DCXLVI (post in English) : A successful rocaille style setting... from the 19th century.

Cet article a été publié en français le 17 août 2009.

I'm often critical with the clumsy settings designed during the 19th century. For instance, under the reign of Louis-Philippe or Napoleon III, many artists tried to copy older styles but without the genius of their elders. (see the post I published on April 4th, 2010)

Here is a photo with an exception to prove the rule : at 21 rue de Rivoli, located between  the 4th arrondissement city hall and rue Saint-Antoine, built under the 2nd Empire (1852-1870), one can see this elegant lintel. The motifs are modeled after the rocaille style popular in the first half of the 18th century (see a post about the horses of Hotel Chenizot translated into English on November 9th, 2009). There are even seashells. The effect successful enough.

This post was first published in French on August 17th, 2009.