Chippendale Furniture

Thomas Chippendale, a famous designer from England, was the originator of the Chippendale furniture style. He gathered a wide ranged of influences and combined them and used them to create his own unique blend.

His combinations and innovations were published in a collection called the Gentleman and Cabinet-Makers Director, in 1754, and was followed by two further editions. This began as a catalog for his work and gradually became a guide for many different furniture maker. The three main influences that can be seen in Chippendale furniture are:

• French: The French influence consists of the Rococo style elements found in Chippendale furniture. Curvy, fanciful and playful lines replaced some of the more stoically elegant lines of William and Mary or Queen Anne furniture. Also used in a variety of styles and asymmetrical designs were shell patterns.

• Chinese: Chippendale drew a great deal of influence from the many imported pieces of furniture in the Oriental style, particularly from the Chinese. The results were variations of Chinoiserie, with colorful and intricate designs.

• Gothic: The Gothic influences from Gothic style architecture were also prevalent, including intricate spacing and woven designs, points, arches and more.

Chippendale furniture continued the use of the cabriole leg which Queen Anne furniture featured. Although Chippendale used many different variations of it, including perhaps the most common variation, the ball and claw, which looks just like a claw grasping a ball. Other variations include the lion’s paw, which again looks as it is named and the club, which was a more simple, rounded foot.

The blending of the many influences created a more rounded and flowing style than Queen Anne furniture. Mahogany was the most widely used type of wood, but this also varied regionally. For example, in Connecticut, Cherry wood was often used for Chippendale furniture. As different woods were used in different regions, these regions continued to produce different styles of furniture, as was seen in the Queen Anne period.

In Connecticut, the Queen Anne style faded out less quickly. This can be seen in the continued use of padded feat. While in New York, which had a heavy Dutch influence, the French Rococo ornamentation was not used as commonly. Instead, Chippendale furniture from New York took on more of the Gothic elements and characteristics.

New York furniture commonly featured the ball and claw feet described above. In Massachusetts, furniture continued to be both delicate and conservative. One of the popular elements of Chippendale style furniture produced in Massachusetts is the block front, where the center front recedes towards the back in a shallow curve.

Philadelphia continued to produce very detailed, elaborate and highly decorated pieces. One common style used in Philadelphia was the Marlborough leg, which was straight and square. The ball and claw legs took on whole new levels of intricate carving and detail.

Surface carvings were used and often depicted mythological scenes or even landscapes, taken respectively from Rococo and Chinese influences. In the South, with their many plantations, the furniture differed less than the English furniture it derived from, trending towards pieces that maintained a simple elegance.