Antiques – 18th Century English Furniture (1800 antiques)
March 3rd, 2008
Early in the 18th Century, the bureau developed further still, incorporating mirrored doors, often domed, into the cabinet above the writing flap. The mirroring reflected light onto the writing surface so did serve some practical purpose as well as decorative.
Chairs too, were changing dramatically; from the rather square shapes of the previous century, they were evolving into a rather more curved and rounded effect. The backs had moulded frames, within which was a shaped vertical piece (splat) and the seats were upholstered and framed. The legs were curved or a delicate “S” shape (known as cabriole).
Even the fashion in materials was changing, with mahogany imported from the Spanish colony of San Domingo in the West Indies superseding Walnut as the wood of choice.
The middle of the 18th Century saw the French rococo style exerting its influence on English furniture. Rococo was lighter and more elegant that the preceding Baroque French style and incorporated such decorative shapes as shells, flowers, foliage and scrolls. In addition, the Far Eastern styles, having flagged somewhat in popularity at the beginning of the century, once again became fashionable. Furniture began to bear designs such as pagodas and birds, originally only seen on items of porcelain.
New in the design department was also the tripod table with a circular top, intended for serving tea. The top usually folded down for easy storage when not in use and was often highly decorated, shaped and carved with elegant cabriole legs.
In addition, circular centre tables were introduced. These were more permanent than those with the folding tops, sometimes having a more or less solid triangular base beneath the central pillar with a ball or lion paw foot at each corner. This might be topped with marble, a fashion imported from Italy, sometimes even with a porphyry centre or similar surrounded by specimens of marbles around the outside. The different colours of the marbles gave a lovely decorative effect, without being too fussy.
By 1770, the Rococo period in England was drawing to a close, replaced by the neoclassical style, which reintroduced designs from ancient Greek and Roman times, such as garlands, urns and the Greek key pattern. This style was simpler in form than previously seen, with the cabriole leg gradually disappearing and being replaced with tapering or fluted legs. Carving was less prevalent as a form of decoration but the surface of the item received great attention, with ornate veneers coming to the fore.
Following the success of the tripod table, the latter part of the 18th Century saw the advent of the dining table and the sideboard. Sideboards were often bow-fronted, containing drawers and tables were predominantly of the pedestal variety, with several sections being slotted together. Each section had its own pedestal with three splayed legs, sometimes tipped with brass castors. In this period, satiwood became increasingly popular, although mahogany was still commonly in use.
1790 began the Sheraton period which was to continue until 1805 and saw the publication of Thomas Sheraton’s book The Cabinetmaker’s and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book. Sheraton furniture was typified by simple designs, clean lines and classical decoration.
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Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Antiques |
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