Posts Tagged ‘impetus’

Walnut Period
CHINA CABINETS
It was probably Queen Mary who set the fashion for collecting china. Trade with the East brought about the importation of Chinese pottery and it soon became a popular craze for people of wealth to collect fine specimens. Cabinets to contain them followed as a matter of course, and it was therefore in the last quarter of the seventeenth century that the first china cabinets were made. An example is given in Fig. 85. There are many typical features about it ; the turned legs with the inverted cup detail, the apron piece finished at the edge with a cross-grained bead, the flat stretcher rails, the cross-banded doors, and the shaped cornice, also cross-grained. Glazed doors were essential, and in them we have an early example of the barred door.
The probability is that in the first instance the bars were not purely decorative. Panes of glass in a large size were difficult to produce, and the method of subdividing up the space with bars to enable small panes to be used suggested itself as a solution to the difficulty. In the event it proved extremely successful as a form of decorative treatment ; so much so that during the eighteenth century bars were used in various designs almost as a matter of course. It is just another example of the way in which advantage can be taken of the limitations of material to produce an effect which not only looks well but seems characteristic of the work.
MIRRORS
Whilst on the subject of glasswork, we may turn to the mirror, which was first made in fairly large quantities towards the end of the seventeenth century. Earlier examples are in existence, but they were mostly made in Italy and imported, though a few Italian craftsmen settled in the country early in the seventeenth century and began producing in a small way. The chief impetus came later, when works were established by the Duke of Buckingham in London. Mention of them is made by Evelyn in his diary of 1676, when he paid a visit to them.
Two examples of hanging wall mirrors are given on p. III. That to the left is perhaps the more usual type. The actual framework is a rather flat moulding with the grain running crosswise. Typical sections of the mouldings used are given on p. 125 at the bottom, left. They were built up on a foundation of pine or oak to provide the strength, and the walnut was glued to the upper face in  LACQUERED CABINET ON STAND.
Second half 17th century.
Oriental cabinets were frequently imported, and carved stands were
made to hold them. Later rather crude imitations of Oriental lacquer
were attempted here.
cross-grained strips. The section was then worked as in an ordinary moulding. Usually the top corners were either rounded, as in Fig. 86, or they had the rather typical series of short squares and curves, such as in the door in Fig. 84. The fretted pieces at top and bottom are invariably found in such mirrors.

The other example, Fig. 87, is of quite different feeling, having an architectural character probably inspired by the details found in the windows and doorways of the period. The groundwork is in walnut and the carved mouldings and details are gilt. Both types were produced in fairly large quantities, and the size was invariably small for the reason already given. In addition, small toilet glasses were made, these having either a plain stand with uprights between which the mirror was pivoted, or a small nest of drawers to hold cosmetics arranged with the uprights tenoned in above.

Early chairs
Before the 16th century rooms were sparsely furnished, and the range of furniture was limited. Chairs were scarce and, like stools, were viewed as symbols of authority. It was not until the 16th century that more comfortable chairs were made. At this time the major artistic impetus spread northward from Italy, and chairs were made in quantity only in southern Europe. By the I7th century, as lifestyles became more settled, there was a greater demand for comfort in seat furniture.

A Turner’s or “thrown” chair
s of this type were produced in Britain from the 16th century, and
still made in provincial areas into the 19th century. “Throwing” was early term for turning. These chairs were often made from ash, which strong and ideal for turning, although susceptible to woodworm. late 17th century; ht Iml3ft3in; value H)
SOUTHERN EUROPE
The earliest prototype was the 16th-century Italian X-frame folding chair, usually in walnut, Inch was adopted in northern Europe from the end of the century. Spanish examples exist that are inlaid with ivory and metals in stellar and geometric designs in the Moorish fashion.
Armchairs of the 16th and 17th centuries were refined versions of the carved chaise caquetoire (gossiping chair) which, with its solid, carved back and trapezoidal seat, was not very comfortable. As revealed by the engravings of the Flemish designer Hans Vredeman de Vries (1526-(.1604) in his Differents Pourtraicts de Menuiserie ((.1585), the earliest-surviving traditional easy chairs were executed principally in Tuscany, Spain, Portugal, and The Netherlands in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Known as the sillon De fraileros (”monk’s chair”) in Spain, this type of chair was usually of walnut, with scrolled and acanthus-carved stiles. The upper section Was supported by plain legs joined by waved stretchers, and the chair was upholstered with
intricately tooled and embossed leather stretched by ornamental heavy brass nails. Examples from The Netherlands often have lion finials surmounting the stiles.
NORTHERN EUROPE
Turning on a foot-operated lathe (which revolved the legs while the wood was cut to the required shape) became an increasingly popular decorative technique in northern Europe, and by the early 17th century most legs were turned. This form of decoration remained fashionable until the end of the century. Designs became increasingly intricate at this time, culminating in the “barley-sugar” (spiral) twist.
Peculiar to the 17th century is the oak joined chair with arms, often called a wainscot chair in Britain. Similar designs were made in many countries throughout northern Europe, and examples are still found in some numbers. This type of chair commonly has a scroll-carved toprail, sometimes inscribed with initials or a date. Its characteristic feature is a panel back, often symmetrically carved with stylized
leaves, lozenges, roundels, and lunettes. The seat
is solid, but would originally have had a squab cushion, and the front supports are ring-turned, with the legs joined by stretchers. Chairs of this type were made until the end of the 17th century and represent the final stage of the age of the joiner, as this period is often called. Designs and techniques changed considerably after this time, but in many provincial areas the traditional methods of construction continued to be used.

•    woods invariably indigenous – walnut in southern Europe and oak in northern Europe; rosewood was used to a limited extent during the 17th century in Portugal
•    DAMAGE examples that pre-date 1600 are extremely rare, and 17th-century examples should be examined closely for repairs; age, wear, and tear will have taken their toll – the legs and the lower part of the back are particularly vulnerable
•    DECORATION painted decoration, upholstery, leather, and caning have often been changed; if the originals remain, they increase the value
•    COPIES AND FAKES most 17th-century chairs are stylistically of a very simple form, the same designs being produced over a long period, making them difficult to date; turners’ chairs arc popular with collectors and are often faked – copies are difficult to detect as they may be quite old themselves, and tend to be in the same woods as the originals (ash or oak, not walnut), with good-quality carving; the colour of the wood on all unpolished surfaces should be closely examined, as should the overall patina