Church of Saint-Nicholas in Eupen, Belgium | Confessional chairs Liège style | Church interior from the 18th century

Church of Saint-Nicholas in Eupen, Belgium

Church of Saint-Nicholas in Eupen, Belgium | 
Confessional chairs Liège style 

 Church interior from the 18th century

As well as being rich in works of   art, the Church of Saint Nicholas at Eupen is also interesting for its special architectural features.

Eupen

Eupen is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the German border (Aachen), and from the Dutch border (Maastricht) is a stone's throw from the "High Fens" nature reserve (Ardennes). The town is also the capital of the Euroregion Meuse-Rhine.

First mentioned in 1213 as belonging to the Duchy of Limburg, possession of Eupen passed to Brabant, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire and France before being given in 1815 to Prussia, which joined the German Empire in 1870. In 1919, after the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles transferred Eupen and the nearby municipality of Malmedy from Germany to Belgium.

German remains the official language in Eupen, and the city serves as the capital for Belgium's German-speaking Community.

Eupen, Belgium

History

According to the records, there was a chapel at Eupen in 1213, witch was replaced by a church during the 14th and 15th centuries.

The present church was built in 1720-1726 to the plans of the architect L.Mefferdatis of Aachen and consecrated in 1729. all that remains of the former church is the southern tower which has been incorporated into the new building's facade. during the 19th century it was decided to make this very simple facade more grandiose, and the work was carried out by the architect L. von Fisenne of Gelsenkirchen in 1897-1898.

Architecture

Since that time the church has had two symmetrical towers flanking an dominating the central part, all in Baroque style. The transformed tower of the earlier church is the one to the south. The entrance door in the middle of the facade is that of 1724 church, and the new facade was built in the same style.

Saint- Nicholas is of the hall-church type, that is to say with three naves op equal height and without transpet or ambulatory. 

This type of construction avoids the need to support the arches, making flying buttresses unnecessary.

The nave of the church is made from heavy stones partially from the earlier building. The windows are large and semi-circular with stone frames. The choir is in seven sections and is crowned with a tall pinnacle. The roof is in slate.

Inside, the arched ceilings of the three naves are decorated with some retrained stucco work. The columns of the bays are cylindrical and of polished stone.

Church of Saint-Nicholas in Eupen, Belgium

Church interior from the 18th century

Furnishings

The interior decoration is in the Baroque style and the antique furnishings are especially typical of Liège. (Liège style furniture). Of particular interest are the many works of art inside the church, like the imposing and well-proportioned high altar (1740-1744), with its statues of Saint Nicholas and Saint Lambert and its sumptuous framework. The two side altars (1770) are equally remarkable. Two richly decorated niches shelter fine statues of the Virgin and Saint Joseph from the 19th century.

Confessional chairs Liège style

Confessional chairs Liège style, detail

Other furnishings worth seeing include: the pulpit (1730), four confessionals (1758), beautiful, elegant

panelling, two huge candlesticks, the organs ( 1760-1762), pews in the great nave, etcc..  The statues of the apostles (1640) against the columns come from a church in Köln, Germany.

Outside, against the northern tower, ia a very fine Christ on a Cross (1852)

Also noteworthy are the elegant sculptured stone pillars standing in front of the church, linked together by the latticework railing of the ancient cemetery (1767)

Church interior from the 18th century

Church of Saint-Nicholas in Eupen, Belgium

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

Our FB Page

THE LIEGE STYLE WARDROBE | 18th Century Liège Style Furniture | Linen Closet - Liège Style Cloth Cabinet

Patrick Damiaens | Liège style furniture

THE LIEGE STYLE WARDROBE 

 18^th Century Liège Style Furniture 

The Liège style wardrobe or linen closet is a particularly popular type of period furniture. At the time, in the 18^th century, they were in high demand due to their functionality and usability. As a result many of them were manufactured. Even though their quality is not always of a very high standard, you often run into these types of furniture at antique fairs and at local antique dealers.

Composition of the Closet

The general features of a Liège style wardrobe remained unchanged throughout the 18^th century. Essentially, this type of linen closet is composed of three main compartments: the plinth or base, the midsection containing the doors and the pilaster, and, lastly, the top or “crown”. The construction is always solid, i.e. it is manufactured in high quality quarter-sawn oak wood, and all the different pieces of wood are held together by dovetail and mortise and tenon joints.

It is an “honest” piece of furniture, meaning that everything you see is real.

On average the Liège style wardrobe has a height of 2.3 meters. It is roughly 1.8 metres wide and has a depth of 0.7 metres. As mentioned earlier, they were in high demand, particularly appreciated for their practicality. An interesting feature, for instance, is the ability to dismount or dismantle the furniture into different modules. In other words, this linen closet can be easily taken apart if necessary. The separate modules or parts may be (re)assembled by making use of pins and pegs. Unfortunately, most of the time the original lay out of the wooden interior has disappeared.

Unique pieces of woodturning or nodes were attached to the upper cross beams at the back side and/or on the doors of the furniture piece, and were used to hang clothing on. Sometimes drawers were present at the bottom of the wardrobe.

The front side of this particular cloth cabinet seldom has a contoured profile (i.e. round, curved, bent, or hollowed). It is almost always flat or planar.

THE LIEGE STYLE WARDROBE

The Plinth or Base

The base of the cabinet may be styled in various different ways, with a cut-out plinth or with ball -or pear-shaped feet. In the 18^th century the legs were often drenched in tar to avoid moisture from the floor from seeping into the cabinet. Typical for the Maastricht (NL) region was the so-called “claw” foot. Specifically, these furniture feet resemble a lion’s paw or the claw of a bird of prey (claw-and-ball foot). The furniture feet were always positioned in line with the posts and the pilaster, meaning that there were a total of three feet; two on each side and one in the middle.   

The Doors

The mullion or pilaster is located between the two doors and often houses the lock mechanism. Fixed pilasters are rarer than the ones that turn together with the right door. The lock is then located in the two door stiles. The most prevalent Liège style wardrobe generally consists of two or three doors, while types with four or five doors also exist, albeit in very small numbers.

The construction of the doors is captured in a traditional frame of rails, intermediate rails and stiles, finished with an elegantly profiled cornice. The most commonplace door composition is the one with two panels (proportion: 1/3 – 2/3). The doors are equipped with brass hinges. Original 18^th century hinges were made of metal and covered with a thin layer of brass.

As indicated earlier, the front side of this cloth cabinet rarely has a contoured profile. It is almost always flat or planar. A rare but beautiful example of a Liège style wardrobe with a contoured profile can be found in the Cinquantenaire Museum (Dutch: Jubelpark Museum) in Brussels (B) (see photograph).

THE LIEGE STYLE WARDROBE

The Stiles

Almost all Liège style wardrobes have corner posts (stiles) which have been placed in a 45 degree angle. They often occur in planar (flat) or contoured (curved; i.e. convex) forms. Hollow (i.e. concave) corner posts or a combination of convex and concave posts also exist but are more infrequent. A nice example of this particular type of wardrobe can be found in the d’Ansembourg Museum in Liège.

Protruding corner posts truly give added value to the cornice, turning it into a real eye-catcher. However, most of the time the Liège style wardrobes are fitted with caved in or inward-facing corner stiles (see photograph).

The Top or Crown

The top or crown of a Liège style wardrobe is usually constructed in a horizontal fashion, although I am also familiar with a couple of masterpieces which have a curved crowns. The cornice is truly the eye-catcher of this cloth cabinet, with beneath it a frieze of approximately 12 cm in height, followed by an astragal moulding profile.

The frieze is abundantly decorated with style-specific ornaments. The cornice is often overhanging (i.e. it sticks out) and is nicely profiled, albeit less “dominant” than is the case with the Namur style wardrobe.

Sometimes the overhanging part of the cornice is cut out in a “Lambrequin” motif and adorned with style-specific ornaments. A nice example can be found in the d’Ansembourg Museum in Liège (see photograph).

The Liège style wardrobe exists in every Liège style period, always with its specific recognizable ornaments and compositions.

18th Century Liège Style Furniture 

Woodcarving and ornaments

The 18^th century joiners or cabinet-makers operating in and around Liège successfully managed to skilfully integrate various decorations, compositions and ornaments, typical for of the French Louis XIV, Regency and Louis XV and XVI, into their own furniture. Fortunately, they did not attempt to compete with their French counterparts – for instance with the well-known and expensive cabinet-makers Boulle and Riesener – despite their extraordinary technical skills and competencies.

As previously mentioned, Liège style furniture is an “honest” type of furniture, meaning that everything you see is real. All the ornaments and embellishments are carved out of solid wood/mass, i.e. none of the wood carving has been glued or applied to the cabinet.

Translation KOEN VERHEES

18th Century Liège Style Furniture 

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

FB page 

LIÈGE STYLE FURNITURE | Pictures and images of LIÈGE style furniture | A book about Belgian Furniture | 18e Century Style Furniture

The Don Bosco Institute, Liège

A few months ago I was invited to pay a visit to my alma mater, the Don Bosco Institute in Liège, where I received my training as an ornamental woodcarver (between 1986 and 1989). Last year, the Don Bosco Institute had namely shut down the woodcarving department and I was asked if I had any interest in taking over some of the educational material. This way, I was able to safeguard some remnants of this prestigious department. 

Among the remnants, I found a small batch of so called “recueils” (a book or bundle of material) with unique illustrations, compiled in 1991, by the printing department of this school. These unused recueils, hidden away in some closet since 1991, are the subject of the day.

Le Mobilier au Pays de Liège

Recueil,  Le mobilier au Pays de Liège

'The furniture in the land of Liège' 

This bundle or “recueil” talks about the Liège art of furniture design. A “receuil” is a thematic collection of illustrations, in this case, depictions of Liège furniture, and is printed on large single pages (40 x 29 cm) made of heavy quality paper.

The “recueil” was compiled by F. Drugmant, the woodcarving teacher of the Don Bosco Institute at that time. Professor Drugmant was not only a woodcarver, but also a connaisseur of Liège furniture, proven by this amazing recueil, which was used by all of the later teachers, who apparently never felt the need to update his work or publish their own work. 

It is safe to say that this book of reference with detailed illustrations of Liège furniture was nothing less than a bible and important guide for those who took woodcarving classes. Unfortunately, the book of reference was only available for purchase in the woodcarving department and was never sold in bookstores.

A book with pictures of Liège style furniture

Liège stylefurniture of the XVIIIth Century

I myself have been in possession of this handbook since 1986, ever since I was a woodcarving student, following this unique course at the Don Bosco Institute. This “recueil” was published in 1984, with a second edition in 1991, to which a small number of pages was added. The dimensions of this book are 40cm x 29cm, meaning that the book is exceptionally large. It counts 134 single pages. These are all black and white illustrations of the highest quality and depict all types of Liège furniture, including close-ups.

I don’t have my “recueil” in front of me on a daily basis, but several times a year it serves as a source of inspiration; sometimes to closely observe the construction of a closet and even more often to refresh my knowledge of certain Liège style periods, hence my “bold” statement that this is quite an exceptional book of reference.

Should you be interested in this little piece of Belgian history, I still have a number of copies available for true enthusiasts.

Closeup photos of Liege Style sculpture and ornaments

 More info :

http://www.patrickdamiaens.info

THE ACANTHUS LEAF | ACANTHUS ORNAMENT | CARVING A AKANTHOS LEAF

Antique roman acanthus leaf

Patrick Damiaens

Ornamental Woodcarver

The Acanthus Leaf   

Acanthus leaf carved in wood

A blog entry from this site:

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

Of all the ornamental designs which have been borrowed from nature, the Akanthos is the most popular. This is an ornament which lends itself for endless many applications.

Acanthus Mollis

Since its introduction by the Greeks, it recurs again and again in every Western style. A symbolical significance has never attached to the Acanthus, its frequent and varied application is due to the ornamental possibilities  and beautiful serration of its leaves.

This plant grows wild in the South of Europe , there are many varieties , Akanthos Mollis, Akanthos Spinosus,…. The conception and treatment of the margin and shape of the leaf, is the principal characteristic of the different period styles.

A Baroque Acanthus Leaf

The acanthus leaf is also called acanthusmotif , it is applied extensively within the Corinthian order of ancient Greek architecture, mostly on columns and friezes

The Greek foliage has pointed leaf-edges, in the Roman style, the tips of the leaves become rounder, broader, to some extent wiyh more vigorous curves.

The Byzantine and Romanesque styles, again return to stiffer, less delicate forms.

Drawing, Construction of a Acanthus leaf

The Gothic style, which used the foreign  acanthus in addition to a number of native plants, adopted in the early period, round, bulbous forms. Later Gothic, on the contrary, preferred bizarre, long-extended, thistle like folige. In both cases the general conception  is more or less naturalistic, but the details are usually idealised beyond recognition.

Acanthus Leaf

The Renaissance which revived Antique ornament, developed the Acanthus, and particularly the Tendril, to the highest degree of perfection. The Renaissance  is the following  period styles a great source of inspiration.

But the following style periods have still their own specific look, character and detail, which only a specialist in or expert in the ornamentation can be distinguished.   

Liege style ornaments, Acanthus leafs

An acanthus leaf used in the furniture design

The style of the period acanthus is sometimes only by very small details and changes in the shape of the ornament  detected

Even in the 16th to 19th century, the appearance of the acanthus is not only different in the western stylistic periods (Baroque, Rococo, Louis styles, Neo-Styles ...) but even from one country to country. (France, Germany, Netherlands, England ...

Here are some examples of acanthus leaves.  Applications for the interior (Wall-panelling)

Wall-Panelling | Louis XVI Style ornaments , Petit Trianon in Versailles

Le Grand Trianon in Versailles

Wall-Panelling in The Palace of Versailles

Drawings: I have studied (1985-1989) for Ornamental Woodcarver, 4 years at the famous 'Section Sculpture Don Bosco " in Liège ,Belgium  . These are a few drawings and designs of that school.

Pictures Patrick Damiaens

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

 MEMBER OF PEARLS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP