I recently went with friends to see the Camille Pissarro exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. I’m not an art expert, by any means, but I have a partiality for French Impressionism, and I especially enjoyed viewing the evolution of his painting style, from the realism of the Barbizon School to the light and colorful Impressionist movement.
After we finished seeing Pissarro’s works (and visiting the gift shop), we wandered through some of the other collections on display, and ended up in the architecture and design exhibit.
I was delighted to find that my casual wanderings led me to two pieces from the historical era I love the most: the Regency.
First was a piece labeled as a “Neoclassical Chaise Lounge” dated 1810. The silk upholstery is reproduction, but the warm rosewood and lustrous gilding appear to be original.
The detail is fantastic, and the good news is, the museum purchased the piece so it will be well cared for and available to be admired by future museum-goers for generations to come.
The second piece was American in origin, but created in the Regency style (which, incidentally, was equally popular in the U.S. at the time). It’s a simple side chair, made of birch and cane, that dates to the 1790s.
At first glance, it’s difficult to see the beauty of it, although the urn-shaped center on the back of the chair immediately caught my eye. The back is decorated in green and gold. The urn features a painted drapery swag.
In person, the back of the chair looks so dainty and delicate, it’s a wonder to me that it survived even two decades, let alone two hundred years!
If you look closely, you can see gold paint outlines the chair’s front apron, seat, and legs. At the top of both front legs is a green and gold flower, from which a green vertical decoration trails down the leg to the floor.
I enjoyed the Pissarro exhibition immensely, but seeing these two pieces really put the cherry on the top of my museum visit. It’s always a marvel to me when beautiful creations are cared for and survive for future generations to appreciate and love them as the works of art they truly are.
So—to whoever it was that took such wonderful care of this delightful chaise and delicate chair—Thank you!
Can you imagine a Regency heroine reclining on that stunning rosewood chaise while reading a letter from her suitor? If you were decorating a Regency-era drawing room, which of these pieces would you choose to include: the gilded Neoclassical chaise or the dainty birch side chair with the painted urn? Let me know in the comments!
Nancy Lawrence 