Posts Tagged ‘epergnes’

THE AGE OF THE DESIGNER
CHIPPENDALE PERIOD
IT is as well to realise at the outset that the title of this chapter, The Age of the Designer, is one largely of convenience, and must not be accepted without certain qualifications 1930 chairs dining black . That it implies an age when certain men were working out styles in an individual way is perfectly true, but it does not mean that these were the only men working in those styles ; neither does it mean that they were necessarily the originators of them greek designs and motifs . This may sound some-,A hat of a paradox, but the case is simple when one comes to analyse it kem weber designed art deco .
Take two outstanding cases, those of Thomas Chippendale and George Hepplewhite brass railings marble furniture . Both these names have come to stand for certain styles in furniture, and a chair, or w hatever it may be, can be picked out and dubbed as one or the other antique epergnes and marks on bottom . But this does not necessarily imply that it was made by either of these cabinet makers deco legs . When one comes to consider the vast amount of mahogany furniture of the period which has survived (discounting the many fakes and reproductions) it must be obvious that all of it could not possibly have been made in the workshops of just two firms decorated night tables . That both firms prospered and turned out a good deal of furniture is true, but against this was the fact that it was all made entirely by hand, so that the labour and time involved must have been tremendous rococo eagle dresser .
It becomes obvious then that, taking just this aspect of the case, there must have been many cabinet makers who were making furniture in these styles, and we have now to consider whether these were plagiarists copying the ideas of just two men, or whether the names Chippendale and Hepplewhite have come to be applied to certain furniture merely because these two fashionable cabinet makers happened to be working in styles which had evolved naturally delftware pottery . Opinion on the subject has changed considerably during the last twenty-five to thirty years antique german desk . Chippendale FIG rene prou . 107 how to distinguish a 19th century empire sofa . ARMCHAIR
WITH FLATTENED
TOP BACK RAIL wooden upholstered arm chair .
About 1755 makers of silver table ware in late 1800’s .
The tendency to replace the rounded or hooped back by the flattened top rail is shown in its culmination in this chair calamander wood bookcase .
FIG 18 century hall tables . 108 frosted glass vase with smokey streaks . CHAIR WITH
SQUARE MOULDED
LEGS “18th century desserts” .
About 176o what, what+british vernacular .
When this square form of
leg was introduced, the
stretchers were once
again used anttic dishes . The double
ogee section of the legs
was used almost ex-
clusively antique blue side table .
FIG chippendale dining double pedestal . 109 antique gateleg drop leaf round table . LADDER BACK ARMCHAIR belgium porcelain dining tables .
About 1760 making cabriole legs with padded feet .
The back Is a departure from the upright slat type which had been used almost exclusively since Queen Anne’s time swedish antique round carved tables . It was probably a resurrection of the tall ladder back of James II time parts of chambersticks .
FIG oriental drop front . 110 typical art deco furniture . SIMPLE
MAHOGANY CHAIR antique folding card table dutch painting .
x76o-1770 baltimore fancy chairs .
For less wealthy cus-
tomers plain chairs were
made which in a general
way followed the pre-
vailing fashion but with
costly carving and other
detail omitted late medieval sideboard . They
were sometimes made in
beech chest on legs sofa table .
funtature dating . CHAIR WITH CHINESE INFLUENCE antique white chamber pot .
About 76o early soft paste teapots .
The Chinese influence is shown in particular in the use of the lattice work in the back and the frets in the rails whitle marble tables. consols, sideboards, dining . At best it was but a grafting of Oriental detail on a purely Western form spergne antique .
FIG guilloche antique frame -russian -ebay . 112, UPHOLS• TERED ARMCHAIR 1850s gateleg with butterfly leaf .
About i26o,
t II Note that the back has lost the winged form seen in the last example of an upholstered chair in Fig english walnut club chair . 79, p how african art inspired art deco . 101 rectangular drop leaf sofa table . Small fretted brackets between the front legs and sea, rail were often used as
in this example russian neoclassical secretaire .
Strong Trade Tradition
used to be held up as a great designer and practical cabinet maker, so great and individual in style that the whole trade automatically turned to him as a leader and copied his works in sheer admiration george oakley furniture . To-day people are more cautious in accepting this theory blue glass pheasant .
Both Chippendale and Hepplewhite were practical cabinet makers antique furniture made with scottish pine . Their places of business are known to have been, the former in St lovers on a swing’ meissen porcelain . Martin’s Lane and the latter in Cripplegate, and both published books of designs georges jacob furniture . Possibly it was these books that gave rise to the theory that they were the leaders of design, the fact being lost sight of that these were virtually catalogues aaron burr desk . The more likely theory is that both men were extremely successful interpreters of styles which were a natural development along traditional lines 17th century silver tableware . In the sense that both were able, practical cabinet makers, with a gift of originality, they helped to establish styles on thoroughly sound traditional lines and at the same time impart to their work a feeling of individuality thonet recliner . Apart from this, it can hardly be claimed that either was a great designer, turning out purely original work in the way that, say, Wren designed buildings which were entirely individual and obviously the work of a great inventive genius jackfield pottery animals .
The case of Robert Adam as a designer of furniture is in a rather different category antique silver fish knives and forks . Adam was an architect, not a practical cabinet maker, and he designed his furniture specially to suit the houses he built edgar brandt deco tables . It was natural, then, that his furniture should show more of a definite break from tradition, because he was not fettered by years of training in a certain established school (with whatever advantages and disadvantages that carries with it) flatware forks types . At the same time, the fact that he became an extremely successful architect with a large clientele made it inevitable that he should attract the attention of many cabinet makers, who would make furniture which was either a copy of pure Adam work or was just founded upon it display cabinet design in royal style . Thus, except for certain authentic specimens, one cannot hope to do more than classify a piece as being in the style of Adam
THE CHIPPENDALE PERIOD
With this explanation of a title which might otherwise be regarded as misleading we may turn our attention to the first C’hippendale’s Status
school of design, which began at about the time when the second rising for the house of Stuart took place, 1745 coalport 1920s vogue collection . We have seen that by this time mahogany was used exclusively—that is, so far as the towns were concerned warm entree dish . There still was a certain amount of oak furniture made in country districts, but it was mainly in the style of years before and cannot be said to be typical of the period pennsylvania dutch antique china cabinet hand painted pictures . It has also been noted that in some respects the Queen Anne feeling was retained, especially in the pieces which had always been made in solid wood funtature dating . In particular, the chair had still much in it that was reminiscent of early times, although the gradual flattening of the top rail and the straightening of the uprights had introduced a new element furnuture pieces supboards style bambocci .
Taken generally, the early Georgian period was disappointing from the point of view of design cockerel mark pottery . It is to be admitted that design is largely a matter of individual taste square white occassional table . One man can find satisfaction in work that has no appeal to another mallard furniture . At the same time the models of about 1730 make a poor showing when compared with the best work of Queen Anne’s time, especially in the chairs for sale antique pedestal candle table 3 legs brass claw feet . Chair making then, as to-day, had become largely a specialised job, and for some curious reason the craftsmen somehow failed to make the best of their opportunities pop up cigarette deco dispenser . Not that the work was generally inferior in the quality of the workmanship ; the carving was often of a high order ; but that the outlines and general shapes were often poor rare antique japanese tea bowls . For instance, the cabriole leg often degenerated into an overshaped thing, and the claw and ball foot lost a great deal of its former vigour british deco table . The shapes of the backs, too, were often unsatisfactory and give one the impression that in feeling round for a new expression the craftsmen were lacking in appreciation of a well-balanced line, good craftsmen though they might be “antique collectors blog” .
By 1745 or so there was a definite upward tendency again steel dining table germany . This has often been put down to the advent of Chippendale antique austria 1855 - 1953 statues . That his individual work was generally of a high order, showing a fine appreciation of line backed up by the best craftsmanship, is true, and in that sense he probably did influence the trade, but it is doubtful whether this alone could have been the guiding force in the whole world of cabinet making black desk curved legs . It is too much to expect that his influence could have become general in so short a time and extend all over the country The probable truth is that that particular age produced a number of men all largely gifted with an eye for good proportions and line porcelain table clocks . It is difficult to explain just why this should have been, but parallel cases happen in all the arts and crafts at certain periods english sterling silver chambersticks . They lapse for a while and then a whole number of capable men come along, and the art is lifted from the rut into which it seemed to be sinking antique designs of dinner tables .
Chippendale’s Director paul de lamerie sauce boat .—We may, at this point, turn to what little we know of Chippendale himself antique ivory chinese queen ang king . This is derived chiefly from his book, The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director, first published in 1754, and from bills for goods supplied by him regency era anquite beds . His workshop was first in Conduit Street, Long Acre, and afterwards in St design italian crockery cupboard . Martin’s Lane, and it is apparent that he conducted a very flourishing and fashionable business antique walnut tall boys . It appears that in 1755 fire broke out, and a notice of the event states that there were twenty-two workmen’s chests in the shop antique english knights dining tables . When one adds to this the men who would have been engaged in polishing, fitting, and general work it is apparent that a great deal of work must have been turned out antique imari porcelain . Later in his life (he died in 1779) he made a good deal of furniture to the designs of Robert Adam blonde french deco vitrine .
That he himself was a practical carver and cabinet maker there is no doubt, and this makes it all the more remarkable that so many of the designs in his book were impractical bernard palissy . It is to be admitted that the plates were the -work of an engraver who may have used considerable licence, but, even so, it is difficult to conceive of a practical man passing designs which he must have known could not have been made as they were frosted glass opalescent glass . From the preface of a later edition it is apparent that many people of the time had their doubts as to the practicability of some of the designs, for he makes a sort of apology, and attributes the adverse criticisms to ” Malice, Ignorance, and Inability antique dressers by northern furniture .” Possibly there was something in it metal plates and trays from iran . No man becomes successful without somebody feeling the jaundice of jealousy, but all the same Chippendale would have had his work cut out had he had to make some of the items exactly as they appeared in his book glass cabinets display printers type .
In some rare instances it has been possible to identify pieces of furniture with illustrations from the Director and the differences where the practical cabinet maker has had to adapt the design are obvious davenport desk 19 century . Probably the truth is that the The Gentlemen and Cabinet Maker’s Director
book was intended primarily as a catalogue which would attract men of wealth to the workshop antique elm table & chairs . The list of subscribers includes many titled people and rich merchants, who would be likely to have money to spend, and these were objective of the book ; people who would turn over the leaves and make a selection of things they would order from him british longcase makers .
It is true that the book was also described as a trade book which would include directions for making the various
FIG, 114 charles side table stretcher walnut . SIMPLE SIDE TABLE WITH MOULDED LEGS swedish furniture 1930 .
About i76o marquetry drop leaf side table .
The straight leg moulded along its length was used considerably by the Chippendale school swedish antique side table . Note that the inner corners are deeply chamfered antique bookcases london .
pieces antique commodes chamber pot . In the event the main bulk of the subscribers were cabinet makers (this probably accounts for the defensive preface he wrote for his second edition), but from Chippendale’s own point of view these were probably incidental to the main object decortive burr rosewood vase .
CHAIRS
The middle and second half of the eighteenth century has often been called the golden age of cabinet making, and it was in this Chippendale period that it blossomed 1920 art deco antique dressing table . As a first example, take the armchair shown in Fig walnut armchair josef urban art noveau . 107 antique side table with sloped shelves . It represents a type that has never been excelled dining table glass silver antique . Individual taste may prefer, say, the fine shield back chair of the Development of the Chair
Hepplewhite school (and certainly that is beautiful enough), but in its own particular way this Chippendale chair has all the parts that go to making a really fine piece, satisfying in line, sound in construction, and of the finest workmanship lancashire antique bureau 1790 .
In many ways this chair is a direct descendant from the Queen Anne models with which we are already familiar antique drop front writing desks . Other influences were to creep in later, but here almost every detail has something about it that shows its origin in the traditional line ancient gothic furniture . The legs are of the cabriole type and have the turned club foot used as early as the late seventeenth century czechoslovakia r porcelain . They are finely proportioned, with the full, high knee completely free from the overdone, bandy shape often found in earlier mahogany work antique bidet table . The knee carving is of acanthus leafage, which was the first stage of development from the shell and husk detail of Queen Anne models ancient greece furniture . The back is the culmination of the stages of evolution shown in Fig scroll planter table y chair . 102, Chapter VI leopold stickly table 1959 . The uprights have only a slight curve—both backwards and sideways—the combined effect of which is to give a sort of serpentine shape when seen from the three-quarter view revolving chipendale bookcase . The right-hand upright shows this clearly antique little silver . The top rail is straight (the word is used in contrast with the full rounded shape of Queen Anne models), and the slight dip at the ends gives an acute corner “18th century desserts” . This detail should be compared with those in Fig 19th century sewing tables with . ioz 1800 furniture desk ivory inlay wood . Tradition, too, is preserved in the retention of the single splat in the back, though it is pierced and carved to give the effect of a series of interlacing straps and scrolls buy antique pembroke inlaid table .
An innovation of the Chippendale period was that of the square leg office chair french . In some cases it was completely plain, but as a rule it was moulded along its length as in the chair in Fig i8th century english silver table . io8 metal borders friezes fretwork . In section the moulding was usually a double ogee, and at the top it was cut away to leave a plain flat surface to which the upholstery materials could be fixed antique desks by wilkinson and son . It should be noted that in this type of chair the stretcher rails are introduced once again antique oval table with middle drop leaf . The shaping of the back is similar to that in Fig antique wheel engraved glass patterns . 107, though the splat is rather more reminiscent of an earlier pattern like that in Fig arts and crafts liberty of london oak furniture . 102 george 1 style mahogany stool .
At the same time that these fine chairs were being made for the fashionable people in town a simpler form was being turned out in country districts black lacquer armchairs . Sometimes these were in mahogany, but quite a number were made in beech or even oak and stained to resemble mahogany english fcbinet makers 19th century . Fig antique telescopic dining tables . i i o shows a Oriental and Gothic Influence
chair of this kind “liberty furniture” . The legs are plain and the back splat has the simplest possible piercing voysey furniture . As a rule these chairs have a certain coarseness and heaviness about them, and are obviously the effort of a man working in an unfamiliar element augsburg marquetry table cabinet .
A particularly effective pattern of chair was the ladder back shown in Fig furniture ornaments ny . iog mahogany inlaid console table . It was a completely new departure so far as the cabinet maker was concerned, though it may have had its origin in some of the tall back chairs made in the latter part of Charles 11 reign sideboard lacquer mother of pearl . These often had a series of plain horizontal slats, with shaped edges fitting between turned uprights antique table with off centered middle leg . In the present chair the slats are pierced as well as shaped, and are fitted to the characteristic curved uprights 19th century german furniture makers . It will be seen that the same straight moulded legs are used as in Fig jacobean monks chair . ic,8, and the curious fact may be noted here that, except for one or two occasional variations, the same pattern of moulding is used practically always in these chairs prohibition parlor clock . It seems rather odd that a trade convention, or whatever it may be called, was so strong that almost every chairmaker followed it american art deco bar furniture .
Chinese Influence duncan table claw drop leaf drawer .—A rather curious influence that took a considerable hold on the world of furniture after the middle of the century was the Chinese curule friedrich schinkel . There was a popular rage for things oriental at the time ; Nvalls were covered with Chinese wall papers, and Chinese pottery was in demand jourdain modernist chair . Sir William Chambers had made a visit to China and on his return published a book of drawings of oriental studies exoticism, furniture . Its effect on furniture was the introduction of such motifs as temples, bells, lattice work, and elaborate frets, the whole often being seasoned with a strong French feeling art nouveau and august endell . In mirror frames especially the intermingling of the Chinese and French was strongly marked serrurier-bovy, silex . A chair having its origin in the popularity of this Chinese style is shown in Fig antique french candelabra . i i i black amethyst dishes . Note in particular the detail in the back and the frets of the rails berkey & gay american empire furniture . Furniture treated in this way is often spoken of as Chinese Chippendale, but it will be realised that it is only a rather bizarre adaptation of a few Eastern motifs to typical Western work, and is not really Chinese in feeling clock 1700th century wood . Chippendale shows a number of chairs of this kind in his book reproduction potboard dressers .
Oriental and Gothic Influence
chair of this kind inexpensive antique wardrobes . The legs are plain and the back splat has the simplest possible piercing antique sideboard 1825 . As a rule these chairs have a certain coarseness and heaviness about them, and are obviously the effort of a man working in an unfamiliar element value of empire style china closet 1910 .
A particularly effective pattern of chair was the ladder back shown in Fig antique shaving supplies quartz . iog antique furniture “made in france” coffee table art deco . It was a completely new departure so far as the cabinet maker was concerned, though it may have had its origin in some of the tall back chairs made in the latter part of Charles 11 reign art deco silver train straight on view image . These often had a series of plain horizontal slats, with shaped edges fitting between turned uprights turn of the century drop leaf table imperial . In the present chair the slats are pierced as well as shaped, and are fitted to the characteristic curved uprights curved walnut dining chair . It will be seen that the same straight moulded legs are used as in Fig baltimore & annapolis 18c cabinet makers . ic,8, and the curious fact may be noted here that, except for one or two occasional variations, the same pattern of moulding is used practically always in these chairs rent baroque wood carving furniture . It seems rather odd that a trade convention, or whatever it may be called, was so strong that almost every chairmaker followed it french antique writing secretaire .
Chinese Influence thonet rail styles .—A rather curious influence that took a considerable hold on the world of furniture after the middle of the century was the Chinese antique english tea tables . There was a popular rage for things oriental at the time ; Nvalls were covered with Chinese wall papers, and Chinese pottery was in demand arita porzellan in deutschland kakiemon . Sir William Chambers had made a visit to China and on his return published a book of drawings of oriental studies andre hunebelle glass . Its effect on furniture was the introduction of such motifs as temples, bells, lattice work, and elaborate frets, the whole often being seasoned with a strong French feeling “john dwight” potter fulham . In mirror frames especially the intermingling of the Chinese and French was strongly marked philadelphia chippendale antique dining . A chair having its origin in the popularity of this Chinese style is shown in Fig inexpensive french desks furniture . i i i porcelain figures of famous people . Note in particular the detail in the back and the frets of the rails 19th century american rosewood rococo console table . Furniture treated in this way is often spoken of as Chinese Chippendale, but it will be realised that it is only a rather bizarre adaptation of a few Eastern motifs to typical Western work, and is not really Chinese in feeling early imperial ming porcelain . Chippendale shows a number of chairs of this kind in his book painted silver trays .
FIG 18th century forks . 117 antique wrought iron candle sticks . SIMPLE BUREAU IN MAHOGANY 4 section antique cutlery box .
About 176o antique monk’s table .
The drawer fronts are edged with a cocked bead, and at the front corners
quarter-round turned pillars are inset cabinet maker 1840s .
FIG decorative writing styles . 118 bureau furniture . WRITING DESK WITH LEATHER COVERED TOP old fashioned wooden tray with silver legs .
About 1765 when were tea tables first used .
The moulding above the knee space is carved, a common feature of
Chippendale work antique metal tables with drop leaves . This would have been Impossible in walnut work
because the moulding was built up with a thin layer of walnut louis xiv roll top desk .

Decorative tableware
In the 18th and 19th centuries the utilitarian plate on dining-tales was complemented by richly
decorative pieces such as bread-, fruit- and cake-baskets, epergnes, and centrepieces. Made as much to display wealth as to be practical, these are characterized by high-quality casting, chasing, and, especially on baskets and epergnes, piercing. Such objects are among the most popular with collectors today because they are particularly attractive as
display pieces on a table.
SILVER EPERGNES
First used at the French court in the 1690s and in England c.1715, the epergne was an elaborate centrepiece for the dinner-table or sideboard. The name “epergne” is probably derived from the French word epargner, meaning “to save”: space could be saved on the table by
bringing together several dishes on one stand. By the 1740s the epergne was associated with the dessert course and generally took the form of a central
pierced basket surrounded by four to six pierced dishes or baskets for holding fruit or sweetmeats. It was most popular during the mid-18th century, when the light and delicate pierced forms, often ornamented with cast shells and flowers, were particularly suited to the Rococo style. Some epergnes, particularly those by the leading English maker Thomas Pitts (c.1723-93), demonstrate the contemporary vogue for chinoiserie, with their pagoda-like canopies with suspended bells.
In the 1760s and 1770s epergnes became wider and headier with the addition of more baskets, and in the 1-80s the influence of the Neo-classical style was
evident, with simpler oval or circular baskets, sometimes with blue glass liners, and decorated with Vitruvian scroll borders and swags. The leading specialist maker of epergnes in late 18th-century England was Thomas Pitts’s son William Pitts (active 1781-1806). Like other silversmiths, he offered clients a choice between more expensive epergnes, which had cast branches and decoration, and less expensive examples with mechanically produced ornament.
Heavier and more solid than 18th-century examples, Regency epergnes are usually mounted on a heavy Square or round foot, with branches ending in large floral sockets supporting cut-glass bowls rather than pierced silver baskets. Very few epergnes were made after this period, as they were generally replaced by the ornamental centrepiece.
SILVER CENTREPIECES
Large centrepieces as a decorative focal point for the dining-table or sideboard have always been among the most expensive items of plate and were often displayed as a sign of the wealth and status of the owner. One of the most famous and inventive pieces is the English silver-gilt Poseidon or Neptune centrepiece of 1741, made for Frederick, Prince of Wales. It features an elaborate stand of sculptural cast dolphins and mermen and is decorated with shells and marine creatures. Although this piece bears the maker’s mark of Paul Crespin (1694-1770), it may in fact have been designed and made by Nicholas Sprimont (1716-71 ); both were
leading English Huguenot makers of Rococo silver. The centrepiece was made with many matching salt-cellars and sauceboats, as befitting a grand table service for a royal patron.
Regency and Victorian centrepieces from the
19th century appear more frequently frequently at auctions today (although North American pieces are rare). Made with or without branches for candles, they usually have a central bowl, either solid silver or pierced with a glass liner, for fruit or sweetmeats. Centrepieces with all their original glass liners are rare today. Female caryatid figures supporting a bowl on a stand with heavy scroll or paw feet are characteristic of the Regency period, whereas later 19th-century centrepieces were made in
a huge variety of designs – naturalistic, sculptural figures were particularly popular. Many Victorian centrepieces were supplied with a flat, mirrored stand known as a “plateau” to enhance the decorative effect, but very often these became separated from the centrepiece and were sold on their own.
In the 19th century there was also a great demand for presentation plate, and the most important firms, such as Hunt & Roskell (est. 1844), Garrards (est. 1802), and Elkington & Co. (est. c.1830) in England, and Odiot in France, employed sculptors to design magnificent silver or electroplate centrepieces for historic or sporting occasions. Such pieces were shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. Centrepieces were also made in Germany and Austria, notably by the firm of Klinkosch, but these are not always of such good quality as English and French pieces because the metal is often thinner. By the second half of the 19th century centrepieces had been scaled down in size and elaborateness, with a single basket on a stand becoming the usual form. This developed into the dessert stand, which had replaced the centrepiece by the end of the century.
Regency and early Victorian baskets were produced in a wide variety of styles, but in many cases they can be distinguished from 18th-century examples by an unpierced body that is embossed and chased with heavy scrolls, flowers, and foliage, or radiating lobes. Silversmiths in the 19th century also reproduced the shell-shaped designs and elaborate patterns that were typical of the Rococo period.
Victorian baskets are generally less expensive and more readily available to collectors today than examples from the 18th and 19th centuries. The handles on these baskets are sometimes bent or damaged (or have been removed altogether), as the weight of the unpierced body puts strain on them. Any basket that does not have a handle should be carefully examined to see if the handle has been removed. As on earlier examples, the feet may also have been pushed up into the body of the basket if it has at some stage been overloaded.
SILVER BASKETS
Silver baskets designed for holding bread, fruit, cake, or sweetmeats are known from the early 17th century, but most of those surviving today date from (.1730 onward. They are oval or circular with pierced sides,
a flat base on a raised foot or four cast feet, and a fixed or swinging bail handle. In many cases, the flat base was engraved with a coat of arms. In the late 1730s and 1740s the leading English silversmiths Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751), Paul Crespin (1694-1770), and
James Schruder (active 1737–(.1752) produced intricate Rococo baskets with delicate pierced designs of scrolls, circles, crescents, and quatrefoils, elaborate engraving and chasing, and asymmetrical handles with cast and applied masks, animals, figures, and birds.
Another feature typical of the Rococo fashion for novelty was the imitation of inexpensive materials in silver; on baskets dating from the first half of the 18th century the sides are often pierced and chased to give the impression of wickerwork strips. Some extremely rare and expensive baskets by the best makers were made in the form of sculptural scallop shells with scroll handles.
By the late 18th century silversmiths used hand-piercing only for the finest baskets, as the majority of pierced parts were mass-produced quickly and
accurately using the newly developed fly-punch. The silver sheet was also much thinner than on earlier pieces, so baskets of this date should always be carefully checked to make sure that the piercing is intact. Simple wirework baskets embellished with chased and applied motifs such as flowers, vine leaves, and sheaves of wheat (for bread-baskets) were also popular in the late 18th century.
Epergnes
• COLLECTING individual baskets may be sold separately; check branches and feet for cracks or repairs
Marks
All detachable parts should be marked; crests or coats of arms on each piece should match
Centrepieces
• COLLECTING mirrored plateaux are now often sold on their own; inscriptions do not add value unless of particular historical interest
Marks
All detachable parts should be marked
Baskets
• DESIGNS solid forms with chased scrolls, flowers, and shells were typical in the early 19th century
• CONDITION piercing is particularly vulnerable to damage and should be checked carefully; ensure that the handle is not bent or damaged due to wear or overloading the basket; feet are prone to pushing LIP through the body on light, sheet-metal baskets
• COLLECTING early 18th-century baskets in heavy-gauge metal are more valuable than later, lighter ones
Marks
Both the handle and body should feature the same mark; marks arc sometimes pierced out.

Early chests-of-drawers.
The chest-of-drawers as we know it today essentially evolved during the 17th century. During the 1600s it was adapted and modified until the ideal balance and most practical formula were found. The system of graduated drawers, with the most shallow at the top and the deepest at the bottom, was only really reached right at the end of the century. However, it should be remembered that throughout the 17th century chests and coffers were still the principal items of furniture used for storage.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHEST-OF-DRAWERS. The 16th and 17th centuries were times of considerable social change in Europe, when a number of new items of furniture were introduced. The chest-of-drawers was one of these new forms, and through its development in the 17th century it is possible to chart the progress of furniture-makers and the emergence of the cabinet-maker. Although new methods of construction (including dovetailing) were developed and refined during the 17th century, the chest-of-drawers was largely made with joints secured by iron nails; only at the end of the century was dovetailing preferred.
From the mid-16th century, the concept of the drawer became widespread in countries that were influenced by the courts of Spain and Italy. In Spain the vargueno (writing desk) was one of the most important of the furniture forms that influenced the development of numerous furniture types throughout Europe. The contribution of the Moors, who occupied much of Spain until 1492, is particularly evident in the skilled work of the Spanish craftsmen working in the mid-16th century. The numerous small drawers in the vargueno were made using tight dovetails and precisely cut drawer-linings. The vargueno could either have a stand in the form of a small table, or a base that was sometimes enclosed by doors, but often had four exposed drawers.
In the province of Zeeland in the southern Netherlands, which was under Spanish rule between 1482 and 1794, a type of square chest, usually measuring 1.5m (4ft 11in) high and 1.7m (5ft 7in) wide, was made. Like the beeldenkast (cupboard) made in the northern Netherlands, this type was in two sections, sometimes with a central drawer between the two, enclosed by a pairs of doors.
In Britain, the drawer was not introduced in any significant number until the end of the 16th century, when they were added to coffers and cabinets. They were called “tills” or “drawing-boxes”, and the word “drawer” is derived from the latter. From the mid-16th century the term “till” was used to denote a drawer where money was kept, an association it still retains. A coffer or chest could be fitted with drawers, and was then known as a mule chest. An early, hybrid form of the chest-of-drawers and cabinet was made front the mid-17th century; this had a shallow frieze drawer at the top, a deep drawer beneath, and three further drawers enclosed by two doors in the lower section. Graduated drawers were introduced later in the century. These oak chests are still linked to the old form as some had hinged tops, opening to reveal box compartments.
During the later 17th century the chest-of-drawers evolved rapidly. Many were constructed on spiral-turned, double spiral or S-scroll stands (often with a drawer or series of drawers in the stand), stretching to about 1.5m (4ft 11in) in height so that the top drawers were easily accessible. This form is similar to the cheston-stand. By the end of the 17th century the chest-ofdrawers in its familiar form had evolved — the chest was taken down from the stand and rested instead on feet, at first of bun form (introduced (.1690) and later of bracket form (introduced c.1725). It is extremely common for feet to have been replaced either owing to damage from wear or woodworm or as a result of changing fashions and the desire to “improve”.
CONSTRUCTION AND WOODS.
In the Low Countries and Britain during the mid- I Century the chest-of-drawers was made by a joiner. It was constructed of solid oak, often in two parts, with panelled sides and heavy drawers that ran on bearers set into the sides of the carcase. The bearers slid into grooves cut into the drawer-lining along the centre of the outside edge. The joined construction was clearly visible from the outside and can now be seen to form part of the decorative appeal.
By the end of the century the cabinet-maker had become increasingly dominant, and joined furniture was therefore relegated to the provincial areas. Chests-of-drawers made in important centres of furniture production now had oak linings, and the carcase and drawers were secured by dovetailed joints. The thick wood that was required for mortise-and-tenon joints disappeared; consequently the thickness of the drawer-linings diminished, and drawers were set to run on their bases or on bearers set underneath the drawers.
In Spain and Italy forms tended to be heavy and thick in construction, still retaining panelled sides, and the drawer-linings were normally made of pine. In central and northern Europe dovetails and drawer-linings became smaller and more delicate; in Italy they remained much less refined, and of much larger form, right through to the 19th century.
Although, throughout most of the 17th century, oak was the preferred wood in England when furniture was made in the solid, walnut was increasingly popular as the veneer for fine furniture because of its figuring and rich colour. In Spain and Italy walnut was the most common wood used in the solid. In France timbers imported from the overseas provinces were used from an early stage. Ebony was one such exotic wood and gave rise to the term ebeniste (cabinet-maker).
Towards the end of the 17th century, great efforts were made to enrich the visible surfaces of the chestof-drawers, and considerable expense was lavished on the large surface areas. The most popular forms of decoration were veneering with burr woods, oyster veneering, seaweed marquety, and floral marquetry. This explosion of creativity was a far cry from the heavy, joined chests made just 30 to 40 years earlier. This rapid pace of change – which was much slower
in the provinces – continued in construction, decoration, and design well into the next century.
The chest-of-drawers was adopted in all the wealthy circles as a new piece of furniture, and soon gained favour in all the countries of Europe. It took such forms as bachelors’ chests, commodes, and chests-on-chests.
• SAW MARKS until the end of the I 8th century the method of sawing wood for the carcase left straight saw marks; from the end of the 18th century a circular saw was used, which left circular saw marks; these marks should be visible on the inside of the carcasefeet.
• it is common to find pieces of this period without their original feet; bun feet have often been replaced by bracket feet; look underneath the chest for old holes into which the bun feet would have fitted.
• HANDLES these may have been changed; look for the bruise marks on the woodwork to see where the original handles (usually drop) would have rubbed or swung.