2013
Fantasy World – Chinoiserie

French interest in Chinoiserie is a history stimulated by the enthusiasm for objects imported from China: the brilliant colors of pagodas, dragons and chimera have long enlivened French interiors, particularly the Courts of Louis XIV and Louis XV. Chinoiserie’s Golden Age came as Rococo triumphed in France (1725-1750). Imported objects were transformed by talented designers before becoming objects recreated in France: a distinctive Chinoiserie blending real and imaginary sources.

François Boucher can be considered the movement’s best representative, developing as of 1730 a fascinatingly joyful Chinoiserie inspired by his collection of imported objects. The exhibition retraces the history of the French taste for Chinoiserie, underlining the close bonds between China and France in the 17th and 18th centuries.