English Furniture of the i8th Century
Tat eighteenth century can rightly be considered the century when --English.. cabinet-making achieved heights never reached bore or since. Craftsmen and designers flourished Whiise names are known all over the world to-day and whose works are eagerly sought after by the collector and lover of beautiful and artistic things. Such names as Chippendale, Robert and James Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton stand pre-eminent in the history of English cabinet-making. We should bear in mind, too, that before this period - cabinet-making was almost en- tirely confined to the copying of Continental designs, and in the majority of, cases the manufac- ture was extremely crude.
The century opened with a modification of the Dutch ideas introduced during the reign of William and Mary. Furniture was made lighter and more deli- cate to suit the more refined taste of Queen Anne's subjects. The cabriole leg was introduced and cabinets freely inlaid. The wood used varied according to where the work was done. In London the fashionable town maker worked in walnut finely veneered and inlaid with mar- yueterie in intricate designs. In the country the craftsmen used oak, elm, ash, birch and fruit woods, but the designs were of a more simple nature. Then elabo- rately, carved frames for mirrors became fashionable, and a com- position known- as " Gesso " was discovered, which when carved and gilded made furniture still more decorative. Upholstery im- proved and chairs were more comfortable. The wing chair and grandfather chair were brought into general use. Lacquer work became the vogue, and many beautiful cabinets copied from pieces brought from China and the East Indies are still in exist- ence to-day. As the Queen Anne period merged into the early Georgian, designs changed and tended to become heavier and more elaborate. The simple styles gave way to heavier enrichment and extravagant _ carved work, developed under the influence of designers such as William Kent. • In 1735 Thomas Chippendale, the greatest of all cabinet-makers, commenced work in London, and his re- putation soon spread to the total excluSion of all other makers. He -held sway.. for. over .thirty years, during which time he catered for every taste and fashion. His output was prolific,' and s ecimens of his workmanship are to be found. to-day throughout :the. country:'His earliest work is undoubtedly the best. The -illustration shown is: a specimen during this- period V • Midway through the century two other great designers arose : Robert Adam, who, with his brother Jamei4 traded as the Adam Brothers, and George Hepplewhite. . The Adams were architects trained in Italy, and they introduced to England a style different in all respectsi from Chippendale. They designed not only buildings, but the complete contents and decoration.
As EARLY 18TH CEyytrity MAHOGANY AND GAT BIIIMILU BOOKOWill. They introduced the classic style into tilde work and employed- artists of such standing as Pergolesi,, Cipriani Zucchi,. Angelica Maria Kauffmann and Florman, to Carry out their schemes of -decoration.
The vogue for " Adam " work was so great that all the leading cabinet-makers, including Chip pendale himself, executed orders for them, using their designs and. measurements.. ...
Hepplewhite's furnit ure followed more or less on Louis Quinze lines, and he brought the mid-eighteenth century pieces more into line with those of Queen Anne's time. The legs of his chairs and tables were simple and decoration reduced to a minimum.
This craftsman in time came under the influence of the Adam Brothers, and from then worked under their direction: Many of the finest pieces attributed to the Adams bear the hall-mark of Hepplewhite's workmanship. In 1790 Sheraton, the last of the great Georgian designers, commenced work in London. He was responsible for many of the smaller articles of late eighteenth-century -furniture found to-day. He used satin- wood freely in his furniture, and most of the small tables and cabinets containing wash- stands, mirrors and dressing- table fittings can be attributed to him. Possibly the greatest service he rendered to . the trade was the publication of his book, The Cabinet-maker's and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, now known as The Drawing Book. The book was invaluable to the apprentice and workman as a sound guide to the principles on which their craft was founded.
At the end of the century a new style, called " English Empire," flourished for a short while • but it could not be in any way compared with the designs of the past hundred years, and few pieces of this style have been considered -worthy _a, preservation, T. Alrxsox,:. V.
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