The Gothic period
13th – 16th century (1200 – 1500)
As a consequence of the barbarian invasions, the Middle Ages suffered from poverty, disease and insecurity. People took refuge in faith after the fear of the year 1000. Furniture bears the imprint of religious architecture.
Decorated with vaulting during the Romanesque period, it was practically limited to the chest, which could be filled and carried off easily in case of alarm.
The Gothic style was born in Burgundy. This province was the first to emerge from the general stagnation, and the style appears as an exuberance, a joy of living. It flourished above all in France and England.
Distinctive features
Ogives
Materials — Oak, fir.
New furniture — The chest (coffer or hutch), the master’s chair (for the head of the household), the high-backed bench (protection against the cold); simple seats: stool, rough bench, etc. The standing dresser or buffet. In our regions, the trestle table of Gothic inspiration appeared somewhat later.
Special features — A kind of upward thrust.
Notable figures of the period — Joan of Arc, Charles the Bold, Guillaume Fichet, Nicolas Froment.
Legs of seats and tables
Ornament and accessories
