Woodworker's Journal 1985-9-3, страница 24

Furniture

Periods and Styles

American Jacobean, 1620-1690

The first period of furniture classification in America, called the Jacobean or Pilgrim style, lasted from the date of the earliest settlements until about 1690. The name Jacobean is from Jacobus, the Latin word for James; and it was James I (1603-1625) who sat upon the English throne during the first years of our Colonial history.

To understand the American Jacobean period, several important points should be recognized. In the early settlements, such as the Plymouth Colony, the colonists' energy was taken up exclusively with the business of survival, and not with furniture making. Their furnishings were mostly those that they brought with them. Even after the colony was firmly established, furniture making was limited to the crudest of work, and almost none of it is existent today.

Furniture making did not begin in earnest until around 1650. As with other periods, much of the Jacobean work we have today is from the homes of wealthy colonists, Because much of the furniture from common homes was so plain, it was not deemed worthy of saving, and has therefore been lost to us.

Virtually all the surviving American Jacobean furniture is now in museum collections. As an example of how few authentic pieces remain from this period there are existing today no more than 40 documented pieces of the court cupboard, which was perhaps the single most important individual piece of furniture in any household. With so little of the period remaining, it is no wonder that what we have is so highly prized.

The American Jacobean style followed closely the Jacobean style of England. Simple heavy mortise-and-tenon, and frame-and-panel construction, and the use of decorative moldings and carvings all had their roots in Medieval Europe. The foliate, floral and geometric patterns that characterized the decorative motifs were distinctly of a classical origin. Furniture styles and designs had changed little in over 400 years, and indeed, they would not change sub

stantially for another 100 years.

American Jacobean work was different from its old-world counterparts in several important respects, however. The construction was simpler, more straightforward, and completely utilitarian, a theme that followed through in the decorative elements. Carvings, moldings and turnings were less elaborate and finished. The total effect of form and decoration was re

strained and essential, reflecting the bold, strong, yet disciplined Colonial character. This raw and primitive beauty, so clearly evident, set the style apart from its English counterpart. It is these elements, that make American Jacobean work so respected today.

The simplicity of form in the American Jacobean style was perhaps due to the fact that there were so few furniture forms during the period. The only

Court Cupboard, circa 1660

Drawing by Michael Gellatly