Sylvain Cordier – författare

The dazzling splendors of the court of Napoleon I (1769–1821) reflected the grandeur and ambitions of the greatest empire of the day.  This luxurious volume re-creates the ambiance and captures the spirit that prevailed in the French court during the Empire through the material manifestations of the Imperial Household.  The Imperial Household, a key institution during Napoleon’s reign, was responsible for the daily lives of the Imperial family; it consisted of six departments, each headed by a high-ranking dignitary of the Empire: the grand chaplain, grand master of ceremonies, grand marshal of the Palace, grand master of the hunt, grand chamberlain, and grand equerry – each intimately involved with every moment of pageantry in the court.  Featured here are more than 250 works of fine and decorative art, the visual magnificence of which was part of a calculated and deliberate effort to fashion a monarchic identity for the new emperor.  Distributed for Editions Hazan, ParisExhibition Schedule:The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts(01/23/18–05/13/18)Virginia Museum of Fine Arts(06/06/18–09/03/18)The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art(10/04/18–01/13/19)Musée national du Château de Fontainebleau(04/13/19–07/15/19)

The 18th century saw the height of court culture in Europe as well as the beginnings of its demise with conflicts such as the American and French Revolutions. The Scientific Revolution, which had begun in the preceding centuries, also ushered in a new intellectual era which advocated the use of reason to effect change in government and to advance progress in society. For furniture, this meant ever-higher standards of luxury in the designs, techniques and materials utilized for the best pieces, and more structure and specialization in the furniture-making process itself. Furniture also came into its own during this period as a collectable work of art on its own merits.Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, this volume of A Cultural History of Furniture presents essays that examine key characteristics of the furniture of the period on the themes of design and motifs; makers, making, and materials; types and uses; the domestic setting; the public setting; exhibition and display; furniture and architecture; visual representations; and verbal representations.