People have always used furniture; but the kind of furniture we use
today is of comparatively recent origin. Wood, ivory, precious stones,
bronze, silver, and gold have been used from earliest times in the
construction and for the decoration of furniture, but modern furniture
is a development of little more than four centuries.
Furniture has always varied in kind and style, according to the needs
and customs of its users. There are few examples left of really ancient
furniture. This is due partly to the perishable materials used in its
making, and partly to the fact that the people of olden times had
little furniture of any kind. Even the poorest home of today is better
supplied with some household appliances than the most aristocratic
house of splendid Egypt, tasteful Greece, or luxurious Rome.
And in the long period between the destruction of these ancient
civilizations and the Renaissance the making of furniture developed
very little. The rulers of Egypt were as well housed as the early
kings of England. Household furnishings were the privilege of the
great alone. No person of mean degree could or would dare to have used
a chair--one of the commonest objects in every modern home. Active
people, as they were, living much in the open air, they needed but
benches on which to sit at meals, and beds on which to sleep. Our
luxuries were not only unknown, but unnecessary to them.
The Egyptians used wooden furniture, carved and gilded; they also used
chests in which to keep things. The tables and couches of the Assyrians
were inlaid with ivory and precious metals. The wood used was mostly
cedar and ebony. Solomon’s bed was of cedar of Lebanon. The furniture
of Greece was oriental in form, and from this the Romans absorbed many
ideas. The Roman tables were of marbles or rare woods. They used gold
and silver plentifully, even cooking utensils being made of these
precious metals.
Most medieval furniture of Italian make was richly gilded and painted.
In the north of Europe carved oak was used to a greater extent. The
feudal halls were furnished with benches carved and paneled. Chests
of oak or Italian cypress were used as receptacles for clothes and
tapestries. The oak coffer with wrought iron bands shown in the picture
is of French make, of the latter half of the thirteenth century.
The Renaissance made a great change in furniture making. Cabinets and
paneling were done in the outlines of palaces and temples. In Florence,
Rome, Venice, and Milan there began on a large scale the manufacture
of sumptuous cabinets, tables, chairs, and chests. Spain, France, and
Germany soon followed the fashion, and in England Henry VIII greatly
encouraged the art of furniture making.
Then came the great period of furniture, the eighteenth century. From
being massive and exceedingly scarce and costly, furniture became
light, plentiful, and cheap.
PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 30, SERIAL No. 30
[Illustration: LOUIS XIV ARMCHAIR]
_FURNITURE AND ITS MAKERS_
_Boulle and Marot_