Chinois
I can't help but chuckle every time I recall the server at an excellent French Asian "fusion" restaurant here in Raleigh (yes...there is one) when she tried to explain to me that chinoiserie was actually a French interpretation of the Chinese decorative arts. I never let on and was very attentive, even fascinated.
She gave an excellent explanation! At my latest venture...At Home With DT...I have assembled a nice selection of late 19th century and early 20th century Chinoiserie boxes and trinkets, a wonderful collection of Rose Medallion (some very old, some ca. 20th century), as well as a few pieces of blanc de chine, a lovely ca. 19th century blue and white temple jar, and various other 19th century Chinese export pieces that range from huge (floor size) temple jars to small figural pieces. I personally think that we have seen so much blue and white (thanks Ralph), that the ever classic Rose Medallion is prime for it's comeback!
I refuse to part with pieces from my personal collection. I have done this in the past for private clients and have always lived to regret it. Many times I have been tempted to make the call to offer to buy a piece (or pieces) back! One never knows if the client truly appreciates the treasure they have been entrusted with caring for until the next generation takes over. I own this Napoleon III key cabinet shown below (NFS). It is just one of my many papier mache pieces collected through the years.
This is how we must look at fine things....as caretakers. Be it a house, a tiny precious box, a porcelain, or even a textile, these are treasures. In our throwaway world so many people have been conditioned to buy cheap, use, discard. Our ancestors knew better. Thank goodness some of these treasures survive, and not just in museums.
Stop by and see our treasures...old and new. At Home With DT...opening February 20th at 1pm.
As always....xx.DT
She gave an excellent explanation! At my latest venture...At Home With DT...I have assembled a nice selection of late 19th century and early 20th century Chinoiserie boxes and trinkets, a wonderful collection of Rose Medallion (some very old, some ca. 20th century), as well as a few pieces of blanc de chine, a lovely ca. 19th century blue and white temple jar, and various other 19th century Chinese export pieces that range from huge (floor size) temple jars to small figural pieces. I personally think that we have seen so much blue and white (thanks Ralph), that the ever classic Rose Medallion is prime for it's comeback!
I refuse to part with pieces from my personal collection. I have done this in the past for private clients and have always lived to regret it. Many times I have been tempted to make the call to offer to buy a piece (or pieces) back! One never knows if the client truly appreciates the treasure they have been entrusted with caring for until the next generation takes over. I own this Napoleon III key cabinet shown below (NFS). It is just one of my many papier mache pieces collected through the years.
This is how we must look at fine things....as caretakers. Be it a house, a tiny precious box, a porcelain, or even a textile, these are treasures. In our throwaway world so many people have been conditioned to buy cheap, use, discard. Our ancestors knew better. Thank goodness some of these treasures survive, and not just in museums.
Stop by and see our treasures...old and new. At Home With DT...opening February 20th at 1pm.
As always....xx.DT
Oh how true, how true, we are merely caretakers of things we treasure from the past in hopes of passing them to the next generation. I do hope my daughter appreciates some of the things we've collected over the years. Fewer but better things - that is the message I hope to pass along to her.
ReplyDeleteI love Chinoiserie in small doses. We have bits of it here and there at Darlington and in our city apartment, and I adore it -- it gives me pleasure every time I see it. Like any good thing, though, one can get carried away by it. I prefer it in moderation. Now, of course if I were a Prussian Prince living in a Schinkel palace I would insist on having a Chinoiserie pavillion to while away the hours in on a summer's afternoon, most artfully and deliciously.
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