Boiserie from the Hôtel de Varengeville

Boiserie from the Hôtel de Varengeville

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Superb carving, partly in high relief, constitutes the chief glory of this room's boiserie, or wood paneling, originally from one of the private residences of eighteenth-century Paris, the Hôtel de Varengeville, which still stands, albeit much altered, at 217, boulevard Saint-Germain. Although the painted and gilded oak paneling is richly embellished with C-scrolls, S-scrolls, sprigs of flowers, and rocaille motifs, its decoration is still largely symmetrical and thus does not represent the full-blown Rococo style. The trophies allude to concepts and qualities such as music, gardening, military fame, and princely glory, and the long-necked birds perched on the scrolling frames of the mirrors and wall panels reflect contemporary interest in the exotic.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Boiserie from the Hôtel de VarengevilleBoiserie from the Hôtel de VarengevilleBoiserie from the Hôtel de VarengevilleBoiserie from the Hôtel de VarengevilleBoiserie from the Hôtel de Varengeville

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.