PART III FURNITURE DEVELOPMENT RENNAISSANCE AND AFTER. ( series part 1 -5 )

1. By: Surashmie Kaalmegh
Dept. of Interior Design
Associate. Prof. LAD College
Nagpur.
:EVOLUTION OF FURNITURE :
PART VII: RENAISSANCE
ITALY , FRANCE , ENGLAND
15th C to early 19th Century.
:EVOLUTION OF FURNITURE :

2. Contemporary was the Ottoman
empire 13 -17 C in the eastern side

3. Abdulmecid II
The last Caliph of
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Founded 27 July 1299
Interregnum 1402–1414
1. Constitutional 1876–1878
2. Constitutional 1908–1922
Sultanate abolished 1 Nov 1922
Republic of Turkey 29 October 1923

4. And how it spread to
other parts of Europe.

5. RENAISSANCE
ITALY
Classicism
Around 1350, a
scholar , Petrarch
 revived the
classics through his
letters to dead
classical figures like
Virgil.
He bemoaned the
terrible times he
lived in (this was
during the plague
years) and longed
for the days of the
classical past.
Classicists
recovered the
works of Greek &
Roman writers
translating them
into vernacular
languages.
Humanism
Civic
humanism
Christian
humanism

6. EARLY MODERN ERA : 1648 to
Modern politics :
kings  struggled to increase their
power through taxation + creation
of professional standing armies.
Some, like Louis XIV of France,
achieved legendary status as
absolute monarchs.
Scientific Revolution
Concepts of rationalism ,
empiricism (knowledge gained
through the 5 senses) created a
scientific method.
i.e.: developing a hypothesis (or
thesis), gather data, and reach
conclusions.
Enlightenment
Applying scientific rationalism to
society brought enlightenment 
18th century, gave birth to ideas 
political liberalism. Several of
today's economic and political
philosophies have their origins in
this era.
The Royal Academy
of Science ,
France when
started by Louis XIV
and now
Leonardo da vinci
Vasco da gamma
Copernicus
Erasmus ………

7. Industrialization
The cheap coal-based fuels ran steam
engines creating power and technology
revolution.  lead to steam-powered
pumps, railroads, and steamships.
American and French Revolutions
Enlightenment concepts of political
liberalism  movements for independence
and freedom. The American & French
Revolutions, based on the natural rights
of man, set precedents for the world.
Victorianism
The new industrial classes, who owned
factories, attempted to create social
status for themselves through the
application of moral & ethical standards.
These included the separation of male
and female spheres of life.
MODERN ERA :
Impressionism
Among the art movements  is
Impressionism, which sought to
balance the portrayal of nature with
the challenges of the new
technological landscape.

9. World War I
began 1914  of secret alliances & a
political assassination. Millions lost lives,
and left Europe scarred for generations.
Russian Revolution
During the war, Russia  a communist
country through two revolutions.
Surrealism
Among the modern art movements
that reflect the anxiety of the war
years, reflecting the questioning
of civilization and reality.
Fascism
In the midst of post-war depressions,
fascism became a nationalistic,
militaristic alternative to more socialist
programs. Emerging first in Italy, fascism
became the policy of the Nazi
government of Germany
World War II
The expansion of the fascist powers will
lead  World War II, where the nations
and colonies of the Allied powers fought
Italian, German , and Japanese
imperialists.

10. Contemporary ERA : post world war II
Cold War
Allied during World War II, the Soviet Union
and the United States  Cold War, (1945-
1989. Soviet Communism and American
Capitalism will face off at several sites
throughout the world. The Korean and
Vietnam Wars demonstrated the power of
Asian communism.
Current Trends
The goals of the European Common
Market has created the European Union.
Globalization is impacting Europe
and the rest of the world.
Decolonization
In the post-World War II depression,
Europe lost many of colonies to
revolutions. These revolutions will be
based on the same Enlightenment ideas
of earlier revolutions & also impacted by
Cold War rivalries as well.

11. Italy
• Prenaissance
• 13th C-14th C
• Renaissance ,
• 14th C-16th C
• Baroque,
• 16th C- 17th C
• Directoire,
• Empire
Italy

12. These changes, while significant, were
concentrated in the elite, and for the vast
majority of the population life was little
changed from the Middle Ages.

14. The main trade routes from the east
passed through the Byzantine Empire
or the Arab Lands and onwards to the
ports of Genoa, Pisa, and Venice .
The Italian
trade routes
which
covered the
Mediterranean
and beyond
were also
major
conduits of
culture and
knowledge
Beginning 
Italian
Renaissance

15. • Trade could be established with
the Moroccan empire by ITALY
& hence ….
• In Italy began the opening
phase of the Renaissance a
period of great cultural change
& achievement in Europe
spanning 13th C-16th C, i.e.
the transition bet. Medieval &
Early Modern Europe .
The term renaissance is a modern
one, (Rinascimento in Italian) means
“rebirth”.
The era best known for
 renewed interest in
the culture of
Classical Antiquity
after the Dark Ages.

16. • During the 14th century, Italy became the first European country to emerge
out of the dark ages and turn to inspiration from Ancient Greece and Rome.
• This change first manifested itself in architecture, but soon spread to
furniture. In fact, furniture shops usually operated under the supervision of
designers who were often architects themselves.
• Meant to invoke the grandiose buildings, furniture became large and
imposing. Carvers shaped straight legs with the Doric and Ionic columns of
Greek temples in mind.

18. Rooms of the Italian Renaissance were
sparsely furnished and even though the
pieces of furniture were rectilinear, some
chairs such as the Savonarola and Dante
had strong structural curves.
Furniture decorations required great
skill and included processes like inlay,
veneer application, and carving.
The finest furniture was made with walnut
,but other wood were also used like pine,
cypress, chestnut, elm, and poplar.

19. Materials
• The ITALIAN RENAISSANCE saw the
rise of furniture meant to be sturdy
and impressive but also decorative.
• Pieces often featured detailed inlays
carved from marble, ebony, and
ivory. Furniture makers created
beautiful patterns from stones
carefully grouped according to
color. An intarsia of the virginal made by Lorenzo
da Pavia, probably the one produced for
Isabella d'Este in 1496

20. Materials
• The ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
• They gave up traditional woods
such as oak in favor of harder,
more vibrant woods like
chestnut, fir and walnut were
used .

21. Materials
• The ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE
• They also
incorporated new
elements and
materials such
as iron metal and
leather and used
contrasting
woods in the
same object to
create a stunning
visual effect.

22. trompe l'oeil n :
(Encyclopedia)
Style of representation in
which a painted object is
intended to deceive the
viewer into believing it is
the object itself.
First employed by the
ancient Greeks, trompe
l'oeil was also popular with
Roman muralists. Since
the early Renaissance,
European painters have
used trompe l'oeil to create
false frames from which
the contents of still life or
portraits seemed to spill
and to paint window like
images that appeared to
be actual openings in a
wall or ceiling.

24. The cassone ( a
strong chest), was one of
the most familiar storage
pieces and furniture
structures throughout the
Renaissance.
Primarily of 3 shapes:
• simple rectangle form,
• convex or boat
shaped form, or
• shapes of like that of a
sarcophagus.

25. A roman Sarcophagi
• The cassone, or decorated
chest, exemplifies Italian
renaissance furniture.
• Indeed, it was the first type of
piece to take on an architectural
influence and was sometimes
fashioned in the style of roman
sarcophagi.
•
Cassone : a marriage chest
TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PIECES

26. • The sarcophagus,
or cassone, of oak,
or commonly of
chestnut or walnut ,
painted & gilded,
sometimes carved with
scrolls and figures;
• The cabinet
designed with
architectural outline,
and fitted up inside
with steps and pillars
like a temple;
17th
century

27. • Instead of the warm chimney corner and the
comfortable seat, the preferred furniture was
more of palatial character for the adornment
of the lofty and spacious saloons of the
palace,
• and therefore the buffet elaborately carved,
with a free treatment of the classic antique
which marks the time; made its entry .

28. The Buffet detail

29. The CASAPANCA, which was a long
wooden bench with a back and a seat that
could was used as storage.
15th century

31. • As the design of the trestle
table became more
advanced, and complex,
tabletop surfaces became
thicker and had more
carving and motifs.
• Legs were substantial &
were connected with
stretchers placed near the
floor. And if the table
didn’t rest directly on the
floor then it had legs
carved of lion’s paws.
• Tables were long and
narrow. Trestle tables
were used for dining, and
smaller tables were
designed to be used in
the center of a room or for
occasional purposes and
tabletops were octagonal,
square, or round.

32. A Fine Pair Of Italian Mid-18th Century
Giltwood Consoles

33. The Dante chair had
2 transverse pair of
curved legs crossing.
The seat and back
were made of leather
or velvet.
This is the SAVONAROLA
chair. named after a monk
. Constructed of a series of
interlaced wooden strips of
curule form.
Chairs X- Framed
e.g. Savanorala and
Dante
Seating
Sedia
SGABELLO was
much favoured in
Italy. The seat
was a wooden
slab, generally
octagonal,
supported at front
and back by solid
boards cut into an
ornamental
shape; an earlier
variety was
supported by two
legs at the front and
one in the rear; a
solid piece of wood
formed the back.

34. Other
popular
furniture
included
portable
folding
chairs that
had seats
made of
leather and
chairs that
stood on
solid panels
instead of
legs.
Sgabello / sgabelli
/ side chairs (fr.)

35. • The LETTIERA and the four-poster beds, and
beds with simple boards and legs were the main
types of beds in the Italian Renaissance.
• Some beds also had bed hanging, which are
known today as canopies.
• Before poster beds became common, hangings
were suspended from hooks, rods, or a dome
attached to the ceiling.
• Textiles were very important in the treatment of
beds.
• They use textiles that were suitable for summer
& winter because they helped guard against
insects, or help keep people warm when it was
cold.
• They were also used to hang from a single hook
from the ceiling to be fixed where it could
surround the bed.

36. An Italian ivory painted and parcel-gilt
footstool, Turin, circa 1760
An Italian blue and
white
painted demi-lune
commode,
Piedmontese,
late 18th century

38. Tuscan walnut table

40. Development of furniture in
France

41. Baroque : Louis XIV style
 Spain,
 Protugal,
 The Netherlands,
 German And
 Baltic States,
 Italy,
 France,
 Britain
 The And North America
developed their own characteristic styles
a style that is MAJESTIC, SOLEMN,
POMPOUS, RICH HEAVY, AND
EMINENTLY REGAL

42. Santa Maria Maggiore –
Baroque
Baroque interiors & artwork

47. Baroque Style: Louis XIV Style
Baroque furniture shared
characteristics
 Baroque paintings
and architecture,
displaying an element of
theatricality, and strong
contrasts of light and
dark.
 The contrast of
textures and shapes, 
e.g. lavish show-
cabinets created during the
Baroque era, which were
made from a dazzling array of
exotic materials.
grandeur and the eagerness for the ostentation
of power shown by Louis XIV from the time he
ascended to the throne in 1643.
The style culminates, mid 18th C, in Louis XV
style

48. The harmonious ornamentation of
the Louis XIV style is subject to
3 codes:
 SYMMETRY,
 THE USE OF GILT WOOD, AND
 THE INCLUSION OF MOTIFS
FROM ANCIENT ROME.

49. Louis xiv / Baroque
French Baroque
• The furniture had
beautifully gilded
columnar legs that
served as support for
the tables, chairs and
chests.
• The gilded carvings and
the general
presentation of the
furniture makes it look
as if the basics of its
construction was
imported from the
Roman fresco.
• The French baroque is
a display of a great deal
of careful workmanship
and artistry which made
it unique in the history
of furniture making.

50. • One of the greatest
and most exquisite
furniture's of the
baroque era was made
for the court of Louis
XIV in France.
• The outstanding
pieces were created
by André Charles
Boulle
• was a combination of
unusual forms which
were embellished with
inlays made of
combined metals,
Tortoise shell and
ebony designs that
released the beauty of
the creative
imaginative ideas of
the craftsman.

53. Rococo
New items
appeared:
• Chiffoniers,
• Writing Desks
With Flaps,
• Card Tables,
• Roll-top Desks,
• Wooden
Panelling,
• And Ladies'
Furniture:
Dressing
Tables,
• Chairs With
Short Armrests,
• Desks,
• Escritoires

54. Bradley Martin collection ,
Louis the XIV
Buffet
Console

55. • Rococo was an answer to the oppressively
formal baroque style. Much like French
ruler Louis XIV — whose reign is
synonymous with it — the baroque
aesthetic was austere and rigid. But with
newfound freedoms under adolescent king
Louis XV, French tastes turned to a
modern, lighter, and more flamboyant
style.
• It developed as a furniture style in the
early 1700s and was characterized by
delicate, natural forms and asymmetrical
curves.
• The prolific use of carved surfaces — often
gilt in gold — further defines the style. Also
known as Louis XV, rococo first won favor
with the French aristocracy before being
adopted by the Englishman Thomas
Chippendale, who featured it heavily in his
famous design book.
• Eventually, it was derided by critics as
being a frivolous reflection of a corrupt
social system and suffered the same fate
as its bourgeois patrons.
• The term rococo is derived
from the French rocaille,
which refers to the carved
elements in classical
architecture

60. The Rococo Basilica at Ottobeuren (Bavaria):
architectural spaces flow together and swarm with life

61. The dressing styles influence many furniture types evolved during this period

62. The society and social
gatherings or working
patterns also dictated the
furniture types and its
arrangement and
correlation with each other
required during the period.
As illustrated in these
paintings

64. French (louis XV 1720-1760 )
• Louis XV of France, born in 1710, is
the great-grandson of Louis XIV and
was officially crowned in 1722.
Rococo furniture is associated with the
French Louis XV style.

65. • Curved lines and asymmetry
became the rule and was
expressed in the elaboration
of surface ornament.
• The fashion for Chinese
lacquer had an influence on
European.. A taste for
secrecy, which pervaded
society, resulted in multiple
hiding places incorporated in
articles of Louis XV furniture
which opened with springs.
• Caned chairs and canapés
were extremely fashionable
under Louis XV, and they
were fitted with loose seat
cushions.

66. French (louis XV
1720-1760 )
Ebenistes worked ebony into
cabinets that were carved in
shallow relief and fanciful
patterns of tortoiseshell and
ivory inlaid on layers of veneer.
Bronze mounts decorated this
high-style furniture.

67. A stunning cylinder
bureau in the
French Louis XV
style with a
beautiful fitted
interior. (Palace de
Versailles.)
It is an incredible
piece in cabinetry.
The marquetry
decoration is
fabulous and the
bureau is
smothered in
beautiful ormolu
decoration.

68. A Louis XV Ormolu
Mounted and Brass
Inlaid Kingwood Commode
en Tombeau . Circa 1750

69. • Rococo (less commonly roccoco;
pronounced /rəˈkoʊkoʊ/,
/roʊkəˈkoʊ/) also referred to as
"Late Baroque" is an 18th century
style which developed as Baroque
artists gave up their symmetry and
became increasingly ornate, florid,
and playful.
• Rococo rooms were designed as
total works of art with elegant and
ornate furniture, small sculptures,
ornamental mirrors, and tapestry
complementing architecture,
reliefs, and wall paintings.
• It was largely supplanted by the
Neoclassic style. In 1835 the
Dictionary of the French Academy
stated that the word Rococo
"usually covers the kind of
ornament, style and design
associated with Louis XV's reign
and the beginning of that of Louis
XVI". It includes therefore, all
types of art produced around the
middle of the 18th century in
France.

70. • Cherry wood, which has a fine grain and is a
good medium for carving, was used for
chairs, tables, commodes, cupboards and
other similar articles. The wood was often
painted or in gold leaf. Considerable bronze
ornamentation was an essential part of
some items
Design for a table by
Juste - Aurèle
Meissonnier ,
Paris ca 1730
• The frames were generally
made of beech, walnut, or
cherry.
There were almost one
hundred exotic woods,
covering practically the
entire range of different
colours used in marquetry
work.
.
Rocks and shells with foliage
and flowers dominated the
theme of the ornament with
blossoms, sprays and
tendrils, reeds, branches of
palm and laurel.
The acanthus leaf, originated
in ancient Greece, often
elaborately serrated and
fringed became very long
and narrow.
Especially fashionable
themes were musical
instruments, such as the
violin, flageolet and
tambourine, hunting and
fishing, symbols of love,
such as bows, arrows and
torches, and pastoral
emblems, such as crooks
and the large straw hats of
shepherdesses.

72. • Classical Baroque.
• Badminton Cabinet: A
cabinet on stand in
ebony, pietra dura,
emethyst, lapis lazulii
jasper, agate.
• This cabinet was sold at
an auction in Christie’s in
2004 for 36 million dolars.
This is the highest
bidding for a decorative
object.
• A cabinet in ebony and
tortoiseshell, with painted
panels under glass after
Ovid’s metamorphoses.
Italian, Neapolitan. C.
1630-70.

73. A state bed in carved and gilded
mahogany, possibly designed by
John Linnell and made by James
Gravenor at Kedleston Hall,
Derbyshire. British c. 1726.
Broken curves and curvelinear
interlace in the Mirror Room, Schloss
Pommersfelden, with marquetry of
an allied type on table tops and floor.
Designed by Ferdinand Plitzner.
German, 1714/18.

74. A CANAPE
A canapé is similar to a couch, and is
an elegant sofa made of elaborately
carved wood with wooden
legs,upholstered seats, back and
armrests that seats three, emerged in
18th C. France during Louis XV
,Louis XVI periods,
similar yet different from designs of Thomas
Chippendale, it became popular in the USA in 19th
C.
Its shape is distinct from other sofas
of the period, including the divan and
chaise longue, but includes several
forms. Matching chairs were made to
go with it. Precious hardwoods 
walnut, cherry ,mahogany were often
used.
Currently the term is used in world furniture design
and retail as a variation on "sofa", except when
antiques or reproductions of 18th Century designs
are concerned.

75. Duchesse brisée (Broken
duchess in French): this word
is used when the chaise
longue is divided in two parts:
the chair and a long footstool,
or two chairs with a stool in
between them. The origin of
the name is unknown.

78. Récamier: a récamier
has two raised ends,
and nothing on the
long sides. It is
sometimes associated
with French Empire
(neo-classical) style.
It’s named after
French society
hostess Madame
Recamier (1777–
1849), who posed
elegantly on a couch
of this kind for a
portrait, painted in
1800. The shape of
the récamier is similar
to a traditional lit
bateau (boat bed) but
made for the drawing
room, not the
bedroom.

79. Méridienne: a
méridienne has a
high head-rest, and a
lower foot-rest, joined
by a sloping piece.
Whether or not they
have anything at the
foot end,
méridiennes are
asymmetrical day-
beds.
They were popular in
the grand houses of
France in the early
19th century. Its name
is from its typical use:
rest in the middle of
the day, when the sun
is near the meridian

81. • The name "chaise
lounge" is actually
an American
mistranslation of the
French phrase
"chaise longue,"
which is literally
translated as "long
chair."
• The luxurious chaise
lounge emerged in
France in the 1600s
and were usually
made of wood.
• In the 18th century,
under the rule
of Louis XV , the
French Rococo
style it became
popular. Lounges,
also called "fainting
couches," made their
way into all living
spaces.

82. Chinoiserie : is a recurring
theme in Europe since 17th
century,  reflect chinese
influence .
Characterized by the use of
fanciful imagery of an imaginary
China, by assymmetry in format
and whimsical contrasts of scale,
and by the attempts to
imitate chinese porcelein and the
use of lacquer like materials and
decoration.
Chinoiserie in a broader scope
refers to a mixture of Eastern and
Western stylistic elements for both
the decoration and shape .] The
style held particular favour during
the Rococo period and the court
of Louis XIV ] with which its
fanciful, ornate and idyllic imagery
is commonly associated

83. A fauteuil is a style of open-arm chair with
a primarily exposed wooden frame
originating in France in the early 17th
century.
A BERGÈRE is an enclosed upholstered
French armchair (fauteuil) with an
upholstered back and armrests on
upholstered frames. The seat frame is
over-upholstered, but the rest of the
wooden framing is exposed: it may be
moulded or carved, and of beech, painted
or gilded, or of fruitwood, walnut or
mahogany with a waxed finish. Padded
elbowrests may stand upon the armrests. A
bergère is fitted with a loose, but tailored,
seat cushion. It is designed for lounging in
comfort, with a deeper, wider seat than that
of a regular fauteuil

84. France (louis XV ) (1720-1760 )

85. The lit à la polonaise has four iron rods
that curve up to support a dome-shaped
canopy.

87. Mid-18th century "Louis XV" seat furniture, with
integrated flowing lines, and a lacquer-veneered
Parisian commode, mounted in gilt bronze,
(Château de Talcy)

91. Empire interiors

93. Empire (french)
• Empire is an early 19th century style of
architecture and furniture design during the
rule of France by Napoleon I (1769 - 1821)
who became Emperor (1804 - 1814).
The Empire style was based on aspects of
the Roman Empire. It is the second phase of
neoclassicism which is also called
"Directoire", after a government system.
Furniture typically had symbols and
ornaments borrowed from the glorious
ancient Greek and Roman empires.
The furniture was made from heavy woods
such as mahogany and ebony, imported
from the colonies, with dark finishes often
with decorative bronze mounts. Marble tops
were popular as were Egyptian motifs like
sphinxes, griffins, urns and eagles and the
Napoleonic symbols, the eagle, the bee, the
initials "I" and a large "N."
Gilded bronze (ormolu) details displayed a
high level of craftsmanship.

94. Empire (french)
• Empire is an early 19th century style
of architecture and furniture design
during the rule of France by
Napoleon I (1769 - 1821) who became
Emperor (1804 - 1814).
• The Empire style was based on
aspects of the Roman Empire.
• It is the second phase of
neoclassicism which is also called
"Directoire", after a government
system.
• Furniture typically had symbols and
ornaments borrowed from the
glorious ancient Greek and Roman
empires.

95. • The furniture was made
from heavy woods such
as mahogany and
ebony, imported from
the colonies, with dark
finishes often with
decorative bronze
mounts.
• Marble tops were
popular as were
Egyptian motifs like
sphinxes, griffins, urns
and eagles and the
Napoleonic symbols,
the eagle, the bee, the
initials "I" and a large
"N."
• Gilded bronze (ormolu)
details displayed a high
level of craftsmanship

96. NEOCLASSICISM : Louis
XVI,
The rectilinear look of
neoclassical architecture.
• The neoclassical period of
Italian and French
furniture, sometimes
named Louis XVI, ended
the Rococo era.
• Furniture artisans and
craftsmen studied
classical art for ideas.
Gradually the curving
rococo lines became
simpler and the furniture
more rectilinear, Formed
by straight lines.
• Chair legs became
straighter and more
tapered. Storage furniture,
like commodes, were no
longer built with bombe
(outward curving legs).
19th Century.

97. Neoclassical
style.
Louis XVI
• The sphinx was popular
as an ornament for a
time.
• Throughout Europe in
the 19th century, the
rectilinear style of
neoclassicism continued
but Empire furniture was
also produced:
• simple, massive forms
with large amounts of
ornamentation.
• The ornaments were
ormolu (brass or gilt)
mountings in such
shapes as swags,
festoons and laurel
branches.
• Egyptian ornamentation
became popular for a
time.
• Pilasters (column-like
structures) were often
decorated with sphinxes
or palm leaves.
NEOCLASSICISM : Louis XVI,

98. French empire consoles
French empire tabourets

99. A Comparison 1661 -1793

103. • Following the Baroque Period,
which had dominated the scene
until the first half of the eighteenth
century, the emergence of liberal
forms began subsidizing to give
rise to a decadent age represented
by the rococo. The most genuine
French rococo is represented by
the Louis XV style, which will
appear as a clearly determined
phenomenon.
• Thus under the name of this king a
furniture style will come to be
recognized, situated between the
years 1735 and 1770. ıt coincides
with an age of seclusion and
intimacy, with an abundance of
rooms and small nooks in palaces
and the houses of nobles.
• This will also condition the
dimensions of the furniture, the
sizes of which determines the main
difference in regard tot he
creations of the previous period.

104. Hooded chair

105. Furniture development in
England
Characteristics :
THE GROTESQUE
 It was a style of decoration. It
featured a combination of
scrolling plants,
figures, fantastic creatures,
masks and vases.
MORESQUE
 associated with the Moors of
North Africa and Spain.
The interlacing patterns of
stems, leaves and tendrils were a
common characteristic of
Renaissance design.
MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES
 There was a renewed interest
in stories and characters of
Classical mythology. These were
shown in prints , paintings and
used as motifs on objects
MORESQUE
MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES
THE GROTESQUE

106. FIGURES IN ROUNDELS
 Busts of men and women depicted within a circle, known as a roundel, were a
popular feature of the Renaissance style. They were in profile. This decorative motif
originated on ancient Roman coins.

107. STRAPWORK
 Strap work resembles flat strips of leather, bent to suggest bold, 3-D shapes. It appeared frequently in
English design in the 16th C.

110. DATES REIGNING BRITISH MONARCH BRITISH PERIOD STYLE
1558 - 1603 Elizabeth I Elizabethan Primitive
1603 - 1625 James I Jacobean Oak
1625 - 1649 Charles I Carolean Baroque
1649 - 1660 Commonwealth Cromwellian Baroque
1660 - 1685 Charles II Restoration Baroque
1685 - 1689 James II Restoration Baroque
1689 - 1694 William & Mary William & Mary Rococo
1694 - 1702 William III William III Rococo
1702 - 1714 Anne Queen Anne Rococo
1714 - 1727 George I Early Georgian Rococo
1727 - 1760 George II Early Georgian Neo-Classical
1760 - 1811 George III Late Georgian, Chippendale,
Hepplewhite & Sheraton
Neo-Classical
1812 - 1820 George III Regency Regency
1820 - 1830 George IV Regency Regency
1830 - 1837 William IV William IV Regency
1837 - 1880 Victoria Victorian Eclectic
1880 - 1901 Victoria Victorian Arts & Crafts
1901 - 1910 Edward VII Edwardian Art Nouveau
Furniture Periods & British Monarchs
James II
Queen Anne
Eliza I
George IV VICTORIA
William IV

111. The TUDOR Dynasty produced five monarchs who
ruled during this period.
HENRY VII (1485 to 1509)
HENRY VIII (1509 to 1547)
EDWARD VI (1547 to 1553)
MARY I (1553 to 1558)
ELIZABETH I 1558 to 1603)
THE AGES OF MAHOGANY,
WALNUT AND OAK

112. MonarchJames I
Preceded by Elizabethan era
Followed by Caroline era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in
English and Scottish history that coincides
with the reign of James VI of Scotland
(1567–1625), who also inherited the crown
of England in 1603 as James I. The
Jacobean era succeeds the Elizabethan
era and precedes the Caroline era, and
specifically denotes a style of architecture,
visual arts, decorative arts, and literature
that is predominant of that period.
The word "Jacobean" is derived from
Jacobus, the Latin form of the English
name James.
THE JACOBEAN ERA

113. English Period Furniture
The Evolution of English Furniture
Throughout the history of furniture, the changing styles have
arrived by the conditions ruling at any one time.
These conditions may have been the result of:
•The Limits of Knowledge:… wood expansion and contraction
•The limits of equipment : ……only tools and saws
•The Availability of Timber : …..Local supply, only solid timber
•Economic Conditions:….. wealthy or not,
•Changes in Conditions:…Peace or War:….. determine
furniture, immobile, security
•Overseas Influences:….. trade agreements, incentives
•Reigning Monarch :……preferences and biases
•A Movement :….. A guild or group , A Generic influence, A
Religious Group

114. • Britain had Oak and Beech as it's
native timber for furniture
production, but with the discovery
of new land and the establishment
of overseas trade, other timber
species suddenly became
available:
• Oak 1500-1600
• Walnut 1660-1723
• Mahogany 1715
• Satinwood 1765
Prior to 1500, the Gothic Period,
teaching and learning of
craftsmanship was mostly
overseen by the church. Therefore,
most ornamentation on Gothic
furniture follows the lines of
ornamental stonework from the
Gothic Churches and buildings

115. Tudor style furniture
1457 – 1509
• This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England
whose first monarch was Henry VII. The term is often used more
broadly to include Elizabeth I reign (1558 – 1603)
Characteristic of this style is the enrichment of every surface with
flamboyant carved, turned, inlaid, and painted decoration in the spirit
of the English Renaissance.
The Tudor period was one of beautiful woodwork, though it was still
heavy and sparse by modern standards. Sideboards became
fashionable as a way to display plate. The feather bed made an
appearance, replacing the straw mattress.
Elaborate four poster beds were the mode.
Tudor furniture was made of oak or wood which was obtained
locally, highly ornate, carved and heavy.

117. English Period Furniture
Elizabethan 1558-1603 OAK
Jacobean 1603-1660
• Renaissance ideas were entering
Britain during this period. Oak was
still the main timber used. Strap
work carving was popular and cut
directly into solid timber furniture.
• Furniture legs were mainly bulbous -
carved at the top and a gadroon at the
bottom with an acanthus leaf.
• Chairs were either turned or
wainscoted.
• Pewter was displayed in buffets or
court cupboards.
• Beds were very large with carved
posts, a canopy and long velvet
hangings often with bulbous
decoration.
• Solid top refectory tables replaced the
Tudor trestle tables.

118. William and Mary style furniture
1689 - 1702
• 1689 - 1702 William III and Mary II reigned over England, Ireland and Scotland from
1689. Mary died in 1694, William in 1702.
William and Mary style has Flemish, Dutch, French and Chinese influences.
Huguenot refugees from France worked in the cabinetmakers’.
It is characterized by trumpet turned legs, terminating in a hoof, claw, ball, or bun
feet, padded or caned chair seats, and Oriental lacquer-work.
The chair backs were high, and rounded at the top with carving, shaped slightly to fit
the shape of your back. The banisterback chair, with and without arms, replaced the
cane back chair. The back legs of the chairs were splayed out at the bottom. Settees,
upholstered or with loose cushions came in the main room.
Highboys and lowboys, with six high elaborated trumpet-shaped legs or spiral-turned
legs, appeared and rapidly became a favorite of the Colonial furniture craftsmen.
Some of the furniture was made of oak , but the Colonial workmen were finding
walnut, maple, pine, apple wood, sycamore, and other native woods much easier to
use.
Marquetry became an important feature of decoration often the form of elaborate
floral patterns, cockle shell and acanthus leaf, or seaweed.
Some of the furniture was painted and gilded.
Hardware, made of cast brass, became decorative as well as functional.

120. Queen Anne style furniture
1702 - 1714
• Queen Anne (1665 - 1714) 1702 - 1714 was the last monarch of the House of Stuarts.
The Queen Anne style is a refinement of the William and Mary style with lighter,
graceful, more comfortable furniture.
• The single most important decoration of Queen Anne furniture was
the carved cockle or scallop shell. Cabinetmakers replaced the
straight, turned legs with more graceful cabriole legs. The leg had an
out-curved knee and an in curved ankle.
• Walnut became the preferred wood along with cherry and maple. Imported mahony
began to be favoured. Regardless of the wood, a small amount of Queen Anne
furniture was painted white.
The feet in which the legs of furniture terminate underwent alteration and improvement.
Ultimately claw and ball feet make their reappearance, and makes an attractive finish
to the heavier type of cabriole leg that evolved after the disuse of the stretcher. Scroll
feet are generally associated with the earlier Queen Anne furniture, but there were also
club feet, spade feet, the drake foot which was carved with three toes and a square
moulded type of foot.
Card and the collapsible bridge table or gaming tables were another Queen Anne
innovation.
Still popular are lacquer work, the rich oriental wares and china, the use of gesso
design, and the Dutch marquetry cabinets, with their bombe sides and fronts and
profuse decoration.

122. • During the reign of
William & Mary

123. queen anne desk on frame

124. Queen Anne style chest of drawers

125. Georgian style furniture
17th - early 18th C
• 17th - early 18th century This
furniture style was during the
reign of George I, George II,
George III in Great Britain. The
most important change that
occurred in the furniture in
Georgian style was the
replacement of WALNUT.The
legs are elaborately carved
terminating in a pad or ball-and-
claw foot. Separate designers
distinguished themselves in the
late Georgian period, this is
known as the "The Golden Age
of Furniture". Important
designers were: THOMAS
CHIPPENDALE, HEPPLEWHITE
, ADAM.
• Common items included side
tables with marble tops, chairs
peaked with shells and legs
graced with fish-scaled scrolls.

127. Mahogony :

128. Queen Victoria born 1819.
1837-1901 LONGEST reign
IN British history.
The Victorian style furniture draws its
influence from gothic forms
heavy proportions, dark finish,
elaborate carving, and
ornamentation.
Victorian style furniture has a strong
Rococo and Louis XV influence
too. Exaggerated curves, lush
upholstery and decorative carvings
are featured.
MAHOGANY and ROSEWOOD
were the woods of choice with OAK
(usually stained dark) making
something of a comeback from the
depths of time.
Tables had marble tops
• Samuel Pratt patented in 1828
the coiled spring for use in
upholstery. To accommodate the
springs in chairs, upholstery on
seat had to be improved in
quality and seats were made
deeper. This meant that chair
legs became shorter.
• The early part of this period,
machines beginning to replace
hand labour in furniture
production.
• Iron also made its appearance
in the early Victorian furniture
style.
• The factories had changed, the
designers of Victorian furniture
no longer had direct contact
with the customer

129. Victorian style X- framed chair

131. Coromondel cabinet by
Gabriel Viardot 1890

132. QUEEN ANNE
REIGNED --
8 March 1702
–
1 May 1714