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Wednesday 29 August 2012

FESTOON CARVED IN WOOD | CARVING OF A GARLAND | Carve A Baroque Style Floral Garland


A Baroque Style Fruit and Floral Garland
Patrick Damiaens
Ornamental Woodcarver

A Festoon or garland



 









Fruit, tied together in combination with leaves and flowers was a popular decoration in the Roman period, and also later  in the ornamental decoration of the Renaissance and later style periods.



This form of ornamentation, decorative ornaments we can distinguish two different applications
 
1. A drooping form, In English this is called Clusters, "A coherent bundle of fruit and leaves' vertically suspended from a ribbon, and this (if necessary) repeating at the same ribbon. This 'Festoon' was widespread if more length than width were present to decorate. (Pilasters and pillars)

2. The festoon in pending form (most known) hangs from the two ends, is slightly curved and the present fruit and leaves are held together by a ribbon or rope. The correct name is Festoon or garland.
The 2 ends or attachment points are usually in the form of a rosette, button, ribbon or nails. Less commonly, in the form of faces or even skulls.
A festoon in the form of oak leaves, laurel leaves or even seafood tied together is another way which is very common in the ornamentation and decoration.



Origin

The origin of the festoon or the application is actually very simple, in the Roman temples were these festoons of real fruit and flowers hung on the friezes and columns of sacred places. These festoons of fruit and flowers were possible, specific conditions combined with sacrificial animals, skulls or religious artefacts.


This style of decorating was many centuries later (Renaissance) not only in sacred, but also in other (worldly) architectural buildings.
In the Roman period, the empty space above the festoon was filled up with rosettes, masks or figures

Patrick Damiaens, Carving a Festoon

In the Italian Renaissance, these items were replaced on the tombs and ecclesiastical architecture by Putti.
The Renaissance transformed the appearance of the Festoon in a more or less modified form, but it was no longer possible to ignore these types of ornaments  in architecture, decoration and furniture art.

Later style periods will each have their own specific characteristics and influence on this type of ornament.

In the present time of ornamental decoration, it is still possible to apply this ornament in a tasteful way , the following pictures show some possibilities, which were carried out by our Workshop.


Garland carved in limewood

garland in combination with instruments



Festoon carved in wood for a kitchen



 More information about my work as a woodcarver


https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

Monday 27 August 2012

The HOTEL DE SOUBISE in PARIS | Carved panelling painted and gilded | 18th Century Interiors


The HOTEL DE SOUBISE in PARIS | Carved panelling painted and gilded | 18th Century Interiors
Hôtel de Soubise in Paris

Patrick Damiaens
Ornamental woodcarver

Hôtel Soubise in Paris











Visiting Museums and Castles is Probably the main source of inspiration for the Ornamental Woodcarver.
These are places where the craftsman gets his ideas, he is looking for new challenges and always new unexpected surprises, and even after 25 years still feels something new to learn.

E
xploring and studying ,looking at problems and how your colleagues 300 years ago solved them, their knowledge of  tasteful proportions used in the interior decoration and their knowledge of carving techniques.


We visit  ' The Hôtel de Soubise ' in Paris

The Hôtel de Soubise  is a city mansion entre cour et jardin, located at 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.
The Hôtel de Soubise was built for the Prince and Princess de Soubise on the site of a semi-fortified manor house named the Grand-Chantier  built in 1375 for connétable Olivier de Clisson, that had formerly been a property of the Templars. 

Panelled rooms | The HOTEL DE SOUBISE in PARIS

18th Century Interiors | Carved Panelling



The site previously contained the Hôtel de Guise, the Paris residence of the Dukes of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine. It was the birthplace of the last Duke, Francis Joseph, Duke of Guise, the son of Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans, Duchess of Alençon. He died in 1675 and the Guise estate passed to Marie de Lorraine who died at the Hôtel in 1688 having been born there in 1615.
On March 27, 1700, François de Rohan, prince de Soubise bought the Hôtel de Clisson, lately de Guise, and asked the architect Pierre-Alexis Delamair to remodel it completely. Works started in 1704. His wife Anne de Rohan-Chabot, one time mistress of Louis XIV (their affair is thought to have funded the purchase of the building) died here in 1709.


18th Century Interiors | Soubise Paris

Hercule Mériadec, Prince of Soubise (son of François) was responsible for some interior décor at the Hôtel de Soubise engaging Germain Boffrand in the process. This dates from the 1730s. Improvements were made to celebrate the marriage of Hercule Mériadec to Marie Sophie de Courcillon, grand daughter of the famous marquis de Dangeau.

It was the home of Louis XV's friend Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise; his daughter Charlotte Élisabeth Godefride de Rohan, future princesse de Condé was born here in 1737 as was the Princess of Guéméné in 1743.
Interiors by Germain Boffrand, created about 1735–40 and partly dismantled, are accounted among the high points of the rococo style in France (Kimball 1943: 178). They constituted the new apartments of the Prince on the ground floor and the Princesse on the piano nobile (noble floor), both of which featured oval salons looking into the garden. 

Carved panelling  painted and gilded


These rooms that have changed very little since the 18th century, including the Chambre du prince, Salon ovale du prince, Chambre d'apparat de la princesse and the very fine Salon ovale de la princesse with gilded carvings and mirror-glass embedded in the boiserie (paneling) and ceiling canvases and overdoors by François Boucher, Charles-Joseph Natoire, and Carle Van Loo.

Since a Napoleonic decree of 1808, this residence has become the property of the State. Nowadays it hosts the Musée de l'Histoire de France (Museum of French History) and a part of the French National Archives.




Carved panelling painted and gilded




Pictures, Patrick Damiaens 
Source, Wikipidea

CARVING A MUSICAL TROPHY | Trophy shield carvings for paneling | Carved hunting trophies for wall-paneling




PATRICK DAMIAENS
Ornamental Woodcarver

Carved hunting and Musical trophies for wall-paneling and interior decoration














It was customary among the Greeks to hang the left behind weapons of  the defeated or fleeing enemy on the trees of the battlefield. These signs of victory or trophies have earned their place in the decoration of furniture and interiors throughout the centuries.


The Romans erected and built symbolic buildings and monuments of stone and bronze in the form of columns, pillars, arches and other architectural structures .  These were decorated and ornated.

Since then, trophies are not only used in the decoration of these war memorials and victory monuments, but are increasingly used in the elegant decoration of buildings, castles, churches, wall-paneling or as tasteful decorations for the interior.

Hunting Trophy, carved in oak , chimney-piece

Later it was therefore quite normal that hunting gear  were used in these trophies because they clearly resemble weapons of war.

Symbolism

By grouping the tools and instruments trophies can radiate a certain symbolism.  Like war and the hunt there are also of the Arts, such as
music, architecture, painting or astronomy, science, ...  For of all these themes it is possible to make a special trophy.

Carved hunting trophies

Singing is for example represented by the winch and this with or without partitures.  Music by flutes, horns, flute, violin ...  Dancing by a tambourine and castanets.  Acting is represented through a mask and painting by a palette and brushes.  The carving of stone and wood, by a hammer and chisels.  These themes were incorporated into each individual trophy.

A Bathroom trophy

Garden Theme Trophy

The arts, crafts  and businesses  have chosen their own symbols  of their profession or art.  By these symbols you recognize their craft or art.  Later we see companies and associations display their products or services in their own trophy.
 trophy of musical instruments


Trophy -Carving by Patrick Damiaens