Sevres porcelain, which treatment is better
adapted to the more jewel-like mounting of this time than to the rococo
style in vogue during the preceding reign.

[Illustration: Arm Chair In Louis XVI. Style.]

The upholstered furniture became simpler in design; the sofas and chairs
have generally, but not invariably, straight fluted tapering legs, but
these sometimes have the flutings spiral instead of perpendicular, and the
backs are either oval or rectangular, and ornamented with a carved riband
which is represented as tied at the top in a lover's knot. Gobelins,
Beauvais, and Aubusson tapestry are used for covering, the subjects being
in harmony with the taste of the time. A sofa in this style, with settees
at the ends, the frame elaborately carved with trophies of arrows and
flowers in high relief, and covered with fine old Gobelins tapestry, was
sold at the Hamilton Palace sale for L1,176. This was formerly at
Versailles. Beautiful silks and brocades were also extensively used both
for chairs and for the screens, which at this period were varied in design
and extremely pretty. Small two-tier tables of tulip wood with delicate
mountings were quite the rage, and small occasional pieces, the legs of
which, like those of the chairs, are occasionally curved. An excellent
example of a piece with cabriole legs is the charming little Marie
Antoinette cylinder-fronted marqueterie escritoire in the Jones Collection
(illustrated below). The marqueterie is attributed to Riesener, but, from
its treatment being so different from that which he adopted as an almost
invariable rule, it is more probably the work of David.

[Illustration: Carved and Gilt Causeuse or Settee, and Fauteuil or Arm
Chair, Covered with Beauvais tapestry. (Collection "Mobilier National.")
(_From a pen and ink drawing by H. Evans._) Period: End of Louis XVI.]

[Illustration: Carved and Gilt Canape or Sofa. Covered with Beauvais
tapestry. (Colection "Mobilier Natioanal.") Period: End of Louis XVI.]

Another fine specimen illustrated on page 170 is the small cabinet made
of kingwood, with fine ormolu mounts, and some beautiful Sevres plaques.

[Illustration: Marqueterie Escritoire. By Davis, said to have belonged to
Marie Antoinette. (_Jones Collection, South Kensington Museum._)]

The influence exercised by the splendour of the Court of Louis Quatorze,
and by the bringing together of artists and skilled handicraftsmen for the
adornment of the palaces of F