The arts in France flourished during the 17th and 18th centuries under the lavish patronage bestowed by the monarchs Louis XIV, XV and XVI. It was an epoch of unparalleled extravagance, when art for art's sake - and for the king - applied as the supreme credo.

An appreciation of French period furniture demands a certain sensibility; that of an amateur, in the eighteenth century sense of the word. Collectors who are prepared to spend a small fortune to acquire a Louis XIV armoire, Louis XV chiffonier or Louis XIV escritoire, acknowledge and admire that these pieces were crafted in a period that is unique in the history of art. Not since the irreversible tide of mass-production swept over late eighteenth century Europe, have the arts ever attained the same unqualified level of patronage which characterised the reign of the seventeenth and eighteenth century French monarchs.

"The artists and collectors attracted to the courts of Kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI were inspired by love of art. Not money or business, but by an appreciation of art for the sake of art, for love of art", says Frenchman Bill Pallot, right hand man to Didier Aaron, one of the most esteemed antique dealers and decorators in business today and specialist in French period furniture. "The French kings of this period patronised the arts, collected and admired art, with an appreciation which was unique. Style and elegance were elaborated into a new taste in art".

Pallot describes the period in French furniture which emerged in the seventeenth century as "the embodiment of good taste ... a reference art recognized by many other nations. It is also the definition of French excellence in this field, one that is constantly recognisable throughout the world". The furniture of this period was defined by "harmony between the shapes, the woods, the methods and artistry of execution, correspondent to a whole current of thinking".

With establishments in Paris, New York and London, Didier Aaron can count among his discerning clientele such eminent persons as the Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the couturier Hubert de Givenchy and the King of Morocco. A charming though no less astute dealer, Aaron's influence in the sphere of French antiques has played a considerable role in stimulating continued interest in this style from art collectors and curators both in Europe and America. The Getty Museum in Malibu recently acquired a pair of eighteenth century Louis XVI encoignures by Garnier and in London, the Victoria and Albert Museum has added to its fine collection an ivory and ebony inlaid cabinet, attributed to Pierre Golle, made on commission to the brother of Louis XIV.

Among the eclectic and quite inspired collection which decorates the apartment Aaron keeps above his New York showroom, is a Louis XV lacquer commode made by the celebrated ebeniste Joseph for Madame do Pompadour's brother, the Marquis de Marigny. The piece is not for sale, but if it were, Aaron estimates its worth at $2,500,000, which gives some indication of the prestige attached to French period furniture.

"Since the early seventeenth century", says Charles Aronson, who represents one of the longest-established antique dealers in Australia, "France has been in the vanguard of world furniture design. The glamour and skill in the manufacture of French furniture was recognised all over the world as the height of elegance.

"The reigning French monarch together with the personalities of court, were directly involved in guiding style and function. Craftsmen were employed exclusively by a patron who closely protected his employees' designs and technical innovations. What became abundantly clear then in France was that instead of naming a period as a style which evolved over a number of generations, such as Tudor or Gothic, it became necessary to name a period after specific monarchs. With each monarch and his entourage, the fashion and resulting style would change".

The exuberant and vigorous style of the seventeenth century strove towards an achievement of grad effect in architecture, the visual and decorative arts. Louis XIV (1643-1715) embraced the ebullient spirit of the Baroque and married it to a renewed classicism which found expression in the style which came to be termed 'Louis XIV'. "The strengthening of the monarchy under this iron control and the lavish patronage dispensed by the king ensured that all the major productions of French art should be in 'Louis XIV style", Aronson explains. "His totally new concept of design was part of the Baroque flamboyance and stimulated an interest in the arts which saw France develop into the most powerful Continental state in Europe. Its wealth and strength remained the exclusive domain of the king's court".

Louis XIV, glorified as le roi soleil, the Sun King, moved his household, court and government administration away from the traditional royal seat in Paris to Versailles, where an elaborate royal residence was erected, the majesty of which remains forever associated with that of the artistic achievements Louis initiated during his reign. In his own lifetime, the court of Versailles became the very model of European courts. The manners of the French court and the style of royal entertainments were admired and emulated by other European courts. A regal and opulent atmosphere of festivity reigned at Louis' court: in the sumptuous feasts and spectacular firework displays for which Versailles became celebrated and in the theatre, music and opera that was performed for the king's pleasure.

Louis was magnanimous in his patronage of not only innumerable French artists and scholars, whom he encouraged and rewarded with financial support, titles and, to further their influence, preferential treatment at court, but also very many European artists. Moliere, for a time, revelled in the effusive patronage of the young Louis XIV, who found great amusement in the dramatist's sharp-witted satires and tragicomedies, (until Molier incurred the wrath of the Church and, by association, the displeasure of the king with his play Tartuffe. In it Moliere eloquently and passionately denounced the hypocrisy and influence of the Church, the irony of which, in light of his subsequent fall from grace, would not have been lost on him).

The Italian sculptor Bernini travelled to Paris in 1665 to design the east front of the Louvre. The plans were ultimately abandoned, but Bernini did not leave Paris without paying artistic homage to the king. The sculptor's majestic, swirling bust of Louis XIV, in Salon de Diane at Versailles, combines a classical dignity in bearing with the dynamic flourish of the Baroque.

The French artist, Charles le Brun, set off for Rome in the company of fellow Frenchman, Poussin, but developed a penchant for themes of monarchial glory, whereupon he returned to France and promptly assumed employment in Louis service. In 1663 he was appointed Director of the Academy and of the Gobelins factory, where the furnishings and tapestries for French royal palaces were designed and manufactured. "Noblemen from all over France despatched their designers and craftsmen to the royal workshops to glean the most up-to-date styles and technical improvements. Cabinet making, with this one unexpected event, was raised to the status of an art. Furniture which had previously been designed as individual items changed into themes. Pieces were now designed to harmonise with the interior of a room or rooms as a whole".

Timbers such as mahogany were imported and gained widespread popularity, while traditional walnut and oak woods continued to be widely used. Artisans employed a vast range of materials for embellishments: lacquers and veneers, ebony and tortoiseshell inlays, brass and bronze. The elaborately carved and ornamented commodes and armoires that furnished the salons and boudoirs of Versailles often incorporated motifs inspired by the sun god Apollo, which became the trademark symbols of the glorious majesty of France's Sun King.

The greater variety of materials used created a need for new techniques and methods to be developed. In turn, the precise and consummate skills required in the construction, embellishment and finish of the pieces, created a high degree of specialisation. One of the major exponents of the period, Andre Charles Boulle, employed an elaborate method using three sheets of different material and embedding the cuttings into one another to form a beautifully ornate veneer which was decorated with ornate ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts. New professions developed for craftsmen and the furniture trade as a whole became firmly established in French society.

When Louis I died, the new king was only five years old and so the Prince Regent (Philippe of Orleans) was appointed to take command until 1723 when Louis XV came of age. This brief period is known as Regence (French Regence) and it should be noted that it occurred a full century before the English Regency. Philippe of Orleans had a considerable effect on the fashion of today and was a great lover of the arts, therewith inspiring the young King.

Under Louis XV (1715-1774), explains Aronson, "as a direct consequence of Louis' extroverted nature, the social and artistic stimulus moved away from Versailles and into the salons of Paris. The style of furniture changed and became full of waves, curves, and shells (rocailles) - hence the name Rococo". The style was also characterized by the use of silver and gold embellishments and the use of elaborate scroll work.

The new 'lifestyle' of the court, based in Paris, created the need for new rooms designed to accommodate different social activities: living rooms, reception rooms, libraries, studies, small and large boudoirs, all of which extended the need for varied types of furniture. These included such innovations as hinge-top writing tables, long case (grandfather) clocks, secretaires, poudreuses (dressing tables), card and backgammon tables.

Francois Boucher became the most celebrated artist of the Rococo, his art being a pure expression of the Rococo.