English Period Furniture
Georgian Period 1714-1806
This period is divided into three:
Early Georgian 1745-1780
Mid Georgian 1730-1750's
Late Georgian 1750-1830
Furniture had previously had its origins in the court and worked its way down, but George I brought a dull and tarnished feeling to the court and only few developments took place in the households of the rich.
Separate designers distinguished themselves in the late Georgian period, this is known as the "The Golden Age of Furniture". The designers were:
Chippendale 1745-1780
Hepplewhite 1760-1790
Adam 1760-1792
Sheraton 1790-1806
George 11 Corner Chair c. 1740, whorl feet
Thought was changing during these periods and the house and its contents started to be considered as two parts of one whole. Architects were now turning their hand to furniture design.
Early Georgian
Mahogany
The importation of Mahogany in the 1720's firstly from Cuba, and later from Honduras generally replaced Walnut as the main timber for furniture making. Mahogany had much better characteristics, it was not attacked by worm, it carved with a crispness (which led to a revival in carving) and it was less likely to shrink and twist.
Furniture was now being imported from other countries, China and France.
Furniture was designed to match the Neo-Palladian
architecture and was on a grand scale. William Kent,
an architect, designed heavy showy pieces of furniture
for the rich market.
They were designed for mansions
and palaces and were often enormous gilded pieces
of bad taste. Bookcases had pediment tops which
imitated the exterior of the house.
It was the designers
that followed this period that developed the style,
now considered typically Georgian.
Early Georgian Furniture Characteristics
- George II Chair - splats carved in honeysuckle
motif.
- Corner chairs for reading and writing some
had candlesticks.
- Whorlfeet.
- William Kent Chair.
- Similar lines to Queen Anne
chairs. Solid vase splat but heavier construction.
- Baroque
style of William Kent.
- Gessowork. A paste of chalk
and parchment size. It is applied to part finished
wood, carved in fine detail, an easier task than
with wood, then gilded.
- Crimson
and gold upholstery pieces with the Greek key
pattern around the seat frame.
- Carved lions masks
and paw feet.
- Double chair back form.
- Concertina
extension tables with two or three tops.
