CLASSICAL REVIVAL LIGHTING SUB-STYLES
In Part 1, we had a quick overview of the context for Classical Revival lighting styles. Here in Part 2, we’ll take a look at examples of “sub-styles” within the overall style, and a few pictures of Rejuvenation Classical Revival fixtures.
Note: For all of our period styles and sub-styles, the terms and definitions we use are not comprehensive or academic – they are just groupings we’ve developed based on our own inclinations. We leave plenty of room for other styles, opinions, and interpretations. Feel free to chime in with alternative perspectives or favorites we’ve missed.
CLASSICAL REVIVAL
Artfully balancing classic Greek and Roman motifs with a tastefully restrained revival impulse, titular Classic Revival fixtures feel effortlessly formal and historically rich without being over the top. (c1909, Rejuvenation archives)
BEAUX ARTS
The Beaux Arts style takes its name from Paris’ Ecole de Beaux Arts, the leading academy of architecture in the world where many of Americas top late-19th century architects received their formal training. Often featuring faces, grotesques, cherubs, or other figural themes, Beaux Arts lighting tends to display more freely interpreted combinations of classic motifs – the Classic Revival mash-up style, if you will. (c1909, Rejuvenation archives)
BAROQUE, ROCOCO (and the “LOUIE, LOUIE”s)
Based on the explosively expressive designs of the Baroque and Rococo styles, these fixtures typically feature lots of curves and an abundance of applied ornament in the form of cast or stamped leaves, and are often finished in gilt. A less restrained European trend of the 17th and 18th centuries, this category includes "the Louis styles" –Louis XIV, XV, and XVI – which were remarkably popular around the turn of the century for homeowners who sought to evoke European wealth and sophistication. (c1901, Rejuvenation archives)
FRENCH / ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Especially between 1900 and 1920, architecture was often inspired by rather strict academic versions of specific historical styles – known as “The Schools of Design.” Fixtures (and coordinating hardware) were produced in a wide number of these specific historical styles, including reproductions of French and Italian Renaissance models that showed a high level of fidelity to precedent – though few folks today can tell the difference. (c1915, Rejuvenation archives)
REJUVENATION FIXTURES
The Caruthers, c1910-1925
The Thomas, c1909-1925
The Alexandra, c1915-1930
The Hudson, c1910-1925
The Imperial, c1915-1930