In the anthemion, the springing point is the base, and the units arrange themselves on either side of a central member, and form a bi-symmetrical figure. This anthemion type of form is met with in almost every style and period of art. The anthemion is sometimes called the honeysuckle pattern. It is an old dogma that the decorative form was suggested by this plant; but its more or less remote resemblance to the buds of the honeysuckle is accidental, not incidental; and the charm, both in nature and in art, is the inherent beauty of a mass of radiating and upspringing forms, instinct with the suggestion of vitality and growth. Hulme, _The Birth and Development of Ornament_. London, 1893.
“A _cantonnière_ is a piece of material almost always of Gobelin or Aubusson tapestry, which, hanging flat in the manner of a lambrequin, has two hangings or tails falling down the sides and forming a kind of frame for the curtains beneath. Sometimes these two hangings are held back by hooks which give the effect of curtains; _cantonnières_ for the decoration of beds are also made. The richness, the delicacy and the good design of tapestry can give much value to this kind of decoration. The narrow curtains of less fullness that are called _bonnes grâces_ are an imitation of the _cantonnières_, an imitation that is demanded by economy rather than the principles of decoration.” Deville, _Dictionnaire du Tapissier_, Paris, 1878–1880.
In 1726, these curtains were used to upholster some furniture for the Queen’s apartments at St. Cyr.
All of the draperies of this niche, like the alcove curtains already described, were used in 1726 to cover a chair, a _lit de repos_ and four folding-seats as well as three _portières_ for the Queen’s apartment at St. Cyr.
The Queen Anne period is interesting on account of the favour in which it has been held of late years, particularly by a class that knows nothing at all about it. Queen Anne furniture, Queen Anne silver, Queen Anne cottages have been in great demand, in England particularly. When, however, the student asks the Queen Anne devotee for a list of objects that may fitly be included in an interior of that style, he usually meets with a bewildering jumble. Charles II. oak-framed cane chairs jostle others with cabriole legs and jar-shaped splats made of mahogany; marquetry escritoires, spindle-legged walnut tables, Frisian clocks, brass fenders, steel fire-irons and four-posted bedsteads are all brought together to produce the proper contemporary flavour. The result is certainly unsatisfactory for the searcher after truth.