Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Vizcaya's Breakfast Room and it's Chinoiserie


The breakfast room is a small loggia overlooking the garden on the second floor. A pair of Ch'ien Lung Foo dogs guards the entrance and announces the theme of the room: an Italian vision of the Orient. The lacquer and gilt furniture is Venetian. The eighteenth-century fireplace mantel is black and gold with laquer inlays, and a pair of large eighteenth-century French Oriental figures and two Ming porcelain bowls continue the theme. Paul Chalfin (the designer) introduced an unexpected complement to the assorted chinoiserie: a set of eighteenth-century French mural paintings with marine scenes. Vizcaya An American Villa and Its Makers

This is one of my favorite rooms and I feel so smart saying chi·noi·se·rie (shēn'wäz-rē') n. 1.A style in art reflecting Chinese influence through use of elaborate decoration and intricate patterns. 2. An object reflecting Chinese artistic influence.[French, from chinois, Chinese, from Chine, China.]


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