Studio: international art (6.1896)

French Woodwork at South Kensington

FRENCH WOOD-
WORK AT
SOUTH KEN-
SINGTON.

An extremely important and
interesting exhibition has recently
been arranged at South Kensing-
ton, consisting, for the most part,
of a large collection of French
woodwork which has just been
purchased for that institution
and those connected with it.
The exhibits cover the whole
period of the transition from
Gothic to Renascence forms of
ornament; and on that account
have a high value for a student
I X 1 j .}'',!] PfiHMMKl °f the history of Ail. as well as

! (• ' ~1«flf i f°r a designer who is concerned

-m-:-T-■ ! '-——-' with the Practical application

\ thereof, and the connoisseur of
^jfKMKKKMHSKKKttU French decoration.

Among so great a number of

fig. 2. oak cabinet. xvi century objects, each worthy of detailed

examination, it becomes difficult

memory is the grace, the imaginative touch, the to select adequately representative examples ; and
new and racy spirit which means personal force, those chosen for illustration are to be considered
originality of a high order. It is distinction of simply as types which appear to have an immediate
temperament which is the great essential, and and practical value for the wood-carver. Of these,
Mr. MacMonnies possesses that in a very un- the door (Fig. i), of carved oak, with panels con-
usual measure. taining six separate motives, is a happy illustration

fig. 3.
26

—carved oak chest

first half of xvi century