Louis XIII style is best understood as the product of a more conservative and less wealthy time when the influence of the Spanish, Italian, and Flemish dominated the European fashion in both dress and furniture. Peter Paul Rubens' arrival in France in 1621 helped to infuse French art and design with a new sense of drama, movement, and opulence. These characteristics would become hallmarks of the Louis XIII style.
Furniture design was more opulent as French designers were moving away from the Italian Renaissance to establish a style of their own. During this period, the middle class fueled the demand for furniture, tapestries, and textiles. Interior rooms became more numerous and specific. The French Country look was developed for the provincial bourgeois desiring nice furniture yet living far from Paris where the best pieces could be found. Rustic pieces such as the trestle table, with its thick plateau top and graceful legs, reflected city styles but were made for a more relaxed rural life.
For the first time, French people expected furniture to be comfortable as well as beautiful, as the concept of a comfortable place to sit and relax was just emerging. Fixed upholstery was one of the great inventions of this period. With its luxurious use of materials like velvet and leather secured by ornate nails, it marked a significant evolution in furniture design. The os de mouton chair, with its distinctive legs shaped like that of a lamb, stands out as an iconic piece from this period. Louis XIII style added arms to chairs and seats and backs were padded and usually ornamented with a short fringe. Stools also received upholstery.
Creative imagination was appreciated in both design and ornament. Goldsmiths and architects designed many pieces of furniture of the period and were very influential in the decorative arts.
Louis XIII furniture features massive, solid construction with a clear emphasis on geometric carvings and architectural influences. The use of diamond points, pyramid patterns, and large bun feet were distinctive decorative elements that set this style apart. The intricate lathe turning techniques and moulding added a refined touch to the otherwise sturdy pieces. Turnery was used for legs or stretchers, and the richly turned shapes (beaded, twist or baluster) created on a lathe help identify pieces as Louis XIII style.
The decorative themes of the period, such as cherubs, scrolls, fruit, and flowers, contributed to the overall opulence of the design, making Louis XIII furniture both functional and aesthetically rich. This style laid the groundwork for the more elaborate and lighter designs that would follow in subsequent French furniture periods.
Many forms of chairs and sofas became common, and the divan, lit de repos (chaise lounge) and console were products of this period. Louis XIII chairs, as a rule, were more comfortable and were more commonly used for ordinary domestic purposes. Chairs, sometimes made in sets, were high back with a round shape or low back and square in shape with elaborately turned legs and stretchers. Another common shape for stool and chair legs was the X shape, as depicted in the paintings of the Dutch masters. The os de mouton chair is the most notable example of the era, with legs shaped like those of a lamb.
Henri IV regularly patronized French cabinetmakers, so many credit him as creating demand and ensuring the popularity of the Louis XIII style. Woodworkers traded elaborate carvings for spiral and bead turning (legs and posts). Ebony was a favorite construction material, but cabinetmakers used oak, walnut, pear wood, and pine as well. Veneering also became a solid art during this period.
