The query naturally arises, what was the secret of the attainment of so high a standard by the artists and craftsmen of France under the rule of Louis the Fourteenth? I am more than a little disposed to claim that direct, generous, energetic, and, above all, wisely-directed State patronage was mainly responsible for it all, or, at least, for the "lion's share." The artist or craftsman of those days who distinguished himself in any way was certain, at the very least, of a living, and possibly a fortune if he managed his affairs wisely. If he attained the "blue riband" of his art or craft, an appartement au Louvre, he was indeed to be envied. We cannot but recognise the fact, from whatever point of view we regard it, that the institution of these State ateliers - one of Colbert's many ideas - where the workers were placed under the immediate patronage of the sovereign, was a master stroke. It is quite possible, of course, that working in particular and duly specified grooves, in order to "tickle the tastes and please the fads" of the powers that were, may have tended in some degree to curb the artistic aspirations and stunt the originality; but, nevertheless, rare advantages compensated for any temporary harm which may have accrued in that respect. For one thing, the position of the occupants of the appartements was officially recognised by the State; they were, in fact, quite distinguished personages in their way, and apart altogether from the honour and glory, their "bread-and-butter" was more than sure, while, to most of them fell the "plums" of their profession or craft.

The foregoing is a brief statement of the ruling conditions under which the "Louis-Quatorze" flourished, and, having glanced at them, we must now proceed to see, so far as space will permit, what the style ultimately became, and to what extent it furnished inspiration for our own designers and craftsmen.

It is extremely difficult, if not altogether impossible, to lay down a set of rules or give specified definitions that will enable the student to distinguish immediately and with perfect exactitude between late seventeenth and early eighteenth century French work. The different styles overlap, or rather blend at times with one another to such a degree that to classify them and apportion each of them to its respective period with exactitude is a task which calls for more than a mere superficial knowledge if success is to be gained. When we come to the "Louis-Seize" and "Empire" the difficulty is lessened, by- reasons which will be explained later.

It will be remembered that the reign of Louis the Fourteenth was one of exceptional duration, lasting for over seventy years. As was only natural, during that period many changes and developments took place in fashion of furniture as in other matters, though they were neither so very great nor so revolutionary as might have been expected. It was, however, only the later phases which influenced the eighteenth-century English designer to any appreciable extent - that is to say, the phases immediately preceding the advent of the "Louis-Quinze." It is those, therefore, that concern us.

Before commencing my review of the chief characteristics of the "Louis-Quatorze" as a style, it may be as well to take a brief glance at one of the most notable of the workers in the appartements; at a man who rose to pre-eminence from the ranks of the designers and craftsmen of his time, and played a leading part in making the mode what it eventually became. I refer to Andre-Charles Boulle. Most people who know anything at all of seventeenth-century French furniture, and many who do not, speak glibly of "Buhl"; and though they could not, for the life of them, tell what it is, they know that it is something rare and costly. Even Oliver Wendell Holmes himself, that man of culture rare, in his delicious little conceit "Contentment," protests: "Shall not a few carved tables serve my turn? But they must be of ' Buhl' "

- a flagrant error, of course. We shall do well, then, to see that there is no misunderstanding in our minds as regards the nature of the furniture whose beauties caused the name of their designer and maker to be handed down with such honour to posterity. As this furniture constituted a leading feature in the household gods of the "Louis-Quatorze," we shall not have to go out of our way for the purpose.

Andre - Charles Boulle was born in 1642, and lived to a ripe old age, for we find him still working eighty years later. His record throughout was a remarkably exceptional one. In addition to conceiving and executing his own numerous masterpieces, many of which, I need hardly say, still stand unrivalled, Boulle trained such men as Levasseur, Montigny, Oeben, and Jacob - to mention but one or two - as well as his four sons, Jean-Phillipe, Charles-Joseph, Pierre-Benoit, and Andre-Charles the younger, who, in their turn, made their way to positions of eminence, and not only gave practical demonstration of the possession of exceptional genius, but still further enhanced the reputation of their great progenitor and master.

It was not until 1672 that Boulle (the father) attained to what was the height of ambition to so many of his fellows, the greatly coveted appartetnent au Louvre. He was only thirty years of age at the time; but, it seems hardly necessary to say that, though still a young man, he had even then excelled in his profession and craft, for he would not have been the recipient of so notable a mark of royal approbation had he been nothing more than an average designer or craftsman. When the application for the bestowal of the honour was made by him, or on his behalf by eminent patrons who fully appreciated his genius, Colbert submitted it to the king; but the settlement of the matter was left practically in the hands of the minister, for, on the document presented to his Majesty, bearing a note of the application, appears the inscription in the royal handwriting - "Les appartements au plus habile."