Friday, March 23, 2018

The Old World Appeal Of Copper Bathtubs


Changing the bathtub is one of the best ways to give your bathroom a fresh new look or create a different style. Homeowners, tired of the built-in tub, are replacing them with the more elegant style of freestanding tubs. This trend has been building momentum for the last several years and continues to reach new heights of popularity in 2018. It's basically a rule that a luxurious bathroom needs a freestanding tub. Also copper has been huge in home decor for several seasons so it stands to reason that the copper bathtub is leading the field as it's very presence suggests indulgence. Copper bathtubs provide both the wow factor that a luxury bathroom requires and the warmth and old world charm that makes for an elegant space in which to enjoy the extravagance of a long, relaxing soak.

Copper bathtubs come in many shapes and sizes and range from iconic Roman or clawfoot style to ultra modern. I prefer an old world aesthetic so this blog spotlights my passion for antiquity. Also there are many finishes to choose which makes selecting your perfect copper bathtub even a harder decision. 

If you are considering a bathroom makeover, take a long hard look at these copper beauties. And whether your preference is burnished, or rich with patina, I don't think you can go wrong. Other than a slight burning sensation in your wallets, I believe you will be well pleased.



The imposing appearance of a copper bathtub seems to evoke images of a grand bathing experience in an old world setting. Bathtubs began to spread among wealthy households in the late 18th century.

sellingantiques.co.uk

The rich would bathe in copper bathtubs, like this French antique tub, that were rolled into their rooms on casters.


For hundreds of years beautiful copper bathtubs have provided character and an elegant, luxurious aesthetic to bathrooms.


Copper soaking tubs were popular among the 18th-century French aristocracy.

via Pinterest

Even Marie Antoinette had one. This is her copper bathtub at Versailles.

Taking a bath usually meant filling a copper tub with water heated over an open flame. Bathers used bath sheets to protect themselves from the hot metal.

via Pinterest

Woman Leaving Her Bath - Edgar Degas 1886

The copper bathtub is uber-trendy today but actually these lovely tubs are considered classic and have been around for centuries. Degas painted Parisian women bathing in copper baths in the 1800's.

via Pinterest

Another copper bathtub can be seen in the 1884 painting by Gustave Caillebotte called

Man at His Bath Man Drying Himself


These fabulous copper bathtubs have the ability to compliment almost any type of bathroom decor from classic to farmhouse as well as modern. Since copper tubs are available in many shapes and styles, they can easily be installed in almost any size bathroom. This tub has a zinc interior.


Copper is one of the most durable yet malleable and attractive metals, which makes it a prime candidate for use in the manufacturing of bathtubs.


Photo by Simon Upton via elledecor.com

I love the way these copper bathtubs start looking better over time as the finish ages and takes on that deep, rich color. Even though your tub will start out almost pinkish, you can rest assured as the finish ages it will take on that deep, rich tone.


The primary reason why a pure copper bathtub increases in beauty as it ages is because copper has a natural quality known as a ‘living finish.’ This means that it interacts with the environment. The speed your tub will change color and darken depends on how much it is used.

via Pinterest

In addition to looking great, copper bathtubs are healthy. Copper cannot be produced within the body and therefore needs to be added from external sources. When your skin touches the surface of a copper tub, your body absorbs small amounts of copper so every time you bathe the body absorbs some of this very needed mineral.


As homeowners are returning to more elegant and luxurious bathrooms, the stand alone tub has become increasingly popular. Claw foot tubs can be the centerpiece of just about any bathroom design with their elegant looks and character. This copper example is simply gorgeous!!

I have tried and tried to find the source of this image. Please let me know if it is yours!

The rich glow and gleaming surfaces of copper tubs lend a sophisticated air that changes the look of your space, giving it an instant old world feel.


These tubs are perfect when you crave a long, hot, and relaxing bath because the metallic properties of a copper bathtub conduct heat faster and retain heat longer than traditional bathtubs.

Photography by William Waldron via elledecor.com

Another fact for the pro side of the copper bathtub is the fact that it is easy to keep clean and sanitary because it is bacteria resistant. Other materials can harbor bacteria up to a month it not properly cleaned and cared for. Bacteria literally cannot live long on the surface of your copper bathtub because studies show that copper surfaces eliminate more than 99% of bacteria known to be human pathogens within just two hours. This applies to tubs with copper interiors.


Designed by french interior designer Frédéric Méchiche via photo by Avant-Gardenist on flickr

Copper bathtubs also come in several interior finishes from zinc to porcelain, stainless to even silver.


As opulent as the copper bathtub can be in more formal bathrooms, it's quite elegance still looks fabulous when used in a rustic European.......



Tubs can have different finishes from a glossy, lacquer-plated tub, to a brushed copper or weathered finish. It all depends on the look you are trying to create in your space.

Here is a copper bateau in a verdigris finish.


Copper tubs may be just the statement piece your bathroom needs. Just remember, there are different components that go into producing any copper product. These components are critical to its quality, appearance, and longevity of your copper bathtub. Just be sure and do your homework before purchasing one for yourself.



Yes, copper bathtubs are expensive, but they are great investments in aesthetics as well as function and durability. With only a minimum amount of care, your pure copper tub could last for decades...... possibly centuries.

via Pinterest

You could even pass them on to future generations as a family heirloom.....like these!!






Click here to see the previous post







This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer
at

Friday, March 16, 2018

The Beauty Of French Porcelain Mounted Furniture


The practice of inserting hand painted porcelain plaques from the Sèvres factory into furniture panels became popular in France as early as 1760. The original pioneer was Simon-Philippe Poirier who was considered one of the leading marchands-merciers (members of a guild of Paris merchants who played a central role in the design and circulation of luxury goods between the late Middle Ages and the French revolution) in Paris. Poirier first envisioned the use of porcelain plaques for furniture in the mid-I750's. With his partner and successor, Dominique Daguerre, he managed a shop stocked with the finest objects that French artisans of the period could produce, among them ormolu, porcelains, and furniture. He also played an important creative role, inspiring craftsmen and designers to create new forms and fashions. 

Poirier and Daguerre were the principal buyers of porcelain plaques at the Sèvres factory located in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine,France. Not only did they order the materials from the royal Sèvres factory, but they also selected the cabinetmaker to execute the porcelain mounted pieces, supplying him with designs in the form of detailed drawings. These high-ranking shopkeepers worked chiefly with the ébéniste Martin Carlin who made some eighty pieces of porcelain mounted furniture between 1765 and 1778. His illustrious clientéle included Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry. Madame du Barry bought luxury furnishings from Poirier for those private rooms at Versailles.

The fashion for furniture mounted with porcelain plaques experienced a dramatic drop in popularity during the revolutionary period. These expensive and exclusive pieces, which at one time were purchased by wealthy members of French society, were now regarded as a contemptible form of decoration associated with the aristocracy.

The nineteenth century, however, saw a revival of porcelain-mounted furniture, especially amongst the English upper class, who shared a fascination and appreciation of old French furniture. Also the emergence of the mobilier de curiosité (curiosity furniture), pieces without real practical use, (in this case only serving as supports for the display of beautiful porcelain plaques) helped to renew interest in porcelain mounted furniture.

These porcelain mounted pieces are not furniture you see every day and when you do find them be prepared to dig deep into your wallets. They are very beautiful pieces of art and while most of us will never have the pleasure of owning one, I still thought you would enjoy this feast for the eyes.



As porcelain mounted furniture grew in popularity, porcelain plaques were used in place of the marquetry, lacquer, or painted panels that were generally used on French furniture. Supplying the majority of the plaques was the Sèvres manufactory, which was first established around 1740, and was the finest porcelain manufactory in Europe from the mid-eighteenth century.


A circa 1783 Oak cabinet veneered with tulipwood, purplewood, mahogany and boxwood; fitted with brocatello marble and elaborate gilt bronze mounts and inset with ten soft-paste porcelain plaque. This piece is attributed to Martin Carlin.

Porcelain had the capacity for a wider range of color and finer detail than other surfaces, as well as the beautiful brilliant white ground. It could be shaped into plaques about a quarter of an inch in thickness and with any contour required.


A jewel coffer on stand by Martin Carlin with porcelain plaques by Sèvres dated 1775. Sèvres porcelain was desired for porcelain mounted furniture because it surpassed all others in the quality of its painting. The factory produced rich and extravagant wares sought after by the wealthiest of patrons.

via Pinterest

Another beautiful porcelain mounted desk attributed to Martin Carlin. Madame du Barry carried the taste for such furniture to the highest spheres. The inventory for her apartment at Versailles details an incredible assortment of porcelain furniture. 


Intended for a fashionable and distinguished clientele consisting mostly of aristocratic French ladies, porcelain mounted furniture has always been a costly collectors item. The combination of furniture and porcelain made a strong appeal to women in the eighteenth century



Here is a lovely oak secretary veneered with yew burl, mahogany, maple and ebony and mounted with five soft paste porcelain plaques.



Drop-front desk by Martin Carlin with six porcelain plaques from Sèvres factory with the central plaque attributed to Edme François Bouillat père ( active 1758–1800). The piece is oak veneered with tulipwood, amaranth, holly, and sycamore, with gilt-bronze mounts, marble shelves, and moiré silk. Although he made a certain number of larger pieces, secretaries, tables, and commodes, Carlin's most popular works were small, portable, and extremely elegant items such as small tables, desks, music stands, and jewel cabinets.



Louis XV/XVI style gilt bronze and Sèvres style porcelain mounted walnut and kingwood lady's writing desk.

via Pinterest

Eighteenth century Louis XV period porcelain mounted kingwood bureau de dame,( lady's writing desk) circa 1760.

metmuseum.org

After an angry mob stormed the palace of Versailles Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI  were forced to return to Paris, where they lived for three years under house arrest in the Château des Tuileries. A few days after their arrival, the queen consigned to the dealer Dominique Daguerre a number of her most treasured possessions for safekeeping. Among those objects was a porcelain mounted secretary, which may, in fact, have been this one and possibly was the last piece of furniture Daguerre had delivered to Marie-Antoinette for use at Versailles.



A remarkable and highly important Napoléon III 'Chambre À Coucher', comprising of a gilt bronze and Paris porcelain mounted kingwood armoire, a bed and two bedside cabinets with marble tops. To see more beautiful antique furniture from one of the world’s leading dealers in nineteenth century furniture and works of art, be sure and visit their website.



A close up of the detailing on the beautiful suite above.


Table from the collection of Madame du Barry. The table is circa 1774, and is mounted with porcelain plaques from Sèvres.


A 19th century French Sèvres porcelain mounted bronze table.

A circa 1860 Napoleon III ormolu and Sèvres style porcelain mounted kingwood and tulipwood gueridon.


A Louis XVI 19th century Sèvres porcelain mounted card table.


A French ormolu and Sèvres style porcelain mounted ebony secretary.

French gilt bronze and porcelain mounted ebony bureau plat by Levasseur Jeune, circa 1830-1840, applied with 36 hard-paste porcelain plaques painted with polychrome floral bouquets surrounded by green borders.



A very fine French 19th century Louis XVI style ormolu and Sèvres style porcelain mounted tulipwood, kingwood and mahogany Meuble d'Appui (Wall cabinet) with an onyx marble top. The door is centered with an oval shaped porcelain plaque depicting a courting scene of a seated lady, a young man, and her chambermaid. 

Commode mounted in porcelain made by Bernard van Rysen Burgh on order of merchant Simon Philippe Poirier and delivered to Mademoiselle de Sens for the Palais-Bourbon.

Heritage Auctions at ha.com

This very fine secretary cabinet is mounted with Meissen porcelain. The Meissen factory located in Germany is where Europe’s first porcelain was produced  in 1708.


Porcelain mounted tulipwood, marquetry and gilt bronze cabinet is an elaborate example of Queen Victoria’s taste for porcelain mounted furniture. The piece was ordered at the Paris Exhibition of 1855 during her state visit to the Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie.


via Pinterest

A pair of Louis XVI style porcelain mounted pedestals.


Detail of a secretary, circa 1776 attributed to Martin Carlin.

Plant stand by Martin Carlin mounted with plaques made by the Sèvres porcelain factory circa 1776-77





Click here to see the previous post







This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer













at