In each region of France, furniture makers created pieces that differed stylistically from each other. These pieces were made of woods indigenous to the region and were typically given a waxed finish, unlike the lacquered finish of Paris pieces. The region of origin can usually be determined by iconography, panel shapes, moldings, the shape of the overall piece, hardware and the type of wood used. We have developed a vocabulary that helps us determine the region of origin of the pieces that we bring to Habité and Rebuffel Antiques. We believe designers and collectors who develop the skills to identify regional characteristics will refine their taste and increase their connoisseurship. They can also determine and evaluate the comparative values of pieces from similar regions. In this issue of our newsletter, we focus on the region of Provence.

French Provincial furniture as we know it started to be made about the time of Louis XIV (circa 1700). Prior to that time, very few provincial furniture items were made, and these were of very simple construction. Early styles were greatly influenced by Italian designs, being encrusted with precious stones, ivory, mother-of-pearl or carving. The French Renaissance style finally emerged from this bourgeois furniture with its distinct Dutch style.

From the beginning of Louis XlV's reign, inlays and veneers were eliminated, and furniture was produced from native solid woods: oak, beech, walnut and fruit woods. During the reign of Louis XV, a whole series of pieces was developed with drawers, including chiffoniers, secretaries and tiny tables for various purposes. At the same time, simple furniture began to develop along local lines and the once-barren peasant cottage assumed a homelike atmosphere. Well-styled French provincial furniture at last came into its own.

La Provence

Let's start with a little history. In the 18th century, Nîmes became a center of production of silk that was then sent on to Lyon. This brought industry and money to the area and led to the development of a class interested in furnishing their new homes so as to display their newfound wealth and status. The same was true for Toulon and Marseille. In the 18th century, these two cities were centers of production for ships. This attracted talented woodworkers and sculptors. Although there are other historical factors, furniture production flourished in these areas due to the wealth brought by developing industry.

Four artists from the south of France were key in developing the Louis XV style that is recognized as Provençal:

· Pierre Puget (1620-1694), a sculptor from Marseille

· Bernard Toro, an ornamentalist from Toulon, who was a student of Puget. He published an encyclopedia of designs in 1716 that was widely read, disseminating the triumph of the curve in design. We can also attribute the popularity of the "grand console d'apparat" to Bernard Toro.

· Meissonier (1695-1750), an orfevre

· Pierre Pillot, an ebeniste, who was very active in Nîmes between 1785 and 1790.

Design elements taken from the works of these artists combined to create a type of furniture known for wonderful carvings. This style is called "le style fleuri" because of the preferred use of vegetal forms over acanthus forms and incorporated feet that roll into "coquilles d'escargot" (snail shells) or "pieds de biche" (deer hooves). The panels, cornices and oft-pierced aprons were also elegantly molded and carved.

Other common elements of design in furnishings from Provence:

· Commodes of great quality incorporate galbé sides and pierced aprons

· Use of walnut was predominant for case pieces, but fruitwood (especially cherry) was commonly used for chairs

· Armoires usually have a cornice in the shape of a chapeau gendarme. Door panels are formed of curvilinear moldings without the squaring-off seen on panels found in Lyon or Bordeaux. Highly carved (and sometimes pierced) aprons, frontons and dormants (the long panel between the doors) grace these armoires. (Side note: although the armoires from Arles are thought to epitomize this regional style, the aprons on Arlesian armoires are never pierced.)

· Beautifully intricate hardware is also common to the region. It is not uncommon to find three escutcheons on doors and thick long hardware running the entire length of the doors on an armoire.

· Beautiful gilded beech consoles and mirrors incorporating fruit and flower baskets. Carvings also include the musical instruments depicting Arles, soupiere in the 18th century and classical urns in the 19th, wheat, and olive branches, shell motifs and acanthus leaves.

The buffet à glissant was created first in the Haute-Provence area and was adopted by the rest of the region. It is a shape that is specific to Provence, not found in other parts of France. These were essentially reductions of the buffet deux-corps; less cumbersome and offering two flat surfaces for serving meals. Consequently, they were placed in the dining room or near the communal eating area in a home. The buffet à glissant consists of a two-door buffet for the base with a second piece placed on the back of the buffet that is almost of the same width but has half the depth of the buffet. The piece will have three cupboards, the middle one called the tabernacle. With their carvings and beautifully curved moldings, these pieces epitomize the Provençal style.

Small pieces designed to be hung on the walls or rest on furniture were very popular in Provence, such as the panetière which was used for keeping bread, the estagnie which was used to display the pewter collection and the verrier for glass; salt boxes and liquor cellars were also given special attention.

Sources include:

"The History of Furniture Styles," Russell Bienenstock, editor (Towse Publishing Company, 1998)

"Mobiler Provençal" by Edith Mannoni (Editions Massin, 1995)

"Guide du Meuble Régional" by Yves Gairaud and Françoise de Perthuis (Editions Hervas 1040, 1987)

Appraisals - by Piers Mackenzie

"What is it worth?" is an everyday, understandable question that can be answered by a professional appraisal. The answer, however, depends on several factors.

Appraisals are made for various purposes, including probate, family division and dissolution and conservatorship.

Essentially, however, there are only two types of appraised values: the item's value in the market and its replacement value, loosely wholesale and retail, respectively.

Fair Market Appraisals

Fair Market Value is officially defined by Treasury Regulation 20. 2031-1 which states that "the fair market value is the price at which the property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller." It goes on to state in effect that the transaction would not be a forced sale and that the value is determined by reference to the market in which such property is commonly offered.

Thus, there is really no difference between the antique trade and other commodities, wholesale or retail. If a dealer buys a Louis Philippe chest of drawers at auction for a wholesale price of $2,000, he may or may not have to repair and/or restore it. He may then raise the price to $6,000, this being the level at which similar pieces of furniture are being sold at retail.

Comparing recent sales is generally the basis of fair market appraisals. The most commonly used are auction sales as the recorded prices are within the public domain.

In considering an item's worth, originality, age, completeness and quality are taken into account. In the case of antiques, restoration is acceptable, but value ultimately depends on correctness and degree.

Insurance Appraisals

The difference between insurance value and fair market value is often a source of misunderstanding and grief. There are three indicators which are used to determine replacement cost:

· Direct comparison with similar/identical items still in production: this primarily applies to silver, china and glass, whose values are easily determined.

· The cost of making an exact reproduction using the same materials, methods and standards as the original, an approach used if it seems impossible to locate within reasonable time a similar object, or if it could be shown that the object was unique or highly unusual.

· Used replacement cost: seeking to replace an item with an example as close as possible to the specifications of what he/she had, e.g. age, type, color, condition, etc. because an exact duplicate can never be found.

Why It Mattters

It is very important to understand the price differential between market and replacement values as illustrated by the dealer who bought the chest. Most people are unaware of the value of their possessions and are content to accept blanket coverage of their house contents with homeowner's insurance. All too often, items of significant value are not distinguished in the policy and the insured is therefore not properly covered in the event of a claim.

For proper protection, the homeowner needs a "fine arts rider" to be attached to his policy, which lists items other than general household furniture which are of particular value.

This rider must be supported by an inventory provided by a qualified appraiser who will identify, research and provide an extremely detailed description with photographs and current retail values (which incidentally should be periodically updated).

Why Use a Professional Appraiser? - by Piers Mackenzie

An appraiser can make a homeowner aware of the value of previously unconsidered trifles, important whether he is seeking replacement value or attempting to sell the item in question.

I remember being called to a house near Santa Cruz to assess the fair market value of certain furnishings whose sale was in contemplation. The owner showed me everything except a side chair in the corner of her sitting room. When I asked about said chair, she said she'd had it for years and was going to place it in a garage sale. In fact, it was a circa 1800 American Federal chair which subsequently sold for $4,000 at auction, not in itself a large sum, but certainly an improvement on the likely outcome of the garage sale.

The other consideration is what would this owner's position been relative to the chair in the event of an insurance settlement of a claim following a loss through fire or theft? And remember, it would not have been $4,000 she was in danger of not receiving but perhaps $8,000/12,000, the price which a specialist dealer would be asking for an equivalent chair. So here we have an individual who, through ignorance, could have been deprived of real value in either situation.

We go to a professional for most areas of our life: medicine, dentistry, law, education, etc. By the same token, we should avail ourselves of a professional appraiser to protect our main assets, the things we live with. And quite apart from insurance, a fair market value listing is useful, not merely should an owner wish to sell, but to provide values for family division to avoid disputes that so frequently accompany these divisions.

How to Find an Appraiser

Insurance brokers will often refer clients to fine arts appraisers. Otherwise, consult the main professional organizations to which most appraisers belong, The Appraisers Association of America, the International Society of Appraisers and the American Society of Appraisers.

Books we are currently reading:

"Objects of Desire: The Lives of Antiques and Those Who Pursue Them" by Thatcher Freund (Penguin Books, 1993)

"Architecture Intérieure et décoration en France des origines à 1875" by Jean Feray (Editions Berger-Levrault, 1988)

"Life in the French Country House" by Mark Girouard (Alfred A. Knopf, distributed by Random House, 2000)