Sensationally Swedish Webinar Interiordesign-ED Beverly Vosko
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Sensationally Swedish Webinar InteriorDesign-ED Beverly Vosko 3807 Riley St. Houston, Texas 77005 Tel. 713 464-0055 Cell 713 269-6909 Email: [email protected] Website: www.InteriorDesign-ED.com Swedish Furniture Handouts Welcome to our .3 CEU Webinar! Swedish Antiques have recently become extremely popular and can be found in all the Antique shops across the U.S. – this is because of 2 reasons. First, because English and French Antiques are becoming harder to find and second, because Swedish Furniture is simple and fits in with clean lined look of today. Sweden, experienced a brief but significant artistic Golden Age in the late 18th Century due to the efforts of King Gustaf III. When still Prince, Gustaf III had been visiting Paris and particularly Versailles on a cultural tour, and was called back to Sweden due to his father King Adolf Fredrik’s untimely death. Gustaf III was very impressed with the “new” Neo Classical Louis XVI Interior Design Style he saw at Versailles, became passionate about architecture and furniture and wished to restore Sweden to its former splendor. In 1772, after being crowned king, Gustaf III carried out a successful cout d’etat, and restored the power that Swedish kings had lost 2 generations earlier. Gustaf III reigned from 1772-1792 and during this 20 year time period ushered in Sweden’s Golden Age… the Gustavian Era when the “Paris of the north” was recreated within Sweden’s borders and the Neo Classical Style was disseminated throughout Sweden and flourished there on a grand scale. This CEU will analyze the Architecture, Interior Design and Furniture of some great Swedish Interiors The Gustavian Era can be subdivided into: Early Gustavian 1770-1780, Late Gustavian 1785- 1810 and then the subsequent Empire style 1810-1830 which was based upon Gustavian Era. Eary Gustavian Style 1772-1785 Neoclassicism I Early Gustavian Style was a combination of : The Rococo Style now called the Louis XV Style and the Neoclassical style now called the Louis XVI style in France and the Chippendale style and the Neoclassical style now called the Adam style in England. The Rococo Style was a light playful, whimsical imaginative style where structural shapes were broken up into a series of undulating curves and a deliberate asymmetry was sought after – typical motifs were “C” and “S” scrolls, scalloped pierced shells and curved acanthus leaves. Neoclassical style is Reinterpretation of Classical forms in Decorative Arts and return to Classicism influenced by discovery and excavation of buried remains of 2 Ancient Italian cities Herculaneum and Pompeii. It marked a return to symmetry and proportion and the use of circular, semi circular and oval motifs which translated into round legs, semicircular case furniture, oval chair backs and tiny repetitive interlaced circular details as well as columns, pilasters, Greek Key patterns, laurel wreaths, Urns, paterae, rosettes, swags, medallions and griffins. Stockholm was the centre for furniture making in 18th C Sweden. There were established guilds, just like in France, that received masters and strictly controlled manufacture and these weren’t abolished until 1847 Both Architecture and Furniture in Salons, Anterooms, Bedrooms and other State rooms especially Sofas, Chairs, Tables and Case furniture such as Secretaries and Commodes were usually designed in the French Style, Early Gustavian Salons, Anterooms, Bedrooms and other State rooms with their columns and gilt boiserie look very French architecturally. Earliest Salon chairs had cartouche shaped backs, slightly later ones had oval backs, while ones later still had rectangular backs. Both were usually embellished with a combination of Rococo and Neoclassical Motifs such as Rococo garlands of flowers mixed with Neoclassical swags and interlaced circles. They were usually painted white, gilded and upholstered in silk damask – but have subsequently been painted light grey and upholstered in plain linen. Side tables were based upon French models. Early Gustavian side tables were rectangular and often gilt with white marble tops, embellished with interlaced circular decoration that looked like jewelry in the Fr+/ench manner. Early Gustavian Dining Room architecture and furniture – especially Dining room chairs were influenced by English design instead and either had pierced baluster–splat backs in Chippendale style or round backs in Adam designs and were now given straight fluted baluster- turned legs. Dining rooms often were decorated with statues, as Robert Adam recommended. Round Tea tables appeared also based on English circular tripod models with central shafts resting on 3 cabriole legs. Jean Eric Rehn and George Haupt were the leading cabinetmakers of the Early Gustavian era, producing superb furniture mostly for the royal family The Late Gustavian style 1785-1801 Neoclassicism II The Late Gustavian style was stimulated by Gustaf III’s journey to Rome and Paris in 1783-84. Gustaf saw the great Italian collections of art and antiques, and also saw Herculaneum and Pompeii and the impressive Greek Doric temples at Paestum. Returning by way of France, he found significant stylistic changes in Paris from his initial visit in 1770, based upon new discoveries at Herculaneum and Pompeii and Gustaf III brought all these new design styles and ideas back with him to Sweden. The Late Gustavian style was a combination of the later French Louis XVI and Directoire styles based upon the Greek cave paintings, vase paintings and sarcophagi found in secondary excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii Popular in France from 1770-the French Revolution, and the Hepplewhite/Sheraton styles in England. Simplicity and even austerity became fashionable . The late Gustavian era was one of turmoil. In 1792 Gustaf III was assassinated and this was a temporary death knell to Sweden’s artistic life. Gustaf III’s brother Carl XIII acted as Regent for his son from 1792-1976 and was known as the Duke of Sodermanland. Then in 1796, Gustaf III’s son Gustaf IV Adolf became king and during this time period the Late Gustavian Style still flourished but gradually changed -buildings and interiors created between 1801-1810 were very austere and severe in style. Gustaf IV Adolf was also deposed and his aged and childless uncle became King as Carl XIII – but he died suddenly of a stroke. Even though Gustaf was killed, this era until 1810 is still called Late Gustavian. During this era Sweden was influenced more by Italy than by France partly because the French Revolution occurred during this time periodand partly because Swedens main architects studied in Italy rather than France. Walls have painted designs copied from Pompeii and Arches and Statues were very popular! Louis Masreliez (Jean–Baptiste’s elder brother) actually became the most important designer of the Late Gustavian Era – it was he who introduced the Pompeian style of decoration to Sweden Desprez was main architect . Drawing Room Sofas and Chairs were heavy and rectangular – and often gilt in grander homes or painted light grey in more modest homes – some had applied (or more rarely carved) decoration painted in the fashionable dark green color of antique bronze. They had square backs, square seats and round spiraled baluster legs –legs were sometimes fluted or reeded. In 1790 Louis Masreliez introduced the Klismos chairs – known in Sweden as Sulla’s chairs after Roman Dictator with concavely curved “sabre” back and front legs and plain concave back, based upon antique designs. Dining chairs were usually made in English Hepplewhite style and either made in mahogany, painted grey, or grained in imitation mahogany – they were only made in wood in wealthy homes. Upholstery was silk with a horse hair base. Swedish case furniture designed for Royal family looks quite French with its giltwork. Swedish desks often have extentions which is something only the Swedish do! Biography Beverly Vosko, RID, ASID (Allied Member), CAPS, L.E.E.D Green Associate, CGP (Certified Breen Professional), TAID, MBA… is a “Full Service”, Registered Interior Designer in Texas #6333. She is President and founder of both Beverly Vosko Interiors, and InteriorDesign-ED; both DBA’s for C. V Design Inc. For over 25 years, she has been designing homes across the United States and Europe, specializing in creating custom Residential and Commercial environments, be they Traditional, Transitional, Contemporary or Eclectic, that match her Design clients’ every need, through her Design Firm, Beverly Vosko Interiors. For nearly 20 years she has taught Interior Design, Aging in Place, Green/Sustainable Design, and Antiques at Rice University, the University of Houston, and for the last 10 years nationally, with her Continuing Education company, InteriorDesign-ED. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania, studied Art History at Harvard University, received her MBA in Marketing from NYU Stern Graduate Business School, and her Design and Antiques training from Sotheby’s and the world renown Inchbald School of Design. Please check out her websites, www.vosko.com and www.InteriorDesign-ED.com Bibliography 1. Hakan Groth. NeoClassicism in the North, Swedish Furniture and Interiors 1770-1850, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc, New York 2. Rhonda Eleish. Edie Van Breems.Jon E. Monson. Swedish Interiors Gibbs Smith, March 2007 3. Rhonda Eleish Edie Van Breems. Swedish Country Interiors Gibbs Smith, September 2009 4. Lars Sjoberg. Ingalill Smitt . Classic Swedish Interiors, Frances Lincoln, 2010 5. Country Swedish Country and estate, Furniture Catalogue 6.O’Neill, John P.. Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Second Printing Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2004 7. Miller, Judith. Chairs London: Octopus Publishing Group, 2009 8. Raynsford, Julia. The Story of Furniture. Hamlyn Publishing Group 1975 9. Miller, Judith. Furniture London: New York DK Publishing, 2005 .