Craftsman, Antique Dealer, Restorer of old doors |
|
| A lover of old doors, this craftsman-antique
dealer keeps in his warehouse more than a thousand pieces
of wood; treasures cherished and restored. |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
Christian Seille is not like just any antique
dealer... Established for over 25 years in Carcès,
beautiful little town in the Var, this art lover is also a
craftsman, a restorer of old doors. "At first, I only
had a few doors and I realized that they sold well. So, in
1990, I decided to expand my stock and its been going on for
ten years now!"
On "the cold square" of the village, as the inhabitants
like to call it, Christian Seille turns the precious key and
enters his cavern, that of a "Thousand and one doors".
"The name suits the shop perfectly... There are even
more than a thousand doors in this warehouse", stresses
the place's proprietor, with an ounce of pride in his voice.
|
|
| |
|
|
| A veritable maze where you wander from one door
to another. "This one is Moroccan and dates from the 17th century.
It was a front door in cedar, a wood frequently used in that country. This
one is even older, 16th century. It comes from Spain. We recognize
it by its repeating motifs called 'chocolate bar'". |
| Still with that spark in his eyes, Christian
Seille poursuit son investigation. "In Provence, we have
a lot more doors compared to the rest of France. We're lucky
because in general they are very pretty Look at this 17th
century door, coming from this region, but it is made of pine."
And why not fromwalnut like you often see in the South of
France? "At the time, the fashion in Provence for interior
doos was white wood. Fashion, but also circumstances, because
there had been a shortage of walnut. " Louis XIV
doors with symmetric mouldings, Louis XV, Louis XVIII - it's
a real pleasure to listen to Christian Seille ! |
|
 |
| |
|
|
 |
| The style, the period of each piece, he
knows each history, or almost... "Except for one, Moroccan,
difficult to date. On the other hand, I can date, to within
forty or fifty years, all European doors." And the oldest
door? "It dates from the beginning of the 16th century.
In actual fact, I have one from the 14th century, but I'm
not selling it", he admits. The collection obliges! |
|
| |
|
Copyright Photos José Nicolas
|
