Photography and Text by Corey Amaro
French antiques at the Salon des antiquaires in Tholonet
The antique salon in Tholonet sits alongside the river La Clause, at the base of St Victoire mountain that Cezanne often painted, and Marcel Pagnol depicted in his novels.
As the unbeatable Provencal light, streamed through the spring leaves of the Platane trees, I was transported back to another era, where beauty played a larger role in life than the rush and hurry of today's atompshere.
Most of the antique furniture at the Antique Salon in Tholonet (Salon des antiquaires in Tholonet) next to Aix en Provence, is eighteen century. A outstanding collection of gilded mirrors, paintings, tapestries, crystal sconces, religious art, armchairs, commodes with Provencal carvings, and a wide selection of smalls.
After all these years it is unbelievable to imagine how many antiques still exist. France has more than its fair share of eighteen century furniture, seemingly a bottomless pit of wealth.
Going to Tholonet I felt I was in a museum of living art and history. Tholonet is at the base of Saint Victoir, where Cezanne often painted. It is a perfect match of scenery, and history for such a salon of antiquities.
Photos: A large Provencal pottery planter. The most common colors are green, yellow and brown. The one in the photos on the right, has all three colors. That is because when the pots are glazed and then fired, they are stacked on wooden shelves. Sometimes the drips from the planters stacked above drip and cause "tears" on the pottery below.
In the same photo: a large gilded mirror, and an eighteen century walnut-wood commode with a marble top. The carved panels of the commode depict classic Provencals motifs.
Most antique furniture has been restored. Either re-gilded, polished, stained, re-upholstered, re-painted and/or has had some small repairs. French eighteen century antiques are rare, but not impossible to find, nevertheless, it is nearly impossible to find a piece in flawless condition.
Antique dealers keep this in mind when they are looking for antiques. They might buy a broken frame, simply for the old mercury glass, to use in another frame they have that is missing the mirror. Or they might buy a chest of drawers for the hardware to use on another piece of furniture they have.
I know a dealer who buys antique wallpaper to cover the interiors of drawers, thereby adding another layer of historical texture to another piece.
Nevertheless, if you ask most antiques dealers, they will tell you if they have restored a piece or not. If it is important to you that a piece is hundred percent authentic there are experts at all the salons to guide you of a piece's authenticity.
A good example of marrying old and new objects together, to create a fabulous look:
18th century frames old, with added tinted, engravings, with new orange silk matting. The antique daybed underneath, is re-upholstered with new burnt orange velvet.
Below a gilded marriage mirror hangs elegantly on a shutter covered with peeling paint.
A pair of oil paintings depicting twins, one holds a flower, the other a small bird.
Walking around the Antique Salon I thought how I would love to be able to run around, gather the antiques I liked best and set them up in a stand. I am crazy like that…. I mean isn't that what these antique dealers do anyway? They buy antiques they like (and that they can turn for a profit), then set them up in a stand hopefully to entice buyers?
I am lucky that Melanie asked me to help her set up her stand. At least I had the pleasure of being around beautiful objects, setting them up with her, and m
ore importantly without the stress of having to sell them.
Salon des antiquaires in Tholonet, May 8 – May 18th
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