PORTUGUESE HIGH-BACK CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.PORTUGUESE HIGH-BACK CHAIR.Seat and back formed of two panels of old stamped leather, studded with brass bosses.
Both in this later Stuart period and in the days of the first Charles inlay was considerably used to heighten the carved designs on oak tables, chairs, and cabinets. The growth of commerce was responsible for the introduction of many varieties of foreign woods, which were used to produce finer effects in marquetry than the rude inlay of Elizabethan days.
TheFrontispieceto this volume represents a very handsome cabinet of English workmanship, inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. It is an unusually fine example of the middle seventeenth century, and bears the date 1653, the year when Cromwell forcibly dissolved the Rump Parliament and was declared "Lord Protector of the Commonwealth."
Up till now oak—the hard, tough, English variety, and not the more modern Baltic oak or American varieties now used—was the material for the tool of the carver to work upon. With the introduction of more flowing lines and curves, a wealth of detail, it is not unnatural to find that softer woods began to find favour as more suitable to the new decorations. The age of walnut was approaching when, under William the Dutchman, and in the days of Queen Anne, a newer style of furniture was to arise, made by craftsmen trained in the precepts of Grinling Gibbons and following the conceptions of Sir Christopher Wren. It must be borne in mind that in Italy the softer woods, such as lime, willow, sycamore, chestnut, walnut, and cypress, had long been used for the delicate carving during the height of the Renaissance and succeeding period, and in France and Spain chestnut and walnut were favourite woods.
In the central panel of the Restoration chair-back, canework began to be used instead of the Early Jacobean carving. Cane seats were frequent, and loose cushions, attached by means of strings, covered these cane panels and seats. The illustration (p.122) shows a Jacobean chair of this period.
OAK CHEST OF DRAWERS.By permission of Messrs. WaringOAK CHEST OF DRAWERS. LATE JACOBEAN.(Height, 3 ft. 3 in.; width, 3 ft.; depth, 1 ft. 10 in.)
Belonging to these later Jacobean days are chests of drawers of oak with finely panelled fronts. We illustrate two specimens, showing the old brassmetal work and the drop-handles. They are usually in two parts, and are very deep from back to front. These are two typical examples of this kind of furniture, which was in general use up to the days of Queen Anne, when pieces are frequently found supported on a stand.
In the picture by Caspar Netscher, showing a Dutch lady at her toilet, a good idea is conveyed of the kind of chair in use in Holland in the latter half of the seventeenth century, upholstered in brocade, and the rich tapestry tablecloth is a noticeable feature.
Before entering upon the last phase of Stuart furniture, and leaving the days of Jacobean oak with its fine carving and handsome appearance—the careful result of selecting the timber and splitting it to show the fine figure of the wood—the attention of the reader should be drawn to the fact that the appearance of the surface of furniture made subsequent to this period begins to approach the results of the modern cabinetmaker with his polishes and spirit varnishes and highly glazed panels and table tops. The lover of old oak abominates varnish. The Elizabethan and Jacobean carved oak furniture received only a preliminary coat of dark varnish in its early days, mixed with oil and not spirit, which sank into the wood and was not a surface polish, and was probably used to preserve the wood. These old pieces, which have received centuries of rubbing with beeswax and oil, have resulted in producing a rich, warm tone which it is impossible to copy by any of the subtle arts known to the modern forger. Thecollector should make himself thoroughly familiar with the appearance of this old oak by a careful examination of museum pieces, which, when once seen, cannot easily be forgotten.
CHEST OF DRAWERS.By permission of Messrs. Waring.CHEST OF DRAWERS. PANELLED FRONT; LATE JACOBEAN.(Height, 3 ft. 4 in.; width, 3 ft. 10 in.; depth, 1 ft. 10 in.)
The Italian Renaissance furniture probably received an oil varnish, the composition of which, like the varnish employed for old violins, has been lost, but after centuries of careful usage and polishing, the result, as seen in the fine specimens in the Victoriaand Albert Museum, is to give to them the appearance of bronze.
CHARLES II. OAK CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.CHARLES II. OAK CHAIR.Open back carved with shell and scrolled foliage. Stuffed seat covered with old damask.
There is little doubt that the Great Fire, which did such immense destruction in London in 1666, in which some eighty-nine churches and thirteen thousand houses were demolished, gave a considerable impetus to the manufacture of furniture in the new style. It is not a pleasing reflection to think how many fine pieces of Elizabethan and early Jacobean furniture were consumed in the flames, including much of Inigo Jones's work.
Under the genius of Sir Christopher Wren many of the city churches were rebuilt, including St. Paul's Cathedral; and Greenwich Hospital and Hampton Court were enlarged according to Wren's designs, with the co-operation of the master woodcarver, Grinling Gibbons. In later Jacobean days a splendour of style and an excellence of workmanship were the outcome of the fine achievements in interior woodwork by Grinling Gibbons and the school he founded.
The work of Grinling Gibbons consisted of most natural chains of flowers and foliage, fruit, or birds or cherubs' heads, all faithfully reproduced untrammelled by convention. St. Paul's Cathedral, Hampton Court, Chatsworth, and Petworth House all contain work by him of singular beauty. He trained many assistants to help him to carry on his work, and one of them, Selden, lost his life in endeavouring to save the carved room at Petworth from a destructive fire. The soft wood of the lime was his favourite for detailed carving; for church panelling or choir stalls, such as at St. Pauls, he employed oak; in his medallion portraits or figure work he preferred pear or close-grained boxwood.
CHARLES II. OPEN HIGH-BACK OAK CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.CHARLES II. OPEN HIGH-BACK OAK CHAIR.Finely carved legs and stretcher. Stuffed seat covered in old Spanish silk damask.
The gradual development of the chair in the later Stuart days in the direction of upholstered seat will be noticed in the specimens which are given as illustrations. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 by Louis XIV. drove some thousandsof French workmen—weavers, glass-workers, and cabinetmakers—to this country. The silk-weaving industry established by them at Spitalfields was one of the results, and silk stuffs and brocades were used for covering the seats and backs of furniture. At Hampton Court the crystal glass chandeliers were made by French workmen, whom Wren was glad to employ to assist him to make that palace a worthy rival to Versailles.
CHARLES II. CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Harold G. Lancaster & Co.CHARLES II. CHAIR.Cane back and seat, finely carved legs and stretcher.
JAMES II. CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Fenton & Sons.JAMES II. CHAIR.With cane back and seat, and finely turned legs and stretcher.
The chair here illustrated shows the commencement of the use of cane work in place of wood for the panel in back and for the seat. The James II. chair illustrated shows the later development of the cane-back. The William and Mary chair (illustrated p.125) shows how the cane-back was retained later than the cane-seat, and how rich damask was employed for the upholstered seat. It is interesting to see how the stretcher, which in earlier days was of use to keep the feet raised from a wet or draughty floor, has now become capable of elaborateornamentation. Genuine examples of chairs of Elizabethan and Early Stuart days show the wear of the feet of the sitters. The same wear is observable in the lower rail of old tables. In later Stuart days the stretcher has left its place at the bottom, between the two front legs. Since its use as a foot-rest, owing to carpeted floors, is gone, it is found either joining the legs diagonally, or higher up as an ornament with carved front. In the eighteenth century it has almost disappeared altogether.
WILLIAM AND MARY CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Harold G. Lancaster & Co.WILLIAM AND MARY CHAIR.Cane back. Seat upholstered in damask. Finely carved legs and stretcher.
Mirrors began to take a prominent place in interior decoration. The house of Nell Gwynne in St. James's Square had one room entirely lined with glass mirrors. Hampton Court is full of mirrors, and they are arranged with considerable skill. By an artful arrangement the mirror in the King's Writing Closet is placed at such an angle that the reflection of the whole suite of rooms may be seen in it. The looking glasses made in thiscountry in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were the work of Venetian and French workmen. The plates had a bevel of an inch in width, and these bevels followed the shape of the frame, whether square or oval. A factory was established near Battersea which produced some fine work of this nature. It will be noticed by the collector who is observant that the bevels differ considerably from modern bevels. The angle is not such an acute one, and sometimes the edges are double bevelled. Many of the mirrors of the time of William and Mary had an ornamented border of blue glass. Sometimes the mirror was painted with festoons of flowers and with birds in French manner. In imitation of Italian style the back of the mirror, in examples a little later, was worked upon in the style of intaglio, or gem cutting, this presenting a dull silver surface when seen from the front.
In picture frames, in chimneypieces, or in mirror frames the school of Grinling Gibbons was still pre-eminent in carving. Now and again are found traces of Italian or Louis XIV. influence, but as a whole the English carver held his own, and the traditions of Grinling Gibbons were maintained, and he did not easily allow himself to be carried away by foreign elaborations.
When William of Orange came over in 1688 he brought with him many of his own countrymen as military and civil advisers, and in their train came artists and craftsmen, who introduced Dutch art into England, and prepared the way for the more homelystyle of Queen Anne. Walnut cabinets inlaid with various woods, and with ivory squares representing miniature Dutch courtyards in the recesses of cabinets, had found their way into England. With the period of William and Mary the cabriole leg in chairs and in tables became popular—at first an English adaptation of Dutch models—but later to develop into the glorious creations of the age of walnut.
Blue delft jars and bowls, some especially made for William and Mary and bearing the Royal arms and the cypher "W. M. R." and the Nassau motto, "Je main tien-dray," still to be seen in the Queen's Gallery at Hampton Court, were introduced, and it became fashionable to collect china. Consequently the furniture in rooms had to be adapted for the arrangement of this new class of ornament, and cabinets were largely made with accommodation to receive vases and beakers and blue bowls on their shelves. The earlier form have straight sides; but later, especially in the next reign, they follow French designs, and are swollen orbombéat the sides.
UPPER PORTION OF CHAIR BACK OF CUT LEATHER.UPPER PORTION OF CHAIR BACK OF CUT LEATHER.PORTUGUESE. LATTER PART OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.(Victoria and Albert Museum.)
With William, too, came over the plain walnut card-table. Clock cases of the style termed "Grandfather" were of Dutch origin. The seats of chairs were shaped and removable. The Dutch trade with the East Indies had brought Oriental china and lac cabinets into Holland, and these, with the coming of William, found their way into this country. Bureaux with a number of secret recesses were introduced, and another Dutch importation from the East was the now celebrated chair or table leg with claw andball foot. This came directly from China, and as in the case of delft, which is the earthenware replica by the Dutch potter of fine blue porcelain vases, from Nankin and Canton, where the Oriental perspective and design have been slavishly copied, so with the furniture, the old Chinese symbol of a dragon's foot holding a pearl, was repeated in the furniture by Dutch cabinetmakers. Dutch marquetry made an early appearance with simple ornamentation,sometimes enriched by ivory or mother-of-pearl inlay, but later it developed into flowing floral designs with figures, vases, fruit, butterflies, and elaborate scrolls in various coloured woods, of which yellow was the predominant colour.
£s.d.Armchair, Charles II., oak, carved with cherubs supporting crowns, and with turned column supports. Christie, November 20, 19031446Chairs, pair, Charles II., oak, with cane seats and oval cane panels in the backs, spirally turned legs, stretchers and rails at the back. Christie, March 4, 19046300Armchair, Charles II., oak, with high back carved with arabesque foliage, with lions' masks and claw legs. Christie, March 29, 19046300Chairs, pair, nearly similar, carved with foliage. Christie, March 29, 190439180Armchair, Charles II., walnut-wood, of Italian design, carved with masks, cane seat and panel in back; and cushion, covered with old Flemish tapestry. Christie, March 4, 190477140Chairs, three, Charles II., oak, with oval panels of canework in the backs, the borders carved with foliage, flowers, and Amorini, and surmounted by busts. Christie, April 12, 19044200Chairs, set of twelve, Charles II., of chestnut-wood, with high backs carved with rosette ornaments, scroll foliage, and formal blossoms, on cabriole legs carved with flowers and shaped stretchers. Christie, July 1, 190446200Chairs, pair of chestnut-wood, with high backs slightly curved, pierced and carved at the top, and each inlaid with two cane panels, on carved cabriole legs and shaped stretchers,temp.James II. Christie, June 2, 190436150Cabinet, English marquetry, with folding doors, enclosing twelve drawers and small cupboard, and with four drawers below, the whole elaborately inlaid with vases of tulips, roses, and other flowers, small figures, birds, and insects, on a walnut-wood ground, 69 in. high, 47 in. wide,temp.William III. Christie, February 12, 190410500Mirror, in case of old English marquetry, inlaid with large flowers and foliage in coloured woods and ivory on walnut-wood ground, 32 in. by 28 in.,temp.William III. Christie, February 19, 19044330Chairs, set of six, walnut-wood, with high, open backs, carved with foliage, the centre inlaid in marquetry, on carved cabriole legs and eagles' claw-and-ball feet,temp.William and Mary. Christie, June 2, 190431500Chairs, set of four, of similar form, open backs, carved with shell, and gadroon ornament, and on carved cabriole legs with hoof feet, the stretcher carved with a shell,temp.William and Mary. Christie, June 2, 190410500Cabinet, William and Mary, marquetry, veneered with walnut-wood, decorated with oval and shaped panels, inlaid, upon ebony field, 42 in. wide. Christie, March 18, 19046520Cabinet on stand, ebony, Dutch, seventeenth century, supported by six beaded columns with stage under and mirror panels at back, the upper part composed of doors carved in medallions; the centre doors enclose an architectural hall, inlaid in ivory, &c., with gilt columns and mirror panels, and fitted with secret drawers, 5 ft. 3 in. wide, 6 ft. 6 in. high and 22 in. deep. Jenner & Dell, Brighton, May 3, 190410000Corner cupboard, Dutch marquetry, 8 ft. high, having carved crown-shaped cornice, with centre vase, four doors, with bow fronts, inlaid with flowers and carved raised beadings, the interior fitted. C. W. Provis & Son, Manchester, May 9, 19043200Table, Dutch marquetry, with shaped front and two drawers inlaid with sprays of flowers in coloured woods and ivory, on cabriole legs, 32 in. wide. Christie, March 4, 190437160
[1]By the kindness of the proprietors of theConnoisseurthese items are given from their useful monthly publication,Auction Sale Prices.
[1]By the kindness of the proprietors of theConnoisseurthese items are given from their useful monthly publication,Auction Sale Prices.
QUEEN ANNE OAK SETTLE.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & SonsQUEEN ANNE OAK SETTLE.Scrolled arms, panelled back and loose cushioned seat. Width 6 feet.
Anne. 1702-1714.1707.Act of Union between England and Scotland. First United Parliament of Great Britain met.1713.The National Debt had risen to £38,000,000.
1707.Act of Union between England and Scotland. First United Parliament of Great Britain met.
1713.The National Debt had risen to £38,000,000.
With the age of Queen Anne domestic furniture departed from the ornate characteristics which had marked previous epochs. The tendency in English furniture seems to have made towards comfort and homeliness. The English home may not have containedso many articles of luxury then as does the modern house with its artistic embellishments, and a popular taste rapidly ripening into a genuine love of the fine arts. "A modern shopkeeper's house," says Lord Macaulay, "is as well furnished as the house of a considerable merchant in Anne's reign." It is very doubtful whether this statement holds good with regard to the days of Elizabeth or the days of the early Stuarts, but there certainly seems to have been in the dawn of the walnut period a curtailment of luxurious effects that might well tempt a casual observer to generalise in the belief that the days of Anne spelt dulness in art.
The settle, the illustration of which is given (p.149), bearing the date 1705, the year after Blenheim, shows that Jacobean models of early days were not forgotten. The inlaid borders are very effective, and there is nothing vulgar or offensive in the carving. It is simple in style and the joinery is good. A walnut mirror, carved and gilded (illustrated p.137), exhibits the same solidity. There is nothing to show that the glorious age of Louis XIV. had produced the most sumptuous and richly decorated furniture the modern world had seen. The simplicity of this carved mirror frame is as though art had begun and ended in England, and probably it is this insularity of the furniture of this period, and the almost stubborn neglect of the important movements going on in France that makes the Queen Anne style of peculiar interest.
QUEEN ANNE MIRROR FRAME.By permission of Messrs. Harold G. Lancaster & Co.QUEEN ANNE MIRROR FRAME.WALNUT, CARVED AND GILDED.
The oak desk illustrated (p.139), dated 1696, is similar to the one at Abbotsford, in which Sir WalterScott mislaid his manuscript of "Waverley," where it lay among his fishing-tackle for eleven years.
Another piece of the same period is the cupboard with carved doors and drawers beneath (illustrated p.140).
OAK DESK.OAK DESK.WITH INITIALS "L. G." AND DATED 1696.(From the collection of T. E. Price Stretche, Esq.)
Some pretty effects were now obtained by veneering, which was largely coming into practice. The pieces with the burr-walnut panels, marked in a series of knot-like rings, are especially sought after. Thispattern was obtained from the gnarled roots of the walnut-tree, and applied in a decorative manner with excellent result.
OAK CUPBOARD.By permission of T. E. Price Stretche, Esq.OAK CUPBOARD. SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.Metal handles of drawers, eighteenth century.(Height 6 ft. 7 in.; width, 4 ft. 6 in.)
QUEEN ANNE WALNUT CABINET.By permission of Messrs. Brown & Bool.Cabinet closed; showing fine mottled figure of burr walnut.Cabinet open; showing drop-down front and nest of drawers.QUEEN ANNE WALNUT CABINET.
DUTCH MARQUETRY CHAIR. QUEEN ANNE CHAIR.DUTCH MARQUETRY CHAIR.QUEEN ANNE CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.
DUTCH MARQUETRY CHAIR.QUEEN ANNE CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.
QUEEN ANNE WALNUT ARMCHAIR. BLACK AND GOLD LAC CHAIR.QUEEN ANNE WALNUT ARMCHAIR.BLACK AND GOLD LAC CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Waring.
QUEEN ANNE WALNUT ARMCHAIR.BLACK AND GOLD LAC CHAIR.By permission of Messrs. Waring.
In the fine cabinet, the illustration of which is given (p.141), the style is typical of this period. The panels of the doors are of exquisite finish, and show a beautiful walnut grain of peculiarly-pleasing mottled appearance, and the mellow effect which time has given to this specimen cannot be imitated with any degree of success in modern replicas. In the illustration showing this piece when open, the rich effect of the walnut in the middle panel may be noticed; the contemporary brass handles to the nest of drawers are typical of this style.
In chairs and in tables the elegant cabriole and colt's-foot legs were now commonly adopted, and apparently, simple as is the construction, it is only when Queen Anne pieces come to be repaired that it is found how expensive an undertaking it is, owing to their ingenious construction and the patient labour that was expended upon them, to produce unpretentious and harmonious effects.
The assertively English spirit which was the dominant note of the furniture of the early eighteenth century continued up till the early years of the reign of George II. During this period, which covers half a century, walnut was the wood mostly used in the manufacture of furniture, and this walnut period shows a quiet dignity of style and a simple proportion, reticently elegant and inornate without being severe.
The Queen Anne oak settle, with shaped panelled back and scroll arms, which appears as the headpiece to this chapter, is especially representative of the kind of piece in common use at the time; oak was stillemployed in furniture of this nature. The legs show the newer design, which was already departing from the elegant turning of earlier Jacobean days.
In the Queen Anne chair which is illustrated in the group of chairs of this period (p.143), with open back and carved scroll foliage, the cabriole legs are finely carved with lion masks and acanthus leaf ornament, on lion's claw-and-ball feet. The seat is removable, and is stuffed. Queen Anne chairs had high carved or plain splat backs. The armchair in the same group shows this type of back. The Dutch shell-pattern often appears either on back or at the juncture of the leg with the seat. Chairs decorated in marquetry, in Dutch fashion, were in use at this period. The one illustrated with the two above-mentioned chairs is inlaid with birds and flowers, and the legs are cabriole. The seat follows the growing usage of being loose and stuffed.
Dutch marquetry cabinets on stands, with straight uprights, were imported and became a feature in the early eighteenth century drawing-room (see illustration, p.147). The earlier forms had straight sides, but later, as the fashion grew, bureaux and large cabinets, with the dimensions of a modern wardrobe, had taken their place, withbombéor swelled sides, and profusely decorated in marquetry, with vases and tulips and unnamed flowers of the cabinetmaker's invention, birds, butterflies, and elaborate scrollwork, in which ivory and mother-of-pearl were often employed as an inlay.
The stands on which the smaller cabinets stood were turned with the spiral leg of Jacobean days, andlater they have the cabriole leg, with ball-and-claw or club feet. Cabinets and stands are frequently found together, in which the one is much earlier than the other.
DUTCH MARQUETRY CABINET.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.DUTCH MARQUETRY CABINET.Fitted with shelves. Door richly inlaid with flowers and scrolled foliage. On stand with turned legs and stretcher.
Rich damask began to be used in the furnishing of hangings, and in some of the palatial furniture of the period the looms of Spitalfields produced the coverings. In Queen Anne's bedroom the hangings were of rich silk velvet.
Clocks of the variety termed "Grandfather," either with fine walnut cases or inlaid with marquetry, came into more general use in the days of Queen Anne. An elaboration of carvingon grandfather clock cases as a rule is to be regarded with suspicion. Plain panels are not so saleable as carved ones; the want is supplied, and many fine old clock cases are spoiled by having the touch of a modern hand. The clock illustrated is an untouched specimen. The walnut case is a fine example of Queen Anne marquetry work. The works are by Sam Barrow, Hermitage Bridge, London. The steel dial is richly mounted with cupids, masks, and scrolls in chased brass.
QUEEN ANNE CLOCK.By permission of Messrs. Hampton & Sons.QUEEN ANNE CLOCK.Walnut case with marquetry work.
Towards the middle of the eighteenth century and later, cabinets of Dutch importation, and Japanese or Chinese in origin, were extensively in use. In smaller numbers they had, without doubt, in the days of William and Mary, been introduced, but it was not until the commerce with the East had been well established that they became popular. In the cabinet illustrated (p.150)the cabinet-work is English, the drawers are all dovetailed in the English manner, but the lacquered doors come from the East. It is an especially interesting example, as the pagoda-like superstructure is not often found complete.
QUEEN ANNE OAK SETTLE. DATED 1705.By permission of Messrs. Waring.QUEEN ANNE OAK SETTLE. DATED 1705.With borders in marquetry.(Width, 5 ft.)
OLD LAC CABINET.By permission of Messrs. Brown & Bool.OLD LAC CABINET.ENGLISH; EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
Lacquered boxes had been sent home from the East by English, French, and Dutch merchants, for many years, and with characteristic ingenuity the French cabinetmakers had employed these as panels for their furniture, but the supply not being sufficient they had attempted a lacquer of their own, which isdealt with in a subsequent chapter on Louis XIV. furniture. Dutch lacquer-work was a similar attempt on the part of the craftsman of Holland to equal the Oriental originals.
LAC CABINET.LAC CABINET. MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.(Height, 2 ft. 5 in.; width, 2 ft. 8½ in.; depth, 1 ft. 6½ in.; height of stand, 2 ft. 9 in.)(From the collection of W. G. Honey, Esq., Cork.)
FRONT OF LAC CABINET.W. G. Honey, Esq., Cork.FRONT OF LAC CABINET (ILLUSTRATED), WITH DOORS CLOSED.
In the early eighteenth century the English craftsman tried his skill at lacquered furniture, it is true not with very successful results, but it is interesting to see what he has left as attempts. The illustration (p.143) of a chair in black and gold lac is of English manufacture. The splat back and the cabriole leg give the date, and the specimen is a noteworthy example. Another piece of the first half of the eighteenth century period is the lac cabinet illustrated (p.151). The metal hinges and corners of this are of chased brass and of English or Dutch workmanship. The shape and design of the drawer handles are frequently found in nests of drawers of this period, and there was a singular fondness shown at this time for numbers of small drawers and pigeon-holes in furniture. The now familiar bureau with bookcase above, and drop-down, sloping front covering drawers and recesses, dates from this time. The escutcheon of the lac cabinet is illustrated in detail as a tailpiece to this chapter to show the particular style of work found on the locks and hinges and drawer-handles of pieces of this nature. As hasbeen said before, it is especially useful to the collector to make himself thoroughly familiar with these details of the various periods.
It may be readily imagined that at a time when cards were the passion of everybody in society, the card-table became a necessary piece of furniture in eighteenth-century days, just before the dawn of the great age of mahogany, when Chippendale, and the school that followed him, eagerly worked in the wood which Raleigh discovered. They produced countless forms, both original and adapted from the French, which have enriched therépertoireof the cabinetmaker and which have brought fame to the man whose designs added lustre to the reputation of English furniture.
£s.d.Chairs, six, mahogany, single, and one armchair to match, with shaped legs and openwork backs (early eighteenth century). F. W. Kidd, & Neale & Son, Nottingham, November 11, 19032540Chairs, eight Queen Anne, walnut-wood, with high backs, on slightly cabriole legs, with stretchers. Christie, December 11, 190333120Armchair, Queen Anne, large walnut-wood, carved with foliage, the arms terminating in masks, on carved cabriole legs and lion's-claw feet. Christie, March 29, 19045080Cabinet, Queen Anne, the lower part fitted with escritoire, the upper part with numerous drawers, shaped cornice above, 3 ft. 6 in. by 7 ft. 6 in. Puttick & Simpson, April 12, 19043400Chairs, four Queen Anne, walnut-wood, with interlaced backs carved with rosettes and a shell at the top, on cabriole legs carved with shells and foliage; and a pair of chairs made to match. Christie, July 8, 19044420
CHASED BRASS ESCUTCHEON OF LAC CABINET (ILLUSTRATED).W. G. Honey Esq., Cork.CHASED BRASS ESCUTCHEON OF LAC CABINET (ILLUSTRATED).(Width, 10½ in.)
[1]By the kindness of the proprietors of theConnoisseur, these items are given from their useful monthly publication,Auction Sale Prices.
[1]By the kindness of the proprietors of theConnoisseur, these items are given from their useful monthly publication,Auction Sale Prices.
CASSETTE. FRENCH; SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.By kind permission, from the collection of Dr. Sigerson, Dublin.CASSETTE. FRENCH; SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.Containing many secret drawers.
Louis XIV.(1643-1715), covering English periods of Civil War, Commonwealth, Charles II., James II., William and Mary, and Anne.1619-1683.Colbert, Minister of Finance and patron of the arts.1661-1687.Versailles built.1662.Gobelins Tapestry Works started by Colbert; Le Brun first director (1662-1690).1664.Royal Academy of Painting, Architecture, and Sculpture founded by Colbert, to which designs of furniture were admitted.
Louis XIV.(1643-1715), covering English periods of Civil War, Commonwealth, Charles II., James II., William and Mary, and Anne.
1619-1683.Colbert, Minister of Finance and patron of the arts.
1661-1687.Versailles built.
1662.Gobelins Tapestry Works started by Colbert; Le Brun first director (1662-1690).
1664.Royal Academy of Painting, Architecture, and Sculpture founded by Colbert, to which designs of furniture were admitted.
In order to arrive at a sense of proportion as to the value of English furniture and its relation to contemporary art in Europe, it is necessary to pass underhasty examination the movements that were taking place in France in the creation of a new style in furniture under the impulses of the epoch of theGrande Monarque. To estimate more correctly the styles of the Early Jacobean and of the later English furniture extending to the days of Chippendale and Sheraton, it must be borne in mind that England was not always so insular in art as the days of Queen Anne would seem to indicate. It is impossible for the cabinetmakers and the craftsmen to have utterly ignored the splendours of France. Louis XIV. had a long and eventful reign, which extended from the days when Charles I. was marshalling his forces to engage in civil war with the Parliament down to the closing years of Queen Anne. During his minority it cannot be said that Louis XIV. influenced art in furniture, but from 1661, contemporary with Charles II., when he assumed the despotic power that he exercised for half a century, his love of sumptuousness, and his personal supervision of the etiquette of a formal Court, in which no detail was omitted to surround royalty with magnificence, made him the patron of the fine arts, and gave his Court the most splendid prestige in Europe.
As a headpiece to this chapter we give a very fine example of acassette, or strong box, of the time of Louis XIV. It is securely bound with metal bands of exquisite design. The interior is fitted with a number of secret drawers.
In the illustration (p.159) it will be seen that the chair of the period of Louis Treize differed in no great respects from the furniture under the early Stuarts inthis country. This design is by the celebrated Crispin de Passe, and the date is when Charles I. raised his standard at Nottingham, a year prior to the birth of Louis XIV.