ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
This pattern from Terme was often placed on the vertical uprights of the figural cabinets. Inspired by Atlas (a male figure whose lower limbs act as columns to support architecture), it symbolizes the function of stability, acting as a guardian.
A universal theme in the field of art and decorative arts, plant patterns offer infinite geometric combinations on these cabinets: acanthus leaves, fruit or foliage garlands, curling vine leaves, etc.
Armoire (17ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Wardrobes from Uzès are another example of the creativity expressed in regional furniture. With a fairly simple structure, they were made of inexpensive wood: pine, chestnut, fir or lime.
Their origin is uncertain. However, it is said that Italian artists were invited to paint the ceilings of the Duchy's castle in the city of Uzès. To thank the families who hosted them, they supposedly painted their furniture.
Armoire (17ème siècle) by AnonymeMusée du Vieux Nîmes
On this Louis XIV style Uzès wardrobe, each of the six door panels is surrounded by white arabesques. Although the background color here is black, some pieces of furniture were painted in shades of green, blue or white.
Three medallions make up each door of these wedding cabinets. Here, two central medallions represent spouses facing each other. The shades of red, white and black used to represent them dominate all the decorations.
Armoire (18ème siècle) by Pillot PierreMusée du Vieux Nîmes
Made between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this wardrobe is in the Louis XV style. Crafted from varnished wood with molded and symbolic decorations, this walnut item formed part of young brides' dowries.
A fruit basket motif demonstrates the desire for a prolific and fruitful relationship, while a hunting corps evokes the financial ease of the family who ordered it from the regional cabinetmaker.
The wheat or flowers motifs represent the prosperity of the owners.
The olive branches and the vine stand for the attributes of peace and love desired by the newlyweds.
Creation: City of Nîmes - Musée du Vieux Nîmes
Images: © City of Nîmes - Musée du Vieux Nîmes: © Gilles Lefrancq
