A young art student came to a furniture shop in London and the talk
was of beauty of line, the dignity of proportion, and the introduction
of mahogany in the manufacture of furniture. The art student afterward
became Sir Joshua Reynolds, the world famed painter. The furniture
maker was Thomas Chippendale, known as “King of the Eighteenth Century
Furniture Designers.” And to these early friendly talks and arguments
Chippendale attributes his reputation as a master of line and a genius
of proportion.
Before the time of Chippendale most of the furniture was made of the
heavier native woods, such as walnut or oak. Mahogany made a powerful
appeal to him, because of its highly polished surface and the exquisite
beauty of the wood itself; for the young cabinet maker who came up to
London from Worcestershire had a passionate love of beauty and he was
a master workman. From his father, who had achieved considerable local
fame, he inherited this love, and he had learned how to make the wood
carvings that are characteristic of his designs.
After a fire he converted four adjacent dwelling houses into a shop,
which was situated on St. Martins Lane, in the fashionable section of
London; and because he protested against the amount of his taxes it
seems probable he was prosperous. Moreover, he belonged to the Society
of Arts, with Gibbon the historian, Richardson the novelist, Dr.
Johnson the lexicographer, and Horace Walpole the politician. If you
add to this that he married in 1748 and died in 1779, there is summed
up practically all there is known of Thomas Chippendale himself.
Chippendale made beautiful furniture. He was recognized by both the
nobility and gentry, not only as an authority on the subject, but as
an artist. He was probably better known as a designer of chairs than
of any other form of furniture. Chippendale was familiar with artistic
designs in Japan, Italy, and Spain, and was ready always to take ideas
from the humble as well as the great, as is shown from the fact that
subscribers to his book, “The Gentleman and Cabinet-maker’s Director,”
range from the Duke of Northumberland to a local bricklayer. A large
part of his reputation is attributed to this book, which was not so
much a guide to his finished productions as an outline of the designs
he would like to make. And these designs have served as a guide to
furniture makers ever since.
PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 30, SERIAL No. 30
[Illustration: LOUIS XVI CHAIR, WITH BEAUVAIS TAPESTRY]
_FURNITURE AND ITS MAKERS_
_Thomas Sheraton_