Paris Furniture: The Luxury Market of the 19th Century

Despite the upheavals of the first decades of the nineteenth century, Paris soon recovered its position as a leading centre for furniture and design in Europe, a position that was to grow and strengthen as the century progressed. Encouraged by royal and imperial regimes, exhibited at the great international fairs, and collected by international aristocrats, bankers and newly wealthy industrialists, Paris furniture by the second half of the century had once again become synonymous with luxury and exquisite craftsmanship. Furniture makers drew their inspiration from a vast array of historical periods and cultural sources to create new and exciting designs that both appealed to the eclectic tastes of the nineteenth-century amateur and yet suited the demands for comfort and convenience of the luxury consumer. Building on the generations of skills and techniques that had characterised French furniture during the years of the Ancien Regime, contemporary makers exploited technological advances and new materials to produce some of the most creative and inventive pieces ever made, often surpassing the quality achieved by previous generations.

Christopher Payne's 45-year career in the Decorative Arts spans both the commercial and the academic worlds coupled with a deep knowledge and understanding of the practical side of furniture making and conservation. After reading law, Christopher started his career at Sotheby's where he stayed for 25 years, becoming a Senior Auctioneer and a Director of the Furniture Department with responsibilities for furniture, works of art, clocks and sculpture. At Sotheby's Christopher was working at the very center of the art world, advising international collectors on both buying and selling, building up collections, giving restoration advice and insurance valuations as well as teaching post-graduate students at the Sotheby's Institute. Private clients have enjoyed his lectures at the Buccleuch Studies and tours of many of Great Britain's country houses. He personally helped the late Earl of Carnarvon furnish part of Highclere Castle, the location for the highly acclaimed ITV television series Downton Abbey and has been a member of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow team for over thirty years. He continues his work as an independent consultant advising top-level private clients and lecturing both in the United Kingdom and internationally, including China.