I was going through Wisteria’s newest catalog and had to pause to savor their celadon Chippendale Chairs; so, I thought I would provide us a bit of education regarding the same.
I’ve invested in a succinct dictionary of Antiques & Collectibles to provide the starters for our design education. “Chinese Chippendale,” was defined accordingly:
A modern term for mid-18th century furniture with any Chinoiserie decoration, as illustrated in the Gentlemen and Cabinet-Makers Director by Thomas Chippendale, and made by his workshop and other contemporary furniture-makers.
Now, chinoiserie, as you will remember, is the European adaptation of Chinese design—the importation of pagodas, bamboo, intricacy, and asymmetry. So, with an Asian flair, Thomas Chippendale established a name for himself in the furniture business in the early 18th century. Today, his name remains embedded in the aesthetic of modern furniture. The Chippendale Society honors the memory of Thomas Chippendale and pays tribute to the lasting effect of this furniture-maker’s work:
Chippendale probably worked as a journeyman cabinet maker and freelance designer before embarking on his great project, the publication of his lavish book The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director. [The MET’s library’s copy is pictured below, to the right.] This appeared in 1754 and illustrated 161 engraved plates of ‘Elegant and Useful Designs of Household Furniture in the Gothic, Chinese and Modern Taste’. It was almost immediately sold out and was reprinted in a second edition the following year. A third edition, with many new plates, appeared in 1762.
I am inspired by the ingenuity of this man’s hand. He allocated resources to that which he loved, finding such a pleasing result.
“Chinese Chippendale.” Def. A-Z of Antiques and Collectibles. First American Edition. 2008. Chippendale, Thomas. Gothick Bed in Chippendale Drawings Vol 1. 1753. Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York; Chippendale, Thomas. The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director: Being a Large Collection of Designs of Household Furniture in Gothic, Chinese and Modern Taste. 1754. Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.
No comments:
Post a Comment