When was chippendale period

Possibly his most interesting collection of work was for Lord Dumfries at Dumfries House in Scotland, where invoices and other paperwork survive. Whilst the above is helpful information regarding the actual man, it is necessary to describe the style of furniture that Chippendale made. This is important as of course there were many other cabinet makers copying the style "of the day". His furniture was generally constructed in the highest quality mahogany, for halls or dining rooms, japanned pieces for bedrooms or gilded soft wood for drawing rooms.

The early period shows the influence of the French Rocaille rococo together with Gothic and fashionable Chinese styles.

In Newport, Rhode Island, cabinetmakers integrated distinctive scrolls and scalloped shells into the skirts of high chests and dressing tables. Whereas Boston cabriole legs were somewhat stiff and vertical, Newport makers favored more curvilinear legs that terminated in pointed slipper feet One notable exception to the subdued ornamentation of Queen Anne-style furniture is japanning , a technique developed in the West to imitate Asian lacquerwork.

Although this form of decoration originated during the William and Mary period, it remained popular through the s. Intercoastal trade brought fine Virginia and Pennsylvania black walnut within reach of craftsmen throughout New England and the Middle Atlantic , and it was the most popular wood in the Queen Anne period — Walnut was often stained to resemble imported Caribbean mahogany, which became the wood of choice during the subsequent Chippendale , or Rococo , era — Chippendale did not invent the richly carved style that now bears his name; rather, he codified the reigning fashion in England for creative blends of Gothic, Asian, and French Rococo designs.

Claw-and-ball feet with sharply articulated talons replaced the smooth contours of pad and slipper feet. Back splats, formerly solid and unornamented, came to be pierced and intricately carved with foliage and interlaced patterns In case furniture, the Chippendale style was an extension of the Queen Anne: in Philadelphia, for example, traditional Baroque forms such as the high chest of drawers were updated with carved Rococo ornament In New England, where the influence of immigrant craftsmen was minimal, cabinetmakers relied primarily on shaped facades rather than on ornamental carving to impart visual interest Leisure activities became more commonplace in the late colonial period, a result of greater prosperity and the widespread pursuit of refinement.

To satisfy demand, cabinetmakers produced specialized furniture forms such as tables for playing cards and taking tea. These pieces increasingly took on bold three-dimensional shapes and often rested on leaf-carved cabriole legs ending in claw feet By the s, Philadelphia had surpassed Boston as the largest colonial city. New York also benefited from a surge in immigration in the years preceding the Revolution.

Artisans there catered to the Loyalist sympathies of their patrons by closely following English forms, such as the five-legged card table, and the chest-on-chest By contrast, the most original American furniture was made in Newport, Rhode Island, where native-born cabinetmakers held sway.

Led by members of the Townsend and Goddard families, Newport cabinetmakers developed a distinctive local style epitomized by block-and-shell case pieces that have no known parallel in European furniture or contemporary furniture books The transition from Queen Anne to Chippendale furniture in the colonies was neither immediate nor universal.

Furniture makers in Philadelphia incorporated Rococo influences resulting in more elaborately carved legs. Some pieces, such as side chairs and small tables like the Pembroke style, have straight legs but other elements of Chippendale style are still present.

There are actually six different styles of legs and feet in Chippendale furniture: the lion's paw, the ball-and-claw foot , the Late Chippendale, the Marlborough, the club, and the spade. The lion's paw, named for its shape, and the ball and claw were based on the cabriole shape. American cabinetmakers favored the ball and claw as the claw belonged to an eagle. The Late Chippendale style features a square leg with a square foot.

The most simple is the club, a simple round foot; the spade is a round, tapered leg with a square or trapezoid foot. Frank Farmer Loomis IV, author of In Antiques , appreciated the long-established Queen Anne style but also realized that innovative designs were what kept sales flourishing. Thus, this enterprising cabinetmaker took inspiration from the Chinese as well as Gothic style and incorporated design elements, including the straight Marlborough leg.

While legs and feet often provide a good place to start when identifying Chippendale pieces, there are a number of other features to look for as well. In terms of the wood detail, top railings on chairs frequently have a yoked shape.

Back splats the thin piece of wood on the center of the back of a chair on arm and side chairs can be intricately pierced and carved with ribbon motifs, although some chairs do have less ornate splats. Shell motifs carrying over from the Queen Anne period may be present but are not as prevalent in this style as they were earlier in the s. And when it came to the textile, Chippendale style settees, stools, and chairs were often upholstered with the finest of fabrics including beautiful silks.

Many reproductions of the Chippendale style were produced around during the late-Victorian period. While these are antiques in their own right today, in comparison they do not have the finely crafted details found in early Chippendale style pieces, nor do they command the prices of true period furniture. Since most people can't afford the upper crust pieces, later examples do provide an antique alternative for those who like the style without the big budget.

Chippendale influence is still widely found in formal furniture design and manufacturing, including the use of cabriole legs and ball-and-claw feet.