Architecture
The Serilly Cabinet
I chose the Serilly cabinet for my architecture section because the design of the room itself. I walked into this little side room in the museum and I was taken aback. In this tiny, unassuming space the creators have managed to cram massive amounts of decoration. The function of the room is as a “small, private room for their own use.” It is really a small space, probably around the size of a college dorm room. Well, a small college dorm room. In this room the furnishing is minimal, just a fireplace, two chairs and a bust of Madame de Serilly. Despite the minimal furnishing, the room itself is lavishly decorated. Carved into every surface are images of the four seasons. The ceiling is painted as lavishly as the walls, with a mural across the entire center. Lots of gold paint and elaborate gilding is across every surface of the walls and ceiling.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of elaborate decoration. Honestly, my first thought upon seeing this room was “think about all the dusting!” I really am not a huge fan of fancy decorations and shiny gold everywhere. That being said, this room is a marvel to look at. A really simple piece of architecture has been turned into an elaborate work of art. And for what, I wonder? If this room is for personal use, was the Madame of Serilly even showing it off to her friends or did she just have this room built for her own enjoyment? I could understand this room being built to show off excess wealth to people the Madame de Serilly had to entertain, but what I just cannot fathom is this room being built for personal enjoyment. I don’t understand how a person could spend hours in this room, doing things such as reading or sewing or playing an instrument and not get claustrophobic, surrounded by such noisy art. I personally think it’s so interesting that there is this room, which people once used as a “small, private room for their own use.” I cannot even fathom having the wealth for this room or the patience to use it, and no matter how beautiful it is it strikes me as odd that a piece of architecture like this existed, and was used. In this modern day and age, especially for a broke college student such as myself, rooms like this are completely alien from my life. I’m lucky if I get my own bedroom, and here are people with their own lavishly decorated rooms just for whatever! The Serilly Cabinet is a small room that was designed for Madame de Serilly, for personal use. It is constructed out of oak that has been painted and gilded. When the Victoria and Albert Museum received the room, they turned a window into the opening that visitors can look through and turned the previous entrance into a window. Otherwise, the V&A museum has don’t their best to leave the room as it was when it was being used. The alcoves on three of the four sides of the room have arches at the top. This type of arch is a round arch, which was first used by the Romans. The arches allow for the support of the heavy oak walls, and all the numerous decorations. The fireplace itself is a post and lintel structure, designed by Philippe-Laurent Roland. The carved mounts on the fireplace were created by Pierre Gouthiere. The fireplace is constructed out of marble. Marble was a good choice for this as it is a strong durable stone material. History This piece is the Serilly Cabinent, a room designed to belong to Anne-Marie-Louise de Serilly, nee Pange. It was made in 1778, by Jean-Simeon Rousseau de la Rottiere and Jules-Hugues Rousseau. It is a room designed for private use by Madame de Serilly, and the room is carved and decorated to represent the four seasons, and the cycle of life. What drew you This boudoir is so lavishly decorated and costly that I was amused that people had the money to spend on such pointless things. This small room is more of a work of art than functional, considering how much time and effort would have gone into these carvings and paintings. I was drawn to this piece because of the impracticality of this room. As a broke college student, a room like this seems as a ridiculous waste of money to me, yet it was an expense that would be seen as a respectable thing in 18th century Paris. Social Angle The social angle this relates to is the difference between the classes in 18th century France. In the 18th century, France had relative peace but there was a discontent among the lower classes with the monarchy and the upper classes. The upper classes excesses of wealth led to tensions between the classes. The Serilly Cabinet is a perfect example of such wealth, this whole room was an unnecessary addition to a no doubt luxurious house. |