Page 5 - Women Collectors and the Rise of the Porcelain Cabinet (Collecting history in Europe)

furniture was decorated with ivory or ebony marquetry marble and walls painted in white with delicate gold
or glass inlays in imitation of Italian pietra dura. The ornamentation, blue-and-white painting now became
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only Asian elements documented were Chinese silk fashionable. Unlike in the Netherlands, however,
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fabrics, and it was only through the predominant in France porcelain was not an integral component
colour scheme that this mixture of exotic elements of the chinoiserie cabinet. Ornate French cabinets
acquired a uniform ‘Chinese’ appearance. Even this were dominated by mirrors, particularly walls made
appearance, however, was not of genuine Chinese up entirely of mirrors with objects made from
porcelain but rather the European adaptation of it in crystal, gemstones and precious metals displayed
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the form of faience; and even then not delftware, but in front of them. The Galerie des Glaces in Versailles
locally manufactured faience products. was planned immediately after the Peace Treaty of
Nijmegen in 1678 and was completed in 1686. The
The Trianon was constructed as a counterpart to the iconographic schema was devoted to the victorious
menagerie, the collection of exotic animals, and an war against Holland, and in prints the Gallery was
outstanding feature of the Pavillon de Flore was its represented as the most important ceremonial room
diverse array of fl owers. There were no fewer than in the palace, although in fact that was not the case.
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96,000 fl owering plants and 2 million plants in pots, It is undoubtedly no coincidence that Louis XIV
including numerous small orange, pomegranate established his own different form of ostentatious
and lemon trees, which provided seasonal changes room, the Hall of Mirrors, just as the House of Orange
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of colour and a constant symphony of aromas. In a sought to enhance its status through the display of
contemporary description written by André Félibien porcelain objects.
in 1673 this rich variety of fl owers is emphasised as
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a characteristic feature and in an eclogue produced It is clear, then, that efforts were being made in
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in 1677 the beauty of the fl owers is compared to the various European courts in the mid-17 century to
diversity of the precious materials, with the Trianon integrate Chinese elements into interior decoration.
fêted as a place of eternal springtime. Nevertheless, thanks to an unprecedented
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dissemination campaign by the House of Orange, it
Although the architectural form of the Trianon, a was only the novel porcelain cabinet that succeeded
single-storey pavilion with a high roof, was avidly in developing into an indispensable hallmark
copied, the palace did not have any signifi cant of courtly prestige. In the period around 1700 a
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infl uence on the development of the porcelain porcelain cabinet was an essential component of every
cabinet. What is more probable is that the idea of tiled princess’s private apartment, and was indeed its most
garden halls and garden grottos was derived from exclusive and imposing room.
the Trianon de Porcelaine. Since the King customarily
took light refreshments there, all the rooms of the In their respective principalities, the four daughters
secondary pavilions bear names with gastronomic of Amalia van Solms-Braunfels: Louise Henrietta
references, which evidently identifi ed their respective von Brandenburg (1627–1667); Albertine Agnes von
functions: Pièce pour les entrées et hors d’oeuvre; Pièce pour Nassau-Diez (1634–1696); Henrietta Catharine von
les potages; Pièce pour le rôt; Pièce pour la table de la desserte; Anhalt-Dessau (1637–1708); and Maria von Simmern
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etc. Eating informal meals in specially designed (1642–1688), all of whom were married to German
garden structures and ‘summer dining halls’ became princes, each had a pleasure palace built in which the
a widespread fashion. Once again, it was evidently the interior fi ttings and decorative schema incorporated
women of the House of Orange who added this type references to Huis ten Bosch and their parents’ other
of room – the garden hall fi tted out with faience tiles palaces. The very names of the palaces: Oranien burg
and faience vessels – to their array of porcelain rooms. (near Berlin); Oranienstein (near Diez an der Lahn);
Oranienbaum (near Dessau) and Oranienhof (near
Asian porcelain had, of course, been collected and Bad Kreuznach) clearly refer not only to their family
appreciated at the French court prior to the receipt of of origin but also emphasise the cohesion of their
the opulent gifts from the Siamese Embassies of 1684 relationships. In their respective new homelands
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and 1686. However, the ‘goût chinois’ had so far been the four princesses endeavoured to introduce the
refl ected primarily in the use of Chinese furnishings superior achievements of Dutch high culture to their
and fabrics, along with chinoiserie painted décor. husbands’ German residences, most of which were
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The Trianon introduced a new type of interior modestly furnished and still bore the scars of the
design: the façon de pourceline. As well as imitation Thirty Years War.

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