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Boiserie from the Hôtel de Varengeville

ca. 1736–52, with later additions
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 525
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Boiserie from the Hôtel de Varengeville
  • Date: ca. 1736–52, with later additions
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Carved, painted, and gilded oak
  • Dimensions: H. 18 ft. 3-3/4 in. (5.58 m), W. 23 ft. 2-1/2 in. (7.07 m), L. 40 ft. 6-1/2 in. (12.36 m)
  • Classification: Woodwork
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman Gift, 1963
  • Object Number: 63.228.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Audio

Cover Image for 2275. Overview: Varengeville Room, Part 1

2275. Overview: Varengeville Room, Part 1

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NARRATOR: This palatial reception room epitomizes the start of the glorious era of French Rococo. This ornate style of great delicacy and refinement flourished in the mid-eighteenth century, while Louis XV was King. And some of the Museum’s most extraordinary objects from his reign are displayed here.

This opulent painted and gilded paneling once decorated the walls of the Hôtel de Varengeville, a grand townhouse in Paris. Its exuberant high-relief carving typifies early Rococo décor. The term derives from rocaille and coquillage, or decoration with irregularly shaped stones and shells. And here are such characteristic motifs as swirling S-scrolls, palmettes, and sprays of foliage. Curator Danïelle Kisluk-Grosheide.

DANIËLLE KISLUK-GROSHEIDE: Particularly noteworthy are the birds on either side of the top of the mirrors and at the top of the panels, with their necks sticking out quite three-dimensional, away from the background.

NARRATOR: Mirrors—a highly expensive commodity—punctuate the white-and-gold paneling. They serve to reflect limited light, as well as expand the sense of objects and space. Not everyone was smitten with Rococo interiors. To hear more, press play.

    Listen to more about this artwork

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Boiserie from the Hôtel de Cabris, Grasse
ca. 1774, with later additions
Grand Salon from the Hôtel de Tessé, Paris
Made by Nicolas Huyot (1700–1791)
ca. 1768–72, with later additions
Boudoir from the Hôtel de Crillon
Pierre-Adrien Paris (French, 1747–1819)
ca. 1777–80
Boiserie from the Hôtel Lauzun
ca. 1770, with one modern panel
The Louis XV Room
Attributed to Jean-François Roumier (master 1788, recorded 1793)
ca. 1720–25, with later additions

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