Table Of Contentfur niture
fur nitur e
Judith Miller
A Dorling Kindersley Book
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THE PRICE GUIDE COMPANY
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While every care has been taken in the compilation of this guide, neither the
authors nor the publishers accept any liability for any financial or other loss
incurred by reliance placed on the information contained in Furniture.
First published in 2005 by
Dorling Kindersley Limited
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A Penguin Company
The Price Guide Company (UK) Ltd
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Copyright © Judith Miller and Dorling Kindersley Limited 2005
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for ewor d
“A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is
almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous.”
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE
Anyone who has ever admired the proportions of a
Chippendale chair or the finely carved pediment of a Queen
Anne highboy will know there is no skill to match that of
a cabinet-maker. There is an immense sense of achievement
in bringing a furniture design to fruition – from the first
sketch on paper to selecting the wood, working the surfaces
until smooth, and adding final touches such as handles and
escutcheons – a craftsman takes pleasure in each step of the process.
This sense of satisfaction is a lasting one when you consider that a
finely constructed desk or table will last many lifetimes and bring
pleasure to all who use it.
Furniture styles have changed so much through the centuries. At
times designers have been inspired by the past: at others they have
fixed their sights firmly on the future. Whether you are delighted by
the simple form of a Shaker cabinet or the exuberance of a Belter
sofa, furnish your home in the traditional Chippendale style or the
futuristic designs of the Memphis Group, there is much to learn from
seeing furniture from around the world placed in context as it is in this
book. However, while designs and fashions change one thing remains
the same: the enthusiasm and creativity of furniture-makers.
Contributors and consultants
CONTRIBUTORS CONSULTANTS
Jill Bace Expert in European Decorative Liz Klein Consultant and collector’s agent Willis Henry Auctioneer, Willis
Arts, Lecturer at the Wallace Collection and specializing in 20th-century decorative arts Henry Auctions Inc., Massachusetts
the V&A Museum, London Arts and Crafts, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Shaker Furniture
Art Nouveau, Art Deco Modernism, Mid-Century Modern,
Postmodern and Contemporary Maître Lefèvre Maison de Ventes
Dan Dunlavey Writer on antiques and Beaussant-Lefèvre, Paris France 1600–1900
collectables Ancient Furniture, Mid 19th Century Nicolas Tricaud de Montonnière
European specialist Early 18th Century, Late Marcus Radecke European Furniture
Dr Henriette Graf Furniture Historian 18th Century, Early 19th Century, Art Deco Dept, Christies, London Italy, Spain, and
and Lecturer at the Technical University of Portugal 1600–1900
Munich Early 18th Century, Late 18th
Christopher Claxton-Stevens
Century, Early 19th Century David Rago Consultant and auctioneer,
Norman Adams, London 1600–1760
Rago Auction Center, Lambertville NJ.
Albert Hill Writer and curator American Arts and Crafts
Silas Currie Rowley’s Fine Art
specializing in 20th- and 21st-century design
Auctioneers, Ely, Cambridgeshire
Modernism, Mid-Century Modern, Postmodern Patrick van der Vorst Director and
1600–present
and Contemporary Head of Continental Furniture Department,
Sotheby’s, London Italy, Spain, and Portugal
Laurence Fox Evergreen Antiques, New
Scott Nethersole Art Historian and 1600–1900
York Scandinavia 1700–1900
lecturer on the History of Furniture
Early 19th Century Jean-Jacques Wattel Pierre Bergé et
Beau Freeman Samuel T Freeman &
Associés, Paris Art Nouveau, Art Deco,
Company, Philadelphia America 1600–1840
Anne Rogers Haley International Modernism, Mid-Century Modern, Postmodern
furniture consultant and researcher 17th and Contemporary
Yves Gastou Galerie Yves Gastou, Paris
Century, Early 18th Century, Late 18th Century
Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modernism, Mid-Century
Modern, Postmodern and Contemporary
Jeremy Smith Senior Furniture Expert
and Deputy Director, Sotheby’s London
17th Century, Early 18th Century, Late 18th
Century, Mid 19th Century
PRICE BANDS
Some of the pieces of furniture in this book are accompanied by
a number that gives an indication of value:
●1 £100–500 ●2 £500–1,000 ●3 £1,000–2,500 ●4 £2,500–5,000
●5 £5,000–10,000 ●6 £10,000–20,000 ●7 £20,000–50,000
●8 £50,000–100,000 ●9 £100,000–250,000 ●10 £250,000 upwards
Opposite page: Boston highboy This highboy from
Previous page:The Swan This lounge chair was designed by Massachusetts has a maple case and a white pine
Arne Jacobsen for the Royal Hotel, Copenhagen. The chair interior. The case is japanned and has Queen Anne-
has a moulded, synthetic inner shell with red fabric upholstery style brass handles, escutcheons, and cabriole legs.
and stands on an aluminium, swivelling base. 1958. H:85cm c.1747. H:178.4cm (701⁄4in); W:100.6cm (395⁄8in);
(331⁄2in); W:75.6cm (293⁄4in); D:63.5cm (25in). D:53.3cm (30in).
contents
4 Foreword 42 Pietra Dura and Scagiola 80 Italy
6 Contributors and Consultants 44 The Low Countries 82 Italy: Venice
8 Contents 46 Germany and Scandinavia 84 Germany
12 Introduction 48 England 86 Rococo Interior
14 Period Styles 50 France: Henri IV and Louis XIII 88 The Low Countries
52 France: Louis XIV 90 Spain and Portugal
Ancient Furniture
54 Boulle Marquetry 92 Scandinavia
4000 -1600
BCE CE 56 Spain and Portugal 94 Britain: Queen Anne and George I
20 Ancient Egypt 58 Early Colonial America 96 Britain: Palladianism
22 Ancient Greece and Rome 60 Case Pieces 98 Thomas Chippendale
24 Ancient China 62 Cabinets 100 Britain: George II
26 The Middle Ages 64 Tables 102 America: Queen Anne
28 Renaissance Italy 66 Chairs 104 American Chippendale
30 Renaissance Europe 106 America: Southern States
Early 18th Century
108 New Forms
17th Century 1700-1760
110 Commodes
1600-1700
70 Exuberant Luxury 112 Highboys
34 Power and Grandeur 72 Rococo Furniture 114 Tables
36 Baroque Furniture 74 Elements of Style 116 Chairs
38 Elements of Style 76 France: The Régence 118 Evolution of Mirrors
40 Italy 78 France: Louis XV 120 Mirrors
LAte 18th Century
174 Mechanical Pieces 224 Spain and Portugal
1760-1800
176 Fall-front Desks 226 South Africa
124 A New Classicism 178 Commodes 228 Federal Interior
126 Neoclassical Furniture 180 Tables 230 American Federal
128 Elements of Style 182 Occasional Tables 232 American Empire
130 Italy 184 Chairs 234 European Influences
132 The Grand Tour 186 Chippendale Chairs 236 The Shakers
134 Transitional Furniture 188 Armchairs 238 North American Vernacular
136 France: Louis XVI 240 Windsor chairs
Early 19th Century
138 English Pattern Books 242 Chairs
1800-1840
140 Germany 244 New Developments
142 David Roentgen 192 Rebellion and Empire 246 Mirrors
144 Russia 194 Empire Furniture 248 Chests of Drawers
146 The Low Countries 196 Elements of Style 250 Sofas
148 Britain: Early George III 198 France: Directoire/Consulat 252 Desks
150 Britain: Late George III 200 French Empire 254 Tables
152 Robert Adam 202 France: Restauration 256 Occasional Tables
154 Gustavian 204 Italy 258 Painted Furniture
156 Scandinavia 206 Regency Britain
Mid 19th Century
158 Spain, Portugal, & Colonies 208 British Exoticism
1840-1900
160 America: Chippendale to Federal 210 British Vernacular
162 America: Southern States 212 George IV and William IV 262 Turmoil and Progress
164 British Influences 214 Germany: Empire 264 Revival Styles
166 Gothic 216 Germany: Biedermeier 266 Elements of Style
168 South Africa 218 The Low Countries 268 Grand Exhibitions
170 Chinoiserie 220 Scandinavia 270 France: Louis-Philippe
172 Painted Furniture 222 Russia 272 France: 1848–1900
