Muguet de Paris

   I think of French decorative arts as the cross roads of two of my deepest passions. The first is a lifelong interest and involvement in the arts,  the second a fervent appreciation of all things French. 

The tradition of excellence in French decorative arts rests on the tendency of artisans and designers to draw from the past while moving forward into the future, taking advantage of innovations in materials and technology to produce something new and original, while honoring the past. 

While the primary focus of the blog is decorative arts, I may digress from time to time, with your indulgence, and consider something that may seem not to fall under that rubric. Yet one would be hard pressed to write about any aspect of French life without touching upon the decorative arts, so tightly woven is the esthetic sense into the fabric of French culture. And, of course, there has always been, in France, that overlap between the fine and the decorative arts.

Antonin Carême, the 19^th Century culinary superstar, saw no reason to distinguish between architecture and pastry, as he observed, “The fine arts are five in number, to wit: painting, sculpture, poetry, music and architecture, which has for its main branch pastry.” This seems to me a reasonable approach, but to those arts cited I would add a sixth, l’art de vivre, that particularly French approach to daily life. 

I hope you will be entertained and informed, and that you will occasionally discover something of interest that otherwise may have escaped your notice. Above all, I look forward to your feedback, so that we may learn from one another. 

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Jan del Monte is a writer and decorative arts consultant living in Paris. When not writing on the subject, she assists people in the purchase of home furnishings, both antique and contemporary, by tracking down items as well as accompanying buyers on visits to various sources.  She holds a diploma in French fine arts and decorative arts from Christie’s Education, Paris, and has continued her studies at Drouot Formation and the Musée des Arts  Décoratifs. 

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