or
gold leaf was placed underneath the transparent shell; the gilt mounts
became less severe, and abounded with the curled endive ornament, which
afterwards became thoroughly characteristic of the fashion of the
succeeding reign; and the forms of the furniture itself conformed to a
taste for a more free and flowing treatment; and it should be mentioned,
in justice to Lebrun, that from the time of his death and the appointment
of his successor, Mignard, a distinct decline in merit can be traced.

Contemporary with Boule's work, were the richly-mounted tables, having
slabs of Egyptian porphyry, or Florentine marble mosaic; and marqueterie
cabinets, with beautiful mountings of ormolu, or gilt bronze. Commodes and
screens were ornamented with Chinese lacquer, which had been imported by
the Dutch and taken to Paris, after the French invasion of the
Netherlands.

[Illustration: Panel for a Screen. Painted by Watteau. Louis XIV. Period.]

About this time--that is, towards the end of the seventeenth century--the
resources of designers and makers of decorative furniture were reinforced
by the introduction of glass in larger plates than had been possible
previously. Mirrors of considerable size were first made in Venice; these
were engraved with figures and scrolls, and mounted in richly carved and
gilt wood frames; and soon afterwards manufactories of mirrors, and of
glass, in larger plates than before, were set up in England, near
Battersea, and in France at Tour la Ville, near Paris. This novelty not
only gave a new departure to the design of suitable frames in carved wood
(generally gilt), but also to that of Boule work and marqueterie. It also
led to a greater variety of the design for cabinets; and from this time we
may date the first appearance of the "Vitrine," or cabinet with glass
panels in the doors and sides, for the display of smaller _objets d'art._

[Illustration: Decoration of a Salon in Louis XIV. Style.]

The chairs and sofas of the latter half of the reign of Louis Quatorze are
exceedingly grand and rich. The suite of furniture for the state apartment
of a prince or wealthy nobleman comprised a _canape_, or sofa, and six
_fauteils_, or arm chairs, the frames carved with much spirit, or with
"feeling," as it is technically termed, and richly gilt. The backs and
seats were upholstered and covered with the already famous tapestry of
Gobelins or Beauvais.[15]

Such a suite of furniture, in bad condition and re