Woodworker's Journal 1985-9-2, страница 28

Furniture Periods and Styles (cont'd.)

vase. Although at first solid, in a few later examples these backs were perforated with decorative cutouts. The upholstered seats were typically either "ballooned," or in the form of a horseshoe.

Characteristic decorations include a carved shell at the crest and carved acanthus leaves or shells with husk pendants at the knees. The cabriole leg feet were most often a simple Dutch pad or club design. Better pieces featured the trifid foot (also called drake or web foot) or the ball and claw foot. Interestingly, the splat back feature was probably patterned after oriental Ming dynasty chairs, while the ball and claw foot also originated from an oriental motif of great antiquity, the dragon's foot clutching a pearl. These two examples are representative of how style is in fact often comprised of a wide range of varied and far reaching influences.

SETTEES & WING CHAIRS — Both these pieces reached an apex of comfort and style during the Queen Anne period. The arms and wings were in most cases completely upholstered, usually flowing down from the back in a continuous graceful curve, with the wings terminating in padded arm rests in the form of a scroll. Some examples featured plain wooden arms however. The backs were either plain top or scalloped, and were on occasion made in the style of a series of chair backs joined together. The use of cabriole legs, the feet, and the knee decorations were similar to that seen in the chairs.

LOWBOYS & HIGHBOYS — The

lowboys and highboys of the Queen Anne period are recognized as perhaps the finest examples of the style. The high chest is usually pedimented with a broken arch flanked by finials on either side. The center drawers, both

top and bottom usually display shell decorations, and on some pieces pil-lasters adorn the corners of the upper section. The cabriole legs feature the acanthus leaf or shell at the knee, and a variety of feet, including the trifid and the pad foot. Both highboys and lowboys commonly have a scalloped skirt, with drops that are actually the vestigial remains of the twin center legs from the William and Mary period chests.

Drawer pulls were typically a bat-wing solid backplate design with a loop or bail-type handle. Later designs showed delicate openwork in the back-plate.

SECRETARIES, DESKS & CASEWORK — Queen Anne casework was, by and large, not highly ornamental. Rather, the craftsman relied on choice of material and excellence of form to distinguish these pieces.

Finely figured walnut burl veneers were common, and finishes tended toward the dark glossy "japanned" look. Secretaries often showed double-hooded cornices or broken arched pediments, and hardware was the previously mentioned batwing back and bail handle. Straight bracket feet were the norm, although many other styles were also used, including the stub cabriole leg terminating in one of the popular foot designs.

TABLES — The Queen Anne period marked the beginning of a great variety in the style and manner of tables. Tea tables, the ancestor of our coffee tables, and gaming tables were especially prolific. The simplest tea tables were rectangular, usually with molded tray tops and cabriole legs, often with the common stylized decorations at the knees.

Since gambling and gaming were a great passion during this period, there were tables for every manner of game. The best known are the card tables, with oblong folding tops and rounded offset corners sporting wells for money and candles. The period also marked the appearance of drop leaf dining and serving tables. In most examples the drop leaves are supported by swinging cabriole legs. Pedestal tables were also popular, with the legs often terminating in slipper or snake feet.

Naturally there was a great variety of smaller less important work, from lamps to dressing screens to stools, including every imaginable type of furnishing. Given the independent spirit of the colonials, pieces were usually flavored heavily with early American

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characteristics, and styles differed considerably depending on local traditions.

As we have seen, the Queen Anne period drew its influence from many sources, including French period furnishings, the Dutch and German, the classical Greek and Roman, and even the oriental. In America, the style was tempered by the strong native colonial influence.

Most importantly though, furniture was recognized as a form for artistic expression, an attitude that hastened the development of the great cabinetmakers, Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite. Retrospectively, the Queen Anne period is considered the beginning of the 18th Century "golden age" of cabinetwork.

Although there were no truly important "new" furniture forms introduced during the Queen Anne period, the evolution of form and style served as a bridge between the middle ages of furniture design and the modern era. All the various furniture forms underwent significant changes in style that in large part reflected their usage in the home. Many of our present forms can indeed be traced directly back to the Queen Anne period.

Today, the Queen Anne style is recognized as one of the major influences on modern design. Authentic antiques of the period are rare, and for this reason are usually found only in museums, private collections, or as family heirlooms. Because of their beauty and grace, Queen Anne reproductions are especially popular. The Queen Anne lowboy, featured on page 32 is inspired by an original in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a classic design, one that we hope many of our readers will be proud to make.