Chippendale Furniture History
Chippendale furniture is known for its attention to detail and elegance. One of the most famous Chippendale pieces is the Chippendale chair. Chippendale furniture is characteristically dark carved wood, designed in popular English styles of the 18th century. Furniture styles incorporated the use of common English, Chinese and Gothic motifs. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Thomas Chippendale was born in 1718 in West Yorkshire, England. Chippendale was known as an innovator who published one of the first furniture design books. The book detailed English furniture design templates that were in vogue in the mid-18th century.
Significance
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Chippendale took various existing designs, such as the common dining room chair, and inflected his own sense of style, which included elegant carvings on chair legs. This was a bold departure from the rigidity and regal nature of traditional furniture up to that point.
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Benefits
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His book was known worldwide and made Chippendale a household name. His style was imitated by other furniture makers, from America to Asia, during this time.
Types
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Characteristics of Chippendale furniture include the elegant Queen Anne-style Cabriole leg, which incorporated a distinctive twist in the wood on the bottom or foot of the leg. Another distinctive Chippendale style is the lion's paw. The foot of the leg is shaped like an actual lion's paw.
Identification
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Authentic old Chippendale furniture is irregular, for all the pieces were crafted by hand. That is one way collectors can differentiate the genuine Chippendale from reproductions, aside from carbon dating the old wood.
Considerations
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American Chippendale differs from the European style, not in foot or leg design, but in seat design. American Chippendale has kidney-shaped seats. In America, manufacturers of Chippendale furniture included the Quakers, and various generations within the Townsend and Goddard furniture-making families.
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References
- Photo Credit elegant chair image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
