,illustration3 ,,front ,,cover ,,little ,,books ,,about ,,old ,,furniture ,,ii4 ,,queen ,,anne ,,little ,,books ,,about ,,old ,,furniture ,uniformly bound1 ,crown #hvo ,price #bs #f;d net each ,i4 ,,tudor ,,to ,,stuart ,,ii4 ,,queen ,,anne ,,iii4 ,,chippendale ,,and ,,his ,,school ,,iv4 ,,the ,,sheraton ,,period ,,london3 ,,william ,,heinemann #ba ,bedford ,street1 ,w4,c4 ,illustration3 ,,queen ,,anne ,,walnut ,,tallboy ,,and ,,stool 7,,early ,,eighteenth ,,century47 ,,little ,,books ,,about ,,old ,,furniture ,,english ,,furniture3 ,,by ,j4 ,p4 ,,blake ,a4 ,e4 ,,reveirs-,,hopkins4 ,,volume ,,ii ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,queen ,,anne ,illustration3 ,,william ,,heinemann ,,logo ,,new ,,edition ,,illustrated ,,london ,,mcmxiv ,,william ,,heinemann ,first published ,october #aiaa ,new ,edition ,january #aiac ,second ,impression ,june #aiad ,copyright ,london #aiaa by ,william ,heinemann ,,introduction ,the sovereigns of ,england1 unlike those of ,france1 have seldom taken to themselves the task of acting as patrons of the fine arts4 ,therefore when we write of the ,queen ,anne period we do not refer to the influence of the undistinguished lady who for twelve years occupied the throne of ,england4 ,the term is merely convenient for the purpose of classification1 embracing1 as it does1 the period from ,william and ,mary to ,george ,i4 during which the furniture had a strong family likeness and shows a development very much on the same line4 ,the change1 at the last quarter of the seventeenth century1 from the ,jacobean models to the ,dutch1 was probably the most important change that has come over ,english furniture4 ,it was a change which strongly influenced ,chippendale and his school1 and remains with us to this day4 ,the period from ,william and ,mary to ,george ,i4 covered nearly forty years1 during which the fashionable furniture was generally made from walnut-wood4 ,no doubt walnut was used before the time of ,william and ,mary1 notably in the making of the well-known ,stuart chairs with their caned backs and seats1 but it did not come into general use until the time of ,william4 ,it continued in fashion until the discovery of its liability to the attacks of the worm1 combined with the advent of mahogany1 removed it from public favour4 ,walnut nevertheless remains a beautiful and interesting wood1 and in the old examples the colour effects are probably unsurpassed in ,english furniture4 ,its liability to worming is probably exaggerated1 and in the event of an attack generally yields to a treatment with paraffin4 ,certainly the furniture of what is termed the ,queen ,anne period is in great request at the present day1 and as the period was so short during which it was made1 the supply is necessarily limited4 ,we referred in the introduction to the first volume to the fact that the present series does not in any sense pretend to exhaust what is practically an inexhaustible subject4 ,the series is merely intended to act as an introduction to the study of old ,english furniture1 and to provide handbooks for collectors of moderate means4 ,the many admirable books which have been already written on this subject seem to appeal mostly to persons who start collecting with that useful but not indispensable asset--a large income4 ,in the present volume1 although rare and expensive pieces are shown for historical reasons and to suggest standards of taste1 a large number of interesting examples are also shown and described which are within the reach of persons of moderate incomes1 and frequently an approximate price at which they should be acquired is indicated4 ,in collecting the photographs necessary for this volume we are indebted to the ,director and ,secretary of the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 ,south ,kensington1 ,london1 for placing the various exhibits at our disposal and particularly for causing a number of new exhibits to be specially photographed4 ,however good a photograph may be1 it can only be a ghost of the original1 which should always1 if possible1 be examined4 ,we would therefore strongly recommend readers when possible to examine the museum objects for themselves4 ,the ,south ,kensington collection1 admirable as it is1 is still far from complete1 and increased public interest should contribute to its improvement4 ,for the further loan of photographs we are also indebted to ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 of the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin1 ,herts2 to ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,springett1 ,high ,street1 ,rochester1 and others to whom we acknowledge our indebtedness in the text4 ,j4 ,p4 ,blake ,a4 ,e4 ,reveirs-,hopkins #ba ,bedford ,street1 ,w4,c4 ,,chapters ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,queen ,,anne ,,period #a ,,ii4 ,,sir ,,christopher ,,wren ,,and ,,grinling ,,gibbon #ah ,,iii4 ,,mirrors1 ,,stools1 ,,and ,,some ,,notes ,,on ,a ,,queen ,,anne ,,bedroom #cd ,,iv4 ,,chairs ,,and ,,tables #dg ,v4 ,,chests ,,of ,,drawers1 ,,tallboys1 ,,cabinets ,,and ,,china ,,cabinets #fe ,,vi4 ,,secretaires1 ,,bureaux1 ,,and ,,writing-,,tables #gf ,,vii4 ,,clocks ,,and ,,clock-,,cases #hb ,,viii4 ,,lacquered ,,furniture #ie ,,bibliography ,it is with pleasure we acknowledge our obligations to the following authorities3 ,percy ,macquoid3 ,the ,age of ,walnut4 7,the standard work on the furniture of this period47 ,j4 ,h4 ,pollen3 ,ancient and ,modern ,furniture and ,woodwork4 ,an admirable little handbook and guide to the furniture and woodwork collection at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 ,south ,kensington4 ,f4 ,j4 ,britten3 ,old ,clocks and ,watches and their ,makers4 7,exhaustive in its treatment1 and fully illustrated4 ,the standard book4 ,a new edition has recently been published47 ,john ,stalker3 ,japanning and ,varnishing4 7,the earliest ,english book on this subject4 ,published in #afhh during the craze for japanned furniture47 ,law3 ,history of ,hampton ,court1 vol4 iii4 ,ashton3 ,social ,life in the ,reign of ,queen ,anne4 ,evelyn3 ,diary4 ,macaulay3 ,history of ,england4 ,,chapter ,i3 ,,the ,,queen ,,anne ,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary1 #afhi-agjb ,,anne1 #agjb-agad ,,george ,i41 #agad-agbg ,william the ,third was a ,dutchman and1 although he was for thirteen years ,king of ,england1 he remained a ,dutchman until his death4 ,his ,english was bad1 his accent was rough1 and his vocabulary limited4 ,he had a ,dutch guard1 the friends whom he trusted were ,dutch1 and they were always about him1 filling many of the offices of the ,royal ,household4 ,he came to ,england as a foreigner and it remained to him a foreign country4 ,his advent to the throne brought about certain changes in the style of furniture which are generally described as the ,dutch influence1 which1 however1 had its origin at least as far back as the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,both ,william and ,mary were greatly interested in furnishing and furniture4 ,they took up their residence at ,hampton ,court ,palace soon after their coronation1 and the place suited ,william so well and pleased him so much that it was very difficult to get him away from it4 ,william was a great soldier and a great statesman1 but he was more at his pleasure in the business of a country house than in the festivities and scandals of a court life1 both of which he perhaps equally disliked4 ,the ,queen also cordially liked country life1 and no less cordially disliked scandal4 ,mr4 ,law1 in his interesting book on ,hampton ,court1 mentions the story that ,mary would check any person attempting to retail scandal by asking whether they had read her favourite sermon--,archbishop ,tillotson on ,evil ,speaking4 ,with the assistance of ,sir ,christopher ,wren as ,architect and ,grinling ,gibbon as ,master ,sculptor1 great changes were made in the ,palace at ,hampton ,court4 ,the fogs and street smells of ,whitehall drove ,william to the pure air of the country1 and there was the additional attraction that the country around the palace reminded him in its flatness of his beloved ,holland4 ,when one of his ,ministers ventured to remonstrate with him on his prolonged absences from ,london1 he answered3 ,do you wish to see me dead8 ,william1 perhaps naturally1 cared nothing for ,english tradition3 he destroyed the state rooms of ,henry ,,viii4 and entrusted to ,wren the task of rebuilding the ,palace4 ,the architect appears to have had a difficult task1 as the ,king constantly altered the plans as they proceeded1 and1 it is said1 did a good deal towards spoiling the great architect's scheme4 ,in ,william's favour it must be admitted that he took the blame for the deficiencies and gave ,wren the credit for the successes of the building4 ,the result--the attachment of a ,renaissance building to a ,tudor palace--is more successful than might have been expected4 ,the ,king's relations with ,wren seem to have been of a very friendly sort4 ,mr4 ,law mentions the fact that ,wren was at this time ,grand ,master of ,freemasons2 that he initiated the ,king into the mysteries of the craft2 and that ,william himself reached the chair and presided over a lodge at ,hampton ,court ,palace whilst it was being completed1 which is1 in the circumstances1 an interesting example of the working rather than the speculative masonry4 ,mary was herself a model housewife1 and filled her ,court with wonder that she should labour so many hours each day at her needlework as if for her living4 ,she covered the backs of chairs and couches with her work1 which was described as extremely neat and very well shadowed1 although all trace of it has long since disappeared4 ,it is appropriate to observe1 as being related to decorative schemes and furnishing1 that the taste for ,chinese porcelain1 which is so general at this day1 was first introduced into ,england by ,mary4 ,evelyn mentions in his diary 7,june #ac1 #afic7 that he saw the ,queen's rare cabinets and collection of china which was wonderfully rich and plentiful4 ,macaulay expresses his opinion with his usual frankness4 ,he writes3 ,mary had acquired at ,the ,hague a taste for the porcelain of ,china1 and amused herself by forming at ,hampton a vast collection of hideous images1 and vases upon which houses1 trees1 bridges1 and mandarins were depicted in outrageous defiance of all the laws of perspective4 ,the fashion--a frivolous and inelegant fashion1 it must be owned--which was thus set by the amiable ,queen spread fast and wide4 ,in a few years almost every great house in the kingdom contained a museum of these grotesque baubles4 ,even statesmen and generals were not ashamed to be renowned as judges of teapots and dragons2 and satirists long continued to repeat that a fine lady valued her mottled green pottery quite as much as she valued her monkey and much more than she valued her husband4 ,it is strange to consider in these days how greatly ,macaulay1 in this opinion1 was out of his reckoning4 ,there is1 perhaps1 no example of art or handicraft upon which the opinion of cultured taste in all countries is so unanimous as in its admiration for good ,chinese porcelain1 amongst which the ,queen's collection 7judging from the pieces still remaining at ,hampton7 must be classed4 ,mary was probably the first ,english queen to intimately concern herself with furniture4 ,we have it on the authority of the ,duchess of ,marlborough that on the ,queen's first visit to the palace she engaged herself looking into every closet and conveniency1 and turning up the quilts upon the beds1 as people do when they come into an inn1 and with no other concern in her appearance but such as they express4 ,we find in this period lavishly painted ceilings1 woodwork carved by ,grinling ,gibbon and his school1 fine needlework1 upholstered bedsteads1 and marble mantelpieces with diminishing shelves for the display of ,delft and ,chinese ware4 ,the standard of domestic convenience1 in one respect1 could not1 however1 have been very high1 if one may judge from the ,queen's bathing-closet of this period at ,hampton ,court ,palace4 ,the bath is of marble and recessed into the wall1 but it is more like a fountain than a bath1 and its use in the latter connection must have been attended by inconveniences which modern women of much humbler station would decline to face4#a #a ,the bathroom is1 however1 not in itself so modern in ,england as might be supposed4 ,wheatley mentions that as early as the fourteenth century a bathroom was attached to the bedchamber in the houses of the great nobles1 but more often a big tub with a covering like a tent was used4 ,good specimens of the wood-carving of ,grinling ,gibbon 7born #afdh1 died #agba7 are to be seen at ,hampton ,court1 to which ,palace ,william ,,iii4 appointed the artist ,master ,carver4 ,he generally worked in soft woods1 such as lime1 pear and pine1 but sometimes in oak4 ,his subjects were very varied--fruit and foliage1 wheat-ears and flowers1 cupids and dead game1 and even musical instruments--and were fashioned with amazing skill1 resource1 and ingenuity4 ,he invented that school of ,english carving which is associated with his name4 ,his fancy is lavish and his finish in this particular work has never been surpassed in this country2 but it is doubtful whether his work is not overdone1 and as such may not appeal to the purer taste4 ,often his masses of flowers and foliage too much suggest the unpleasant term which is usually applied to them1 viz4 swags4 ,frequently nothing is left to the imagination in the boldness of his realism4 ,fig4 #a shows a very happy example of his work over a mantelpiece in one of the smaller rooms in ,hampton ,court ,palace1 which is reproduced by the courtesy of the ,lord ,chamberlain1 the copyright being the property of ,h4,m4 the ,king4 ,upon the shelf are pieces of china belonging to ,queen ,mary1 but the portrait inset is of ,queen ,caroline1 consort of ,george ,,iv4 ,in the grate is an antique fire-back1 and on either side of the fire is a chair of the period of ,william and ,mary4 ,the ,court bedsteads 7and probably on a smaller scale the bedsteads of the upper classes generally7 continued to be at once elaborate and unhygienic1 and were fitted with canopies and hangings of velvet and other rich stuffs4 ,king ,william's bedstead was a great four-poster1 hung with crimson velvet and surmounted at each corner with an enormous plume1 which was much the same fashion of bedstead as at the beginning of the century4 ,fig4 #b is an interesting photograph 7reproduced by permission of the ,lord ,chamberlain7 of three ,royal bedsteads at ,hampton ,court1 viz4 those of ,william1 ,mary1 and ,george ,,ii4 ,the chairs and stools in front are of the period of ,william and ,mary4 ,the table is of later date4 ,most of the old furniture at ,hampton ,court1 however1 has been dispersed amongst the other ,royal palaces4 ,an excellent idea of the appearance of a ,london dwelling-room of this period is shown in ,fig4 #c4 ,it was removed from ,no4 #c ,clifford's ,inn1 and is now to be seen at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the owner1 ,john ,penhallow1 must have been well-to-do1 as the fine carving about the mantelpiece and doors was expensive even in those days4 ,the festoons of fruit and flowers of the school of ,grinling ,gibbon around the mantelpiece1 in the centre of which are the arms of the owner1 and the broken pediments over the doors surmounting the cherubs' heads1 are characteristic of the time4 ,the table with the marquetry top and tied stretcher is of the period4 ,the chairs retained for a time that rigid resistance to the lines of the human form which marks the ,stuart chairs2 but very soon adapted themselves in a physiological sense4 ,what is termed the ,queen ,anne period of furniture may be said to date from the reigns of ,william and ,mary 7#afhi-agjb71 and ,queen ,anne 7#agjb-agad71 to that of ,george ,i4 7#agad-agbg74 ,the ,dutch influence of ,william and ,mary became ,anglicised during the reign of ,anne and the first ,george1 and the influence remains to this day4 ,mahogany was introduced about #agbj1 and thenceforward the influence of ,chippendale and his school came into force4 ,the ,queen ,anne style has probably been over-praised1 a little misunderstood1 and possibly a trifle harshly treated4 ,mr4 ,ernest ,law1 whose studies of this period we have already mentioned1 describes it as nothing better than an imitation of the bastard classic of ,louis ,,xiv41 as distinguished from the so-called ',queen ,anne style' which never had any existence at all except in the brains of modern sthetes and china maniacs1 and as a case in point refers to ,queen ,anne's drawing-room at ,hampton ,court ,palace4 ,this verdict is no doubt a true one as regards the schemes of interior decoration1 with their sprawling deities and the gaudy and discordant groupings of classical figures of ,verrio and his school1 to be seen at ,hampton ,court and other great houses4 ,verrio1 as ,macaulay wrote1 covered ceilings and staircases with ,gorgons and ,muses1 ,nymphs and ,satyrs1 ,virtues and ,vices1 ,gods quaffing nectar1 and laurelled princes riding in triumph--a decorative scheme which certainly does not err on the side of parsimony4 ,the taste of a ,court1 however1 is by no means a criterion of taste in domestic furniture4 ,there can be no doubt that to this period we are indebted for the introduction of various articles of furniture of great utility and unquestionable taste4 ,the chairs and tables in particular1 depending as they do for charm upon simple lines and the transverse grain of the wood1 for neatness of design and good workmanship are unsurpassed4 ,amongst other pieces the bureaux and long-cased clocks made their appearance2 also double chests of drawers or tallboys1 mirrors for toilet-tables and wall decoration2 and washstands came into general use1 as well as articles like card-tables1 powdering-tables1 c4 ,the houses of the wealthy were furnished with great magnificence and luxuriousness in a gaudy and ultra-decorative fashion4 ,restraint is the last quality to be found4 ,judging however from the many simple and charming specimens of walnut furniture surviving1 the standard of comfort and good taste amongst the middle classes was high4 ,table glass was now manufactured in ,england2 carpets were made at ,kidderminster2 chairs grew to be comfortably shaped2 domestic conveniences in the way of chests of drawers1 writing bureaux1 and mirrors were all in general use in many middle-class houses4 ,mr4 ,pollen1 whose handbook on the ,victoria and ,albert collection is so much appreciated1 writes of the ,queen ,anne furniture as being of a genuine ,english style marked by great purity and beauty4 ,anne1 the second daughter of ,james ,,ii41 was the last of the ,stuarts1 with whom1 however1 she had little in common1 and indeed it is with something of an effort that we think of her as a ,stuart at all4 ,personally she had no more influence upon the period which bears her name than the ,goths had upon ,gothic architecture4 ,the term ,queen ,anne has grown to be a conveniently descriptive term for anything quaint and pretty4 ,we are all familiar with the ,queen ,anne house of the modern architect1 with its gables and sharply pitched roof4 ,this1 however1 is probably suggested by various rambles in picturesque country districts in ,england and ,holland2 but it has nothing in common with the actual houses of the period under review4 ,the bulk of the genuine furniture which has come down to us was probably from the houses of the merchant classes1 the period being one of great commercial activity4 ,the condition of the poor1 however1 was such that they could not concern themselves with furniture4 ,mr4 ,justin ,mc,carthy1 in his book on these times1 estimates that one-fifth of the population were paupers4 ,a few rude tables and chairs1 a chest1 truckle-beds1 and possibly a settle1 would have made up the possessions of the working-class house2 and it is probable that not until the nineteenth century was there any material improvement in their household surroundings4 ,it was a time in which the coffee-and chocolate-houses flourished2 when ,covent ,garden and ,leicester ,square were fashionable neighbourhoods2 when the ,sedan chair was the fashionable means of transit2 when the police were old men with rattles who1 sheltered in boxes guarded the ,city2 and when duels were fought1 in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields4 ,the coffee-house was a lively factor in the life of the times3 although wines were also sold1 coffee was the popular drink4 ,the price for a dish of coffee and a seat by a good fire was commonly one penny1 or perhaps three-halfpence1 although to these humble prices there were aristocratic exceptions4 ,anderton's ,hotel in ,fleet ,street1 ,the ,bay ,tree in ,st4 ,swithin's ,lane1 and the now famous ,lloyd's are interesting developments of the ,queen ,anne coffee-houses4 ,coffee itself was retailed at about seven shillings per pound4 ,chocolate-houses were small in number1 but included names so well known at the present time as ,white's and the ,cocoa ,tree4 ,chocolate was commonly twopence the dish4 ,fancy the beaux1 ,thackeray writes1 thronging the chocolate-houses1 tapping their snuff-boxes as they issue thence1 their periwigs appearing over the red curtains4 ,tea-drinking was a social function and mainly a domestic operation1 and to its popularity we owe the number of small light tables of this period4 ,snuff1 or the fan supply each pause of chat1 ,with singing1 laughing1 ogling1 and all that4 ,the price of tea fluctuated very much--some years it was much cheaper than others1 varying from #ajs4 to #cjs4 per lb41 although it is said that in the cheaper sorts old infused leaves were dried and mixed with new ones4 ,as regards pottery and porcelain1 the ,chinese was in great request1 following1 no doubt1 on the fashion set by ,queen ,mary4 ,the ,english factories--,worcester1 ,derby1 ,chelsea1 ,bow1 ,wedgwood1 and ,minton--only started in the last half of the eighteenth century4 ,mr4 ,ashton1 in his interesting book on ,social ,life in the ,reign of ,queen ,anne1 quotes the following advertisement1 which points to the continued popularity of decorative china3 ,whereas the ,new ,east ,india ,company did lately sell all their ,china ,ware1 ,these are to advertise that a very large parcel thereof 7as ,broken and ,damaged7 is now to be sold by wholesale and ,retail1 extremely cheap at a ,warehouse in ,dyer's ,yard4 ,note4--,it is very fit to furnish ,escrutores1 ,cabinets1 ,corner ,cupboards or ,spriggs1 where it usually stands for ornament only4 ,this fashion first brought into use the various forms of cabinets used for the display of china4 ,the earliest pieces would therefore date from the end of the seventeenth1 or the beginning of the eighteenth century4 ,in the first volume of this series we referred to a characteristic of ,elizabethan woodwork1 viz4 inlaying--the laying-in of small pieces of one or several kinds of wood in places cut out of the surface of another kind4 ,in the period under review two further practices are deserving of special notice4 ,the first is veneering1 which consists of wholly covering one sort of wood 7frequently a common wood1 such as deal or pine1 but also oak7 with a thin layer of choice wood--walnut1 mahogany1 c4 ,the object of veneering was not for purposes of deception1 as it was not intended to produce the effect that the whole substance was of the finer sort of wood2 but by means of applying these thin overlays a greater choice of wood was possible1 and a more beautiful effect was produced by the juxtaposition of the various grains4 ,although at the present time the term veneer is frequently used as one of approbrium1 the principle it stands for is a perfectly honest one4 ,it is very much the same as the application of the thin strips of marble to the pillars and walls of ,st4 ,mark's at ,venice1 which is called incrustation1 and of which ,ruskin writes in the ,stones of ,venice4 ,the basis of ,st4 ,mark's is brick1 which is covered by an incrustation or veneer of costly and beautiful marbles1 by which rich and varied colour effects are produced which would have been impossible in solid marble4 ,the same principle applies to veneers of wood1 in which there is likewise no intention to deceive but rather a desire to make the most of the materials on hand4 ,it would have been impossible to construct a great many cabinets of solid walnut-wood1 nor would the effect have been so satisfactory1 because1 as already pointed out1 the fact of veneers being laid in thin strips immensely increases the choice of woods and facilitates the composition of pleasing effects4 ,there is1 moreover1 often a greater nicety of workmanship in the making of veneered furniture than in the solid article1 and it is indeed often a complaint that the doing up of old veneered furniture is so expensive and troublesome4 ,in old days veneers were cut by hand--sometimes one-eighth of an inch thick--but the modern veneer is1 of course1 cut by machinery1 and is often a mere shaving4 ,in the period under discussion walnut-veneering reached great perfection1 beautiful effects being produced by cross-banding various strips and varying the course of the grains and the shades4 ,oak was first used as a base1 but later commoner woods such as deal4 ,it is a mistake to condemn an article because the basis is not of oak4 ,as a matter of fact1 after a time oak went out of use as a basis for the reason that it was unsatisfactory1 the veneer having a tendency to come away from it4 ,we frequently find the front of a drawer is built of pine1 to take the veneer1 whilst the sides and bottom of the drawer are of oak4 ,marquetry1 which is also a feature in furniture of this period1 is a combination of inlaying and veneering4 ,a surface is covered with a veneer and the desired design is cut out and filled in with other wood4 ,its later developments are of ,french origin1 and it was first introduced into ,england from ,holland towards the end of the seventeenth century1 after ,james ,,ii4 7who had been a wanderer in ,holland7 came to the throne4 ,most arts date back to ancient times2 and the arts of woodcraft are no exceptions4 ,inlaying1 veneering1 and wood-carving reach back to the temple of ,solomon2 and the ,egyptians also practised them4 ,ancient inlay1 moreover1 was not confined to woods--ivory1 pearls1 marbles1 metals1 precious stones all being requisitioned4 ,during the reigns of ,william and ,mary1 ,anne1 and ,george the ,first1 events of great importance transpired4 ,st4 ,paul's1 that great monument to ,wren and ,renaissance architecture1 was opened2 the ,marlborough wars were fought2 the ,south ,sea ,bubble was blown and burst2 ,sir ,christopher ,wren and ,grinling ,gibbon completed their work2 ,marlborough ,house and ,blenheim were built2 ,addison1 ,pope1 and ,daniel ,defoe were at work2 ,gibraltar was taken2 ,england and ,scotland were united2 the ,bank of ,england was incorporated2 and last1 but not least1 the ,national ,debt started4 ,,chapter ,,ii3 ,,sir ,,christopher ,,wren ,,and ,,grinling ,,gibbon ,the temper of a nation is reflected in its architecture and1 in a lesser degree1 in its furniture4 ,when we look at the furniture of the last of the ,stuarts1 ,mary ,,ii4 and her sister ,anne1 we see written all over it in large letters one great virtue--sobriety4 ,in the oak furniture of the last of the ,tudors and the first of the ,stuarts 7,elizabeth and ,james ,i47 we find the same sober note2 but in the main it is more essentially ,english4 ,in the ,augustan era of ,elizabeth we certainly see in the more pretentious examples of ,court-cupboards and cabinets the influence of the ,renaissance2 but the furniture made by the people for the people is simply ,english in form and decoration4 ,during the troublous times of the two ,charles and to the end of the revolution which placed ,william and ,mary on the throne1 the country was alternately in the throes of gaiety and ,puritanism2 and a dispassionate view leads one to suppose that ,merrie ,england had the greater leaning towards merriment4 ,the people of ,england knew well enough that sobriety was good for them1 and ,cromwell gave it in an unpalatable form4 ,the remedy was less to the country's liking than the disease1 and with the ,restoration in #affj the passions of the nation ran riot in the opposite extreme4 ,the final lesson came with the twenty-nine years of misrule under ,charles ,,ii4 and ,james ,,ii4 ,having drained the cup of degradation to the dregs1 the country set about her real reformation by the aid of ,dutch ,william1 himself the grandson of a ,stuart1 and his cousin-consort ,anne1 the daughter of the self-deposed ,james4 ,james ,,ii4 had learnt his lesson from the errors of his brother ,charles1 but was not wise enough to fully profit by it4 ,he realised that misrule had stretched his subjects' patience to the breaking-point1 and during his short reign there was a certain amount of surface calm4 ,but beneath was the continual struggle for absolutism on the part of the monarch and emancipation on the part of the people4 ,the subject is familiar to students of history4 ,with the advent of the ,orange rgime we find a distinct revolution in ,english furniture4 ,there is no evidence of a sudden change4 ,we find comparatively severe examples during ,james ,,ii4's reign and flamboyant patterns dating from the days of ,william4 ,the transitional period was shorter than usual1 and once the tide had gathered strength in its flow there was very little ebb4 ,the ,civil troubles in the country had given a severe check to the arts3 the influence of the ,renaissance upon furniture was upon the wane1 and the ground was lying fallow and hungry for the new styles which may be said to have landed with ,william of ,orange in ,torbay in #afhh4 ,the main influence in the furniture was ,dutch1 and the ,dutch had been to a large extent influenced by a wave of ,orientalism4 ,twenty-five years before this1 ,england's most renowned1 if not greatest1 architect had designed his first ecclesiastical building--the ,chapel of ,pembroke ,hall1 ,cambridge--in the classical style which he made famous in ,england4 ,christopher ,wren was born in #afca or #afcb4 ,he was son of ,dr4 ,christopher ,wren1 ,dean of ,windsor1 and nephew of ,matthew ,wren1 ,bishop of ,ely1 who1 to celebrate his release from the ,tower1 built ,pembroke ,hall ,chapel in #affc1 employing his nephew as architect4 ,in #affd1 when ,christopher ,wren was about thirty-two years of age1 he came in contact with ,john ,evelyn1 the diarist1 who in his journal1 under date ,july #ac1 writes of him as that miracle of a youth4 ,the acquaintanceship ripened into a friendship1 only broken by ,evelyn's death in #agjf4 ,from ,evelyn's diary we are able to glean many things concerning the then rising young architect4 ,the idea of the ,royal ,society was the outcome of a meeting in #affj of several scientists in ,wren's room after one of the lectures at ,gresham ,college4 ,on being approached on the desirability of forming the ,society1 ,charles ,,ii4 gave his assent and encouragement to the project1 and we learn that one of the first transactions of the ,society was an account of ,wren's pendulum experiment4 ,the ,society was incorporated by ,royal ,charter in #affc4 ,it would appear that ,wren had no world-wide reputation as an architect at the time1 but1 probably through the instrumentality of his friend ,evelyn1 he was appointed by the ,king as assistant to ,sir ,john ,denham1 the ,surveyor-,general of ,works1 and in the opinion of one of his biographers1 ,lucy ,phillimore1 the practical experience learned in the details of the assistant-surveyor's work was afterwards very serviceable to him4 ,we find him occupied in #affd in plans for repairing old ,st4 ,paul's and in building the ,sheldonian ,theatre at ,oxford1 which was finished in #affi4 ,during the plague of #affe ,wren made a tour of the ,continent1 and there absorbed ideas which fructified in the new style of classical architecture which has made his name famous4 ,during further discussions concerning the much-needed repairs to ,st4 ,paul's came the fire of ,london in #afff4 ,this solved the difficulty1 for ,st4 ,paul's was left a gaunt skeleton in the ,city of ,desolation4 ,wren's plans for the rebuilding of the ,city were accepted by the ,king1 but were never carried out in anything like their entirety4 ,all attempts to patch up the cathedral were abandoned in #afgc1 and the ground was cleared for the new foundations4 ,the architect and his master mason laid the first stone on ,june #ba1 #afge4 ,the cathedral and the story of its building is familiar to us all4 ,the great architect1 having drawn the circle for the dome1 called to a workman to bring him a piece of stone to mark the centre4 ,the man brought a fragment of an old tombstone on which was the single word ,resurgam4 ,all present took it as a good omen4 ,we all know how the last stone of the lantern was laid thirty-five years afterwards by the architect's own son in the presence of his father4 ,during those thirty-five years the great freemason's hands had been full1 and in the ,city which rose from the ashes of the fire of #afff no less than fifty-four churches were either built or restored by him4 ,in addition1 we find that the rebuilding or restoration of thirty-six halls of the ,city guilds1 as well as upwards of fifty notable buildings--hospitals1 colleges1 palaces1 cathedrals and churches--in ,london and the provinces1 is laid to his credit4 ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,wren's ,city churches1 and the ,monument1 would in themselves make ,london famous amongst the cities of the world4 ,the ,monument was erected to commemorate the rebuilding of the ,city4 ,the inscription thereon absurdly attributes the origin of the fire to the ,papists4 ,pope satirises it in his ,moral ,essays3 ,london's ,column pointing to the skies ,like a tall bully lifts the head and lies4 ,chief1 for beauty1 amongst the churches is ,st4 ,stephen's1 ,walbrook4 ,canova1 the great sculptor1 after paying a visit to ,england for the purpose of seeing the ,elgin marbles1 was asked if he would like to return to the country4 ,yes1 he replied1 that ,i might again see ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,somerset ,house1 and ,st4 ,stephen's1 ,walbrook4 ,a dozen or more of ,wren's churches have been swept off the map of ,london1 in many cases with a wantonness amounting to sacrilege2 but we can still rejoice in the possession of such gems as ,st4 ,stephen's1 ,walbrook2 ,st4 ,nicholas1 ,cole ,abbey2 and ,st4 ,mary ,abchurch1 with its flat roof and cupola supported on eight arches4 ,st4 ,dunstan's in the ,east1 near the ,custom ,house1 still stands testifying to the fact that ,wren could restore a church without spoiling it4 ,st4 ,dunstan's1 built in the latest style of perpendicular ,gothic1 was left a mere shell after the fire4 ,wren added the fine tower1 and capped it with the curious and graceful spire supported on flying buttresses4 ,it is said that the architect stood on ,london ,bridge with a telescope anxiously watching the removal of the scaffolding from the spire4 ,it is scarcely credible1 however1 that such a man should doubt his own powers of building4 ,this legend recalls the story of the building of the ,town ,hall at ,windsor in #afhf4 ,the spacious chamber on the street level is used as a corn exchange and above is the great hall4 ,the anxious town councillors declared that the great room above would collapse4 ,wren knew exactly how much his four walls and great beams could bear1 but1 to appease the burghers1 he promised to place four columns at the intersections of the beams4 ,he purposely built them about two inches short1 and1 to this day1 after the lapse of two hundred and twenty-five years1 there is still a two-inch space between the top of each column and the ceiling it is supposed to support4 ,on the exterior of the building are two statues given by ,wren in #agjg3 one of ,queen ,anne and the other of her ,danish consort1 ,prince ,george4 ,our good ,christopher could flatter on occasion4 ,the inscription to ,prince ,george in his ,roman costume reads1 inter alia3 ,heroi omni saeculo venerando4 ,underneath the figure of ,queen ,anne is the legend3 ,arte tua sculptor non est imitabilis ,anna ,annae vis similem sculpere sculpe ,deam4 ,the local rhyming and free translation runs3 ,artist1 thy skill is vain6 ,thou can'st not trace ,the semblance of the matchless ,anna's face6 ,thou might'st as well to high ,olympus fly ,and carve the model of some ,deity6 ,we admit this is a very free and extended translation1 but it passes current locally4 ,to say the least1 it is high praise2 but ,wren had a staunch friend in ,queen ,anne1 and every eye makes its own beauty4 ,the exigencies of the time called for a great architect1 and he appeared in the person of ,christopher ,wren3 they called for a great artist to adorn the master's buildings1 and he appeared in the guise of ,grinling ,gibbon4 ,the discovery of ,gibbon in an obscure house at ,deptford goes to the credit of gossipy ,john ,evelyn1 who on ,january #ah1 #afga1 writes3 ,this day1 ,i first acquainted his ,majesty 7,charles ,,ii47 with that incomparable young man ,gibbon1 whom ,i had lately met with in an obscure place by mere accident1 in a field in our parish1 near ,sayes ,court4 ,i found him shut in2 but looking in at the window1 ,i perceived him carving that large cartoon or crucifix of ,tintoretto1 a copy of which ,i had brought myself from ,venice1 where the original painting remains4 ,i asked if ,i might enter2 he opened the door civilly to me1 and ,i saw him about such a work as for the curiosity of handling1 drawing and studious exactness1 ,i never had before seen in all my travels4 ,i questioned why he worked in such an obscure and lonesome place2 it was that he might apply himself to his profession without interruption1 and wondered not a little how ,i found him out4 ,i asked him if he were unwilling to be known to some great man1 for that ,i believed it might turn to his profit1 he answered1 he was yet but a beginner1 but would not be sorry to sell off that piece2 on demanding the price he said #ajj4 ,in good earnest1 the very frame was worth the money1 there being nothing in nature so tender and delicate as the flowers and festoons about it1 and yet the work was very strong2 in the piece was more than one hundred figures of men1 c4444 ,of this young artist1 together with my manner of finding him out1 ,i acquainted the ,king1 and begged that he would give me leave to bring him and his work to ,whitehall1 for that ,i would venture my reputation with his ,majesty that he had never seen anything approach it1 and that he would be exceedingly pleased1 and employ him4 ,the ,king said he would himself go see him4 ,this was the first notice his ,majesty ever had of ,mr4 ,gibbon4 ,the ,king evidently did not go see him1 for under date ,march #a we read3 ,i caused ,mr4 ,gibbon to bring to ,whitehall his excellent piece of carving1 where being come1 ,i advertised his ,majesty4444 ,no sooner was he entered and cast his eye on the work1 but he was astonished at the curiosity of it1 and having considered it a long time and discoursed with ,mr4 ,gibbon whom ,i brought to kiss his hand1 he commanded it should be immediately carried to the ,queen's side to show her4 ,it was carried up into her bedchamber1 where she and the ,king looked on and admired it again2 the ,king being called away1 left us with the ,queen1 believing she would have bought it1 it being a crucifix2 but when his ,majesty was gone1 a ,french peddling woman1 one ,madame de ,boord1 who used to bring petticoats and fans and baubles1 out of ,france to the ladies1 began to find fault with several things in the work1 which she understood no more than an ass1 or a monkey1 so as in a kind of indignation1 ,i caused the person who brought it to carry it back to the ,chamber1 finding the ,queen so much governed by an ignorant ,french woman1 and this incomparable artist had his labour only for his pains1 which not a little displeased me2 he not long after sold it for #hj1 though well worth #ajj1 without the frame1 to ,sir ,george ,viner4 ,his ,majesty's ,surveyor1 ,mr4 ,wren1 faithfully promised to employ him4 ,i having also bespoke his ,majesty for his work at ,windsor1 which my friend ,mr4 ,may1 the architect there1 was going to alter and repair universally4 ,grinling ,gibbon was born in #afdh1 and so the incomparable young man would have been about twenty-three years of age when he sailed into ,royal favour4 ,we do not know the whereabouts of the carved cartoon after ,tintoretto2 but we shall find at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum a carving by ,gibbon1 measuring #f ft4 in height by #d ft4 #d in4 in width1 of the ,stoning of ,st4 ,stephen4 ,it is executed in limewood and lance-wood4 ,walpole1 in his ,catalogue of ,painters1 writes of the ,stoning of ,st4 ,stephen1 which was purchased and placed by the ,duke of ,chandos at ,canons1#b as the carving which had struck so good a judge as ,evelyn4 ,it is palpably not identical with the ,tintoret subject which ,evelyn describes as being a crucifix4 ,fig4 #aj in ,chapter ,,iii4 is a remarkable example of ,gibbon's carving of fruits1 flowers1 and foliage4 #b ,james ,brydges1 ,duke of ,chandos1 who as ,paymaster of the ,forces during the wars in the reign of ,queen ,anne amassed a large fortune1 built ,canons1 near ,edgware1 in #agae4 ,the building and furnishing is said to have cost between #bjj1jjj and #bej1jjj4 ,it was in the classical or ,palladian style of architecture1 and was adorned with costly pillars and statuary4 ,the great salon was painted by the ,paolucci and the ceiling of the staircase by ,thornhill4 ,although the building was designed to stand for ages1 under the second ,duke the estate became so encumbered that it was put up to auction1 and as no buyer could be found the house was pulled down in #agdg4 ,the materials of ,princely ,canons realised only #aa1jjj4 ,the marble staircase and pillars were bought by ,lord ,chesterfield for his house in ,mayfair4 ,the witty ,earl used to speak of the columns as the ,canonical pillars of his house4 ,the ,grinling ,gibbon carving of the ,stoning of ,st4 ,stephen was transferred to ,bush ,hill ,park1 near ,enfield1 and finally acquired in #ahih by the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum at a cost of #cjj4 ,readers who are familiar with the ,belgian churches will remember the wonderful carvings at ,brussels and ,mecklin by ,drevot and ,laurens1 who were pupils of ,gibbon4 ,they out-,gibbon ,gibbon in their realism4 ,in ,fig4 #d1 photographed for this book by the ,south ,kensington authorities1 we give an illustration of a carving in pinewood of a pendant of flowers attributed to ,gibbon4 ,it originally decorated the ,church of ,st4 ,mary ,somerset1 ,thames ,street1 ,e4,c41 built #afie--one of ,wren's ,city churches so wantonly destroyed4 ,to see ,gibbon's wood carving at its best we must go to ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,windsor ,castle1 and ,hampton ,court ,palace4 ,at ,windsor we shall also see carved marble panels of trophies1 emblems and realistic fruits1 flowers and shell-fish on the pedestal of the statue of ,charles ,,ii4 ,at ,charing ,cross we have another example of his stone carving on the pedestal of the statue of ,charles the ,martyr4 ,we have already referred to the ,church of ,st4 ,mary ,abchurch in ,abchurch ,lane1 between ,king ,william ,street and ,cannon ,street1 ,city4 ,it was built in #afhf1 eleven years after the first stone of ,st4 ,paul's was laid4 ,it also serves for the parish of ,st4 ,laurence ,pountney4 ,it lies in a quiet backwater off the busy stream1 and the flagged courtyard is still surrounded by a few contemporary houses4 ,externally it is not beautiful1 but ,wren and ,gibbon expended loving care on the really beautiful interior4 ,the soft light from the quaint circular and round-headed windows casts a gentle radiance over the carved festoons of fruit1 palm-leaves and the pelican in her piety4 ,just across1 on the other side of ,cannon ,street1 is another backwater1 ,laurence ,pountney ,hill4 ,two of the old ,queen ,anne houses remain1 ,no4 #a and ,no4 #b1 with beautiful old hooded doorways dated #agjc4 ,the circular hoods are supported by carved lion-headed brackets4 ,the jambs are ornamented with delicate interlaced carving4 ,no4 #b has been mutilated as to its windows1 and a modern excrescence has been built on to the ground floor2 but ,no4 #a appears to be much as it left the builders' hands in #agjc1 and still possesses the old wide staircase with twisted barley-sugar balusters and carved rose newel pendants4 ,these houses may or may not have been designed by ,wren4 ,they seem to bear the impress of his genius1 and in any case they give us a glimpse--and such glimpses are all too rare--of the homes of the ,city fathers1 just as the little church across ,cannon ,street brings us in touch with their religious life in the early days of ,queen ,anne4 ,fig4 #e represents an interesting series of turned balusters taken from old houses of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries4 ,they are executed in oak1 lime1 ash and pinewood--mostly the latter2 and many of the details will be found repeated in the furniture legs of the ,queen ,anne period4 ,the photograph was specially taken for this volume by the courtesy of the ,director and ,secretary of the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,fig4 #f represents a contemporary doorway of a room formerly at ,no4 #c ,clifford's ,inn4 ,it is of oak1 with applied carvings in cedar of acanthus-leaf work1 enclosing a cherub's head and a broken pediment terminating in volutes4 ,we shall find members of the same cherub family on the exterior of ,st4 ,mary ,abchurch4 ,fig4 #g is the overmantel of the same room with a marble mantelpiece of somewhat later date4 ,this room1 now at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 was erected in #afhf by ,john ,penhallow1 who resided there till #agaf4 ,fig4 #h is a beautiful doorway carved in yellow pine1 with ,corinthian columns and pediment4 ,we shall find similar pediments in the tower of ,wren's church1 ,st4 ,andrew's1 ,holborn4 ,this doorway with the carved mantelpiece 7,fig4 #i7 came from an old house in ,carey ,street1 ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields4 ,these belong to the early part of the eighteenth century4 ,these are but a few isolated examples of beautiful settings to the furniture of the period of the revival of classical architecture in ,england4 ,such things are not for the modest collector1 who will content himself with the chairs1 tables1 and bureaux of the period--articles1 in the main1 of severe outline devoid of carving1 and relying for effect much upon the rich tones of the wood employed1 but withal eminently beautiful1 inasmuch as they were and are eminently useful4 ,,chapter ,,iii3 ,,mirrors1 ,,stools1 ,,and ,,some ,,notes ,,on ,a ,,queen ,,anne ,,bedroom ,the mirror1 at the present time1 is so generally an accepted necessary of life1 and so indispensable in many of its situations1 that it may seem remarkable that not until the sixteenth century was it in anything like general use in ,england4 ,the pleasure and interest of reflection must have been felt from the time when the reindeer roared where ,paris roars to-night4 ,still water must have been the first mirror of the first man and woman in which they discovered their astonished faces1 and where it is possible that1 like ,narcissus1 they fell in love with their own reflections4 ,thus we find ,eve saying in ,paradise ,lost3 ,i thither went ,and with unexperienced thought1 and laid me down ,on the green bank2 to look into the clear ,smooth lake1 that to me seem'd a second sky4 ,as ,i bent down to look1 just opposite1 ,a shape within the wat'ry gleam appear'd1 ,bending to look on me4 ,no doubt a reflecting surface was one of the first things that human ingenuity concerned itself about4 ,brass mirrors were used by the ,hebrews1 and mirrors of bronze by the ,egyptians1 ,greeks1 and ,romans2 surviving specimens may be seen in the museums4 ,silver mirrors were also used in very early times4 ,glass mirrors are also of ancient origin4 ,sauzay1 in his work on ,glass-making1 quotes from ,aristotle as follows3 ,if metals and stones are to be polished to serve as mirrors1 glass and crystal have to be lined with a sheet of metal to give back the image presented to them4 ,and here we have the foreshadowing of the mercury-backed sheet of glass of modern times4 ,in ,england mirrors of polished metal were well known in ,anglo-,saxon times1 and from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries the ladies carried mirrors at their girdles or in their pockets4 ,venice has always been the home of glass-work1 and it was there1 in the early fourteenth century1 that the immediate prototypes of our modern glass mirrors were made4 ,for something like a century and a half the ,venetians had the monopoly of the making of the best mirrors4 ,their secrets were carefully guarded1 and any workman emigrating had his nearest relative imprisoned4 ,it is interesting to note in passing that in ,jan van ,eyck's picture in the ,national ,gallery1 ,london1 painted in #adcd1 there is a framed convex wall mirror which has an astonishingly modern look4 ,it is difficult to say whether or not this is made of glass1 but it shows1 of course1 that mirrors were used for wall decoration at that time4 ,this picture1 by the way1 is very interesting1 as providing undeniable evidence as to the nature of the ,dutch furniture of the early fifteenth century4 ,as regards the early history of the mirror in ,britain1 there is a glass mirror in ,holyrood ,palace in the apartments used by ,queen ,mary the ,first and said to have belonged to her4 ,at ,hampton ,court there are mirrors belonging to the period of ,william ,,iii4 and later1 some of which have bevelled edges and borders of blue glass in the form of rosettes4 ,glass mirrors were made in ,england by ,italian workmen early in the seventeenth century1 but not extensively until about #afgj1 when the ,duke of ,buckingham established works in ,lambeth1 where mirrors were made4 ,the edges were bevelled in ,venetian fashion4 ,we find ,evelyn writing in his diary under date of ,september #ai1 #afgf3 ,to ,lambeth to that rare magazine of marble1 to take order for chimney pieces1 c1 for ,mr4 ,godolphin's house4 ,the owner of the workes had built for himselfe a pretty dwelling house2 this ,dutchman had contracted with the ,genoese for all their marble4 ,we also saw the ,duke of ,buckingham's ,glass ,worke1 where they made high vases of metal as cleare1 ponderous and thick as chrystal2 also looking-glasses far larger and better than any that come from ,venice4 ,as will be seen at ,hampton ,court1 the glass in each of the large mirrors of this time is in two pieces1 for the reason that1 by the methods then in use1 it was not possible to make larger sheets4 ,this method of making mirrors in two pieces is followed even in the present day in modern copies of old mirrors4 ,it was1 no doubt1 a cause of regret to the old makers that they could not turn out a large glass in one sheet1 and they would no doubt have been astonished to think that succeeding ages would deliberately copy their defect4 ,a collector will not1 probably1 come across a mirror earlier than ,william and ,mary1 and he should have little difficulty in finding genuine mirrors of the next reign--,queen ,anne--which are at once interesting and inexpensive4 ,mr4 ,clouston thinks that the wall mirrors of the ,queen ,anne period may very well rank with the best furniture of their time4 ,they are simple yet satisfying1 and rich without extravagance4 ,a mirror is not a mere looking-glass1 although in this connection it has always been greatly appreciated4 ,mirrors bring a sense of space to a small room1 and make a larger room appear more spacious4 ,in the ,king's writing-closet at ,hampton ,court there is a mirror over the chimney-piece which provides a vista of all the rooms on the south side of the state apartments4 ,great furniture-designers from the time of ,grinling ,gibbon to that of ,chippendale have appreciated the opportunities offered by mirrors for the purposes of decoration4 ,fig4 #aj is a mirror-frame of carved limewood by ,grinling ,gibbon to be seen in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,it is a rich and wonderful example of chisel play1 but1 like his work in general1 does not satisfy a taste which inclines to less resplendent decoration4 ,such a mirror is probably not within the reach of any collector1 great or small2 and it is even probable--at least as regards the small collector--that1 if by a stroke of fortune such a piece descended to him1 he would find that it would scarcely harmonise with any ordinary scheme of decoration4 ,its presence would be as embarrassing as the entertainment of ,royalty in a suburban home4 ,the ordinary types--and they are many--of ,queen ,anne mirrors can with perfect propriety find places in almost any room in any house of taste1 and on the walls of hall or staircase they are at once interesting and decorative4 ,particularly are they in harmony with the surroundings of a ,queen ,anne bedroom4 ,in this connection1 however1 a word of warning is in place regarding the old glass4 ,this is very well on the wall mirrors1 but in the mirror for the toilet-table it should be replaced by new glass4 ,nothing lasts for ever1 and it is rare that the old glasses fully retain their reflecting powers4 ,old mirrors are bad to shave by1 and are1 moreover1 extremely unpopular with ladies4 ,the art of furnishing consists of a tactful combination of whatever is best in the old and the new4 ,figs4 #aa and #ab are simple mirrors of the ,queen ,anne period4 ,fig4 #aa is a wall glass with a pleasing scroll outline1 and ,fig4 #ab is a toilet-table glass characteristic of the period1 the gilt inner moulding or embroidery being an interesting feature4 ,we find similar decorative devices to the above on many of the mirrors of this time1 and such examples should be purchasable at about two guineas each4 ,figs4 #ac and #ad are more elaborate and expensive mirrors1 the broken pediments in each case suggesting the influence of ,sir ,christopher ,wren4 ,although the architectural inspiration1 which was absolute in the ,gothic periods and strong in the ,elizabethan1 was very much less marked in the time of ,queen ,anne1 still the classical influence of ,wren's ,renaissance style is shown in many ways1 and particularly in the many varieties of the broken pediment which are favourite forms of decoration for the tops of mirror frames4 ,fig4 #ac1 in addition to the broken pediment1 is decorated on the frame with egg-and-tongue mouldings1 and on the base with a bust of a cherub in high relief4 ,fig4 #ad is surmounted by a boldly carved figure of an eagle enclosed by the broken pediment4 ,on either side are carved festoons of fruit and flowers1 possibly suggested by the work of ,grinling ,gibbon4 ,these important mirrors1 interesting and effective as they are1 require large rooms to set them off4 ,simple mirrors1 as in ,figs4 #aa and #ab1 present no difficulties regarding their disposal4 ,the more elaborate ones1 however1 apart from their expensiveness1 should not be purchased unless there is a suitable place in which to hang them4 ,this suggests a maxim which applies to the collection of any sort of furniture1 viz4 not to purchase any piece until you have decided what to do with it4 ,adherence to this rule may involve the occasional loss of a bargain1 but it avoids confusion and possible domestic complications4 ,we knew an enthusiastic collector who resisted the purchase of old examples with the greatest difficulty4 ,his wife1 on the other hand1 whilst appreciating possibly as keenly as her husband the attractions of the antique1 was also fastidious regarding the prompt settlement of tradesmen's bills4 ,the climax was reached one day when the husband1 instead of settling certain pressing accounts1 attended a sale and purchased an enormous ,dutch wardrobe which was found to be at least eighteen inches too tall for any room in the house4 ,another form of decoration applied to mirror-frames of the ,queen ,anne period was that known as ,gesso work1 whereby a design was built into relief with layers of size and plaster applied with a brush4 ,it gives scope for delicate line work1 and is often softer than carving4 ,figs4 #ae and #af are mirrors decorated with ,gesso ornament1 to which1 however1 little justice can be done in a photograph4 ,fig4 #ag is a fine mirror of pinewood with ,gesso ornamentation1 in which the broken pediment form has taken a somewhat fanciful shape4 ,in ,fig4 #ah the broken pediment appears in a more strictly architectural form4 ,this mirror1 which is of painted pine1 was formerly in the ,flask ,tavern1 ,ebury ,square1 ,pimlico4 ,although its date would be about #agjj1 it is clearly in its mouldings reminiscent of the ,jacobean period1 which style no doubt continued in popularity amongst the poorer classes4 ,this mirror is an interesting instance of the merging of the two styles4 ,marquetry was also used on the mirror-frames of this period1 an example in a broad frame inlaid with a floral pattern being shown in ,fig4 #ai4 ,this mirror was sold for seventeen guineas4 ,fig4 #bj is an example of a toilet mirror of the ,queen ,anne period1 the front of which lets down with a flap1 after the manner of a bureau1 revealing a nest of drawers4 ,this form of mirror is not often met with1 and an opportunity of acquiring one at a reasonable price should not be neglected4 ,fig4 #ba is of similar construction mounted on a stand1 an architectural touch being given by the pilasters on either side of the mirror4 ,this pattern is singularly simple and charming4 99 99 99 99 99 ,stools of the period under review are generally difficult and somewhat expensive to acquire1 but these are not reasons for giving up hope4 ,a type of the ,william and ,mary stool is shown in ,fig4 #bb4 ,the scrolled feet and ,x-shaped stretcher are characteristic4 ,stools were very popular articles of furniture at this time4 ,we find them in numbers in contemporary prints1 and they continued to be used as seats at meal-times1 as no doubt 7providing the table were low enough7 they were more comfortable than the stiff-backed chairs of the time4 ,in the face of decided evidence of their prevalence in the ,queen ,anne period1 their scarcity to-day is somewhat remarkable4 ,in the coloured frontispiece is shown a simple stool of the time of the early ,queen ,anne period covered with ,petit-point needlework1 with which the ladies of that period delighted to occupy themselves4 ,this needlework--which1 in addition to being used as a covering for furniture1 was also framed to hang on the walls--is often patterned with quaint trees1 people1 goats1 dogs1 and a sprinkling of lovers and birds4 ,a stool such as is shown in the frontispiece makes an admirable seat for a knee-hole writing-table4 ,fig4 #bc is a large stool of the ,queen ,anne period with escallop-shell decoration1 cabriole legs and an early form of the claw-and-ball feet4 ,it is covered with contemporary needlework4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,queen ,anne bedroom conjures up the possibility of composing a charming scheme of interior decoration4 ,first it is necessary to face the inevitable and accept the position that a modern bedstead is essential4 ,this should be made of walnut-wood1 and the ends shaped after the manner of the solid splats in the simple chairs of the period4 ,such bedsteads are made by several of the good modern furniture firms4 ,they are not1 of course1 literal reproductions of the bedsteads of the period1 which were of the four-poster order1 but they will be found to be in good taste4 ,upon this bed should lie a reproduction of the bed-covers of the period in a pattern boldly coloured and ,oriental in design4 ,the floor should be covered by antique ,persian rugs 7or modern reproductions74 ,a walnut toilet-table should stand in the window 7see ,fig4 #fd74 ,upon it should rest a toilet-glass 7see ,fig4 #ab71 and in front of it1 if possible1 a stool covered with the needlework of the period 7see ,frontispiece74 ,this stool will1 however1 be difficult to obtain1 and its place could be taken by a simple chair of the period 7see ,figs4 #cb and #cd74 ,two other simple chairs should find places around the room1 upon one side of which should be placed a walnut tallboy 7see ,fig4 #ef7 surmounted by a piece of ,chinese blue-and-white4 ,we cannot too strongly emphasise the desirability of associating old ,chinese blue-and-white pottery with eighteenth-century furniture4 ,the washstand of the period 7too small to be efficient7 should be replaced by an unobtrusive wooden table painted white1 the top of which should be covered with tiles in a shade which does not disagree with a reproduction of an old ,spode or ,mason's ,ironstone toilet set4 ,toilet sets1 as we understand the term to-day1 were unknown in the days of ,queen ,anne4 ,common earthenware pitchers and basins1 or at best ,english and ,dutch ,delft1 did duty until the rise of the great ,staffordshire factories late in the eighteenth century4 ,orignal ,spode or ,mason ware would not be of earlier dates than #aggj and #ahjd respectively1 and so quite out of the ,queen ,anne period4 ,we merely mention these two styles of so-called ,indian decorations as being most suitable for the purpose in hand4 ,we might1 indeed1 happen upon an eighteenth-century blue-and-white service2 but all these early ewers and basins1 like the early washstands1 are altogether too diminutive for modern requirements4 ,the reproductions1 whilst retaining the old decoration1 are built in more generous proportions4 ,for wall covering a plain white-or champagne-coloured paper might be adopted1 and for wall decoration one or two old mirrors 7see ,figs4 #aa and #ae7 and some reproductions of ,dutch interiors by the old masters1 framed in broad black frames1 would be in harmony with the surroundings4 ,a difficulty in composing a ,queen ,anne bedroom is to find a suitable hanging wardrobe4 ,the marquetry hanging-press or wardrobe of the period1 with its bomb-shaped lower section1 is somewhat heavy in appearance1 except in a large room1 and is1 moreover1 expensive to acquire4 ,failing a hanging cupboard in the wall1 a simple plain cupboard should be built and painted white4 ,such a cupboard at least strikes no false note1 and is greatly to be preferred to a modern wardrobe or one of another period4 ,in this connection a schedule of the cost to the authors of furnishing a similar bedroom may be of interest4 s4 d4 ,walnut tallboy #aj #aj #j #c simple ,queen ,anne chairs #i #j #j #a toilet-table #e #j #j #a toilet mirror #b #b #j #a wall mirror #b #b #j ------------- #bh #ad #j ,the cost of such details as carpets1 curtains1 bed-covering1 china1 c1 is not included4 ,to this1 therefore1 must be added the various modern reproductions1 including the bedstead3 the total cost of the room would be about fifty pounds4 ,the result is1 of course1 a combination of the old and the new--the best points of each being preserved--and the effect will be found harmonious4 ,,chapter ,,iv3 ,,chairs ,,and ,,tables ,in volume one we left the chair at the time of ,king ,james ,,ii4 when it was composed of tall and straight lines1 generally cane-backed and cane-seated1 with a carved stretcher fixed rather higher than midway between the two front legs4 ,such pieces would not1 of course1 have been found in the homes of the poor4 ,historical books1 for the most part1 concern themselves very much with the affairs of courts and the practice of battles1 but very little with the habits and surroundings of the bulk of the people4 ,we know that the amount of poverty and crime at the beginning of the eighteenth century was enormous1 and the social condition of the people being such1 it is unlikely that their homes could have been either comfortable or decently furnished4 ,very little of the wealth of the country percolated through the middle class to the poor2 but there is no doubt that as regards the middle-class homes1 they had by the beginning of the eighteenth century reached a very tolerable standard of social comfort and convenience4 ,it is probable that a good deal of this standard of comfort was attributable to ,dutch influence4 ,the sense of home comfort seems to have been developed in ,holland in early times4 ,in the picture of ,john ,arnolfini and his wife in the ,national ,gallery1 ,london1 painted by ,jan van ,eyck1 who lived between #acij and #addj1 there is a vivid and interesting glimpse of the furniture of this period4 ,this picture should be studied by all interested in furniture4 ,in the bedroom shown in the picture we find1 in addition to the bed with its heavy red stuff hangings1 a coffer1 probably for clothes2 a tall chair with a ,gothic traceried top and a red cushion2 a smaller chair with a red cushion2 a carpet of ,persian pattern2 a brass chandelier2 and a mirror reflecting the room and its two occupants4 ,the mirror is in a round wooden frame decorated with small medallion panels1 with paintings illustrative of the ,passion of our ,lord4 ,the room is lighted by casement windows1 and the whole effect suggests a degree of comfort creditable to the taste of the fifteenth century4 ,a very notable feature in the male costume of the time of ,william and ,mary was the enormous periwig1 which was considered a sign of social importance4 ,a man would not wear his hat 7a chapeau-bras71 but in order that his wig might not be disarranged would carry his hat under his arm4 ,it is rather strange that a hard-headed business man like ,william should have countenanced such a fashion by wearing a great periwig himself4 ,it appears to have been a custom to comb these wigs in the coffee-houses1 for which purpose each gallant carried an elegant comb4 ,the men's hats were adorned with feathers1 and they also wore full-skirted coats decorated with lace and embroidery1 stockings1 breeches1 buckled shoes1 and huge cuffs garnished with lace4 ,the ladies also wore a heavy head-gear1 the hair being brushed away from the forehead and surmounted by ribbons and rows of lace1 over which was thrown a lace scarf which hung nearly to the waist1 giving the general impression of a great mob-cap4 ,stiff stays1 writes ,mr4 ,dillon1 tightly laced over the stomacher and very long in the waist1 became fashionable2 and to so great an extent was this pernicious fashion carried that a lady's body from the shoulders to the hip looked like the letter ,v4 ,there was another fashion among the ladies of building several tiers of lace to a great height upon the hair4 ,these structures1 in the prints of the period1 have the appearance of enormous combs4 ,as regards the dress of this period1 the general tendency1 ,mr4 ,calthrop writes1 was to look ,dutch1 stiff1 prim1 but very prosperous4 ,costume and furniture have always had a close relationship1 and we find ,mr4 ,percy ,macquoid writing in his ,age of ,walnut3 ,the settles and chairs of the latter part of the seventeenth century were evidently constructed with a view of forming backgrounds to the prevailing fashions in costume2 the strongest characteristic at this time being an extremely high-backed seat to suit the voluminous periwigs and tall head-dresses of the women4 ,it will also be noticed that the arms of the chairs were set back from the front of the seat to allow room for the ample skirts of the women4 ,figs4 #bd1 #be1 and #bf are three chairs of carved walnut with seats covered with figured red velvet4 ,these chairs1 from the ,old ,palace1 ,richmond1 at first glance appear to be of the same pattern1 but a closer examination will show that no two are quite alike4 ,two of them certainly have similar backs1 but a difference appears in the legs4 ,in shape there is little difference between these chairs and those of the preceding reign except that the stretcher is lower4 ,the backs1 however1 differ considerably from the ,stuart chairs1 the cane having disappeared and its place being taken by pierced and elaborate carvings4 ,fig4 #bg is another and probably a later specimen of a fine ,william and ,mary chair4 ,although the back is less elaborate1 the legs have now assumed the cabriole form and the feet are extremely realistic4 ,the stretcher in the front has1 it will be noted1 disappeared4 ,these chairs were1 of course1 made for the wealthy classes1 and were comparatively few in number as the fashion was a brief one2 but they show the prevailing ideas which in turn expressed themselves on the simpler chairs4 ,an example of the latter is shown in ,fig4 #bh1 which1 purely as a matter of taste1 is possibly as pleasing as some of the more elaborate chairs of this period4 ,this example cost five pounds4 ,figs4 #bi and #ca are rush-seated chairs of the ,queen ,anne period and are made of oak1 probably in a country place where the prevailing walnut fashion had not reached4 ,they are exceedingly simple and pleasing in shape and were sold at one pound each4 ,the centre chair 7,fig4 #cj7 is a child's chair of the same period--a type which1 in our experience1 is not often met with4 ,there is no example in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 a fact we mention in case any reader would like to offer such a specimen4 ,here the splat is slightly different from those of its companions4 ,the present piece lacks a front rail to prevent the child from falling4 ,queen ,anne chairs of simple character should not be very difficult to obtain1 nor should they make extravagant incursions upon the purse4 ,to purchase a number of chairs of identical form sufficient to compose a set is a far more expensive method than to collect more or less odd chairs1 singly or in pairs1 and to make up a set for oneself4 ,each may not be exactly similar to the other1 but the family likeness is amply sufficient to satisfy any reasonable taste4 ,indeed such little differences as are expressed1 say1 in the splats and the legs may be said to break the line of uniformity and to produce an effect which is permanently pleasing and interesting4 ,such a set of chairs would be admirable in a dining-room2 and single chairs of this period and type would be scarcely out of place in any room in the house4 ,elaborately carved and marquetried chairs of this time are expensive1 but it is a question whether the plain chairs are not as pleasing4 ,at present the taste for old furniture runs to pieces which are highly carved and decorated1 but this is often for the simple reason that such pieces are more uncommon1 and therefore more expensive1 than the plain ones4 ,it is possible1 however1 that in a succeeding age1 when all old furniture1 both carved and plain1 will be rare1 that the latter may be as highly favoured as the former4 ,in many of the plain old chairs the lines are charming and the woods rich and interesting1 and possessing these1 we need scarcely envy those whose means enable them to prefer the richer sorts4 ,we now approach a departure in the designs of furniture which had a far-reaching and lasting effect upon style in ,england4 ,we refer to the cabriole leg and the shaped foot1 which ultimately developed into the claw-and-ball4 ,the first movement appears to have occurred when the straight lines of the ,stuart furniture were superseded by the curved lines of the ,dutch style2 and occasionally we find the cabriole leg on a ,william and ,mary chair1 as in ,fig4 #bg4 ,the cabriole leg has been traced back to ,china and ,egypt1 but was introduced into ,england through ,holland and ,france4 ,it may be called the leading characteristic of the domestic woodwork of the ,queen ,anne period4 ,it made its appearance on chairs1 tables1 sofas1 and chests--in fact1 upon every form of furniture which is lifted from the ground4 ,the word is adopted from the ,french cabriole1 a goat-leap1 although it must be admitted that this is scarcely a literal description of the form the carving takes4 ,at first the shaping was of the simplest description and showed but the faintest resemblance to the leaping leg of an animal1 but later forms took a more realistic turn4 ,the term cabriole has become generic1 and is now applied to almost any furniture leg built with a knee4 ,fig4 #cb is a simple type of ,queen ,anne chair with cabriole legs1 carved with an escallop-shell1 a form of decoration which finds its way upon very many forms of furniture of this time1 and is as popular as the crown and cherub decoration of the departed ,stuarts4 ,the claw-and-ball foot1 which1 like the cabriole leg1 is traceable to the ,east1 we find on the more elaborate chairs of the ,queen ,anne period1 and is generally accepted to represent the three-toed claw of the ,chinese dragon holding the mystic ,buddhistic jewel4 ,the development of the claw-and-ball is traceable through the feet of the furniture of this period1 and commenced by the base of the chair legs being slightly shaped into a foot1 which will be remarked in ,figs4 #bi and #ca4 ,such form is generally known as the club foot4 ,then the toe assumed the shape of an animal's foot1 out of which a claw was evolved1 and1 having to clutch something to make a base1 a ball was added1 and we have the familiar claw-and-ball foot which has remained a favourite decoration to the present time4 ,the good examples are full of spirit and significance1 entirely different from the machine-made inanimate examples on modern furniture4 ,figs4 #cc1 #cd1 #ce are simple examples of ,queen ,anne chairs4 ,those with arms should be purchasable for about five guineas and the single chairs for about three guineas4 ,fig4 #cf is an example of an inlaid chair#c of this period1 the tall graceful back being particularly pleasing4 ,the earlier chairs of this period 7,figs4 #cc and #ce7 were provided with strengthening rails between the legs1 but later the knee was made stronger and the cross rails dispensed with 7,fig4 #cd71 which had the effect of lightening the appearance of the chair but not of increasing its durability4 ,the disappearance of these leg rails marks the later ,queen ,anne chairs1 so that it is a fair guide as to date of production4 ,thus disappears the last link with the good old times1 when the floors were so dirty that rests were provided for the feet4 ,fig4 #cg1 in addition to its cabriole legs and embryo claw-and-ball feet1 is especially interesting as foreshadowing the familiar ladder-backed chairs of the ,chippendale school4 ,in this chair the rail connecting the back legs has been retained4 #c ,the splat of the original is nicely inlaid1 but it is impossible to adequately reproduce this in a photograph4 ,in this period the knee was either plain or ornamented with an escallop-shell2 it rarely had any other form of decoration3 but it developed many forms under the influence of ,chippendale and his school4 ,it is well to remember1 however1 that in ,england the cabriole leg in its original and simpler form belongs to the reign of ,queen ,anne4 ,an essential and highly important development is at this period particularly noticeable in the chair1 which is now adapted to the human frame instead of1 as heretofore1 the human frame having to adapt itself to the chair4 ,it is probable that the greater pliability of walnut over oak made this departure feasible1 but one has only to sit in the tall straight-backed ,stuart chair and the shaped chairs of the ,queen ,anne reign to see in which direction the advantage in comfort lies4 ,it will be found that in the latter the top of the back is curved so as to fit the nape of the sitter's neck1 and that the splat is shaped to suit itself to the back and shoulders4 ,examples of this shaping are shewn in the chairs1 ,figs4 #cb and #cf1 which also have the simple cabriole legs4 ,figs4 #ch and #ci are arm-chairs of this period4 ,fig4 #ch has a central vase-shaped panel with a volute and leaves on either side4 ,the arms have flattened elbow-rests4 ,fig4 #ci has curiously twisted arms4 ,it has suffered in the splat very much from the worms4 ,in this chair it will be noticed the side rail connecting the legs is missing4 ,the seat is stuffed and covered with canvas1 which is decorated with needlework 7petit-point7 in coloured wools and silks4 ,these are arm-chairs for respectable people1 but there were also broad-seated arm-chairs at this time known as drunkards' chairs4 ,the width of the seat in front was nearly three feet1 which gave ample room for a man to comfortably collapse4 ,figs4 #dj and #da are two fine chairs of the late ,queen ,anne period1 showing finely developed cabriole legs and claw-and-ball feet4 ,in both specimens the connecting leg-rails have disappeared and the back feet are shaped4 ,fig4 #dj is covered with gilt and embossed leather over a stuffed back and seat4 ,in ,fig4 #da the back has almost lost its ,queen ,anne character and is merging into what we know as the ,chippendale style4 ,the seat of this chair is covered with silk4 ,the ,huguenot refugee silk-workers had settled in ,spitalfields1 and in the reigns of ,william and ,mary and ,anne large quantities of silks and velvets were produced1 which were frequently used to cover the chairs of the bedroom furniture of the time4 ,stuffed and upholstered arm-chairs were also favoured at this period1 which was distinctly one for the appreciation of comfort4 ,fig4 #db is a partly veneered corner or round-about chair of this time2 a type of chair largely made in mahogany during the ,chippendale period4 ,the double chair1 or settee1 remains to be noticed4 ,this1 by a process of refinement and elimination1 had no doubt been evolved from the old-time settle4 ,it was also called a love-seat1 and was constructed in such form as to allow for the pose of social gallantry1 simpering1 and the plying of the snuff-box and fan1 inseparable from the manners of the period4 ,these double seats were usually found in the drawing-rooms of the rich1 and simple ones are not as a rule met with4 ,fig4 #dc is a settee of the type of ,william and ,mary2 the tied stretchers beneath and the inverted bowl turnery on the legs are characteristic features4 ,fig4 #dd is a fine late ,queen ,anne specimen with a marquetried back1 claw-and-ball feet1 and an insistent decoration of the escallop-shell4 ,fig4 #de is another fine settee of the same period with a full back and claw-and-ball feet4 ,both these specimens have beautifully shaped arms and feet1 and the back feet being also slightly shaped at the base1 suggest the latter part of the period4 ,in the beginning of the eighteenth century1 tapestries1 as forms of wall decoration1 had been replaced either by wainscoting or1 more generally1 by wall-papers4 ,needlework was a popular occupation amongst the women1 who made hangings for their bedsteads and windows and covers for their chairs1 stools and couches4 ,mary1 the ,queen of ,william ,,iii41 set an example as an industrious needlewoman4 ,it was at this time that the gay chintzes and printed cottons1 of which so many admirable and inexpensive reproductions can be purchased at the present day1 came into vogue4 ,like so many of the decorative ideas of the time1 they were introduced into ,england by the ,dutch1 who in their turn borrowed them from the ,east4 ,they were extremely ,oriental in design1 depicting trees1 birds and flowers1 all more or less related to nature4 ,this was1 of course1 the period when everything ,oriental was the fashion1#d when ,chinese porcelain and red and black lacquer were desired by many and acquired by some2 and the gay ,oriental chintzes contributed fittingly to the scheme of decoration1 as well as affording a protection for the cherished needlework coverings of the furniture4 ,the modern reproductions are no less indispensable in any house in which the old furniture of this period has a place4 ,some firms print them by hand from the old blocks1 and from such firms they should be purchased4 ,chintzes appear to have been first produced in ,england by a foreign settlement in ,richmond1 ,surrey1 early in the eighteenth century4 ,the ,english workmen afterwards greatly simplified the designs1 and in ,queen ,anne's time they were largely the fashion4 #d ,addison wrote that an old lady of fourscore shall be so busy in cleaning an ,indian mandarin as her great-granddaughter is in dressing her baby4 ,the ,queen ,anne home of the middle class would not have startled a visitor from the present century who had elected to inspect it by means of ,mr4 ,wells's ,time ,machine4 ,its exterior was square1 unpretentious and a trifle heavy1 and the interior comfortable and efficiently furnished4 ,in fact1 it is at this period that we find the first tangible approach to our own idea of a home4 ,the bathroom was still a luxury even in the great houses1 but in most other respects the standard of comfort approached the modern idea4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the first tables made of walnut-wood seem to have followed very much the designs of the ,jacobean oaken tables1 and have the square sturdy look which we associate with oak furniture4 ,one of the first changes to be noticed is in the appearance1 on the legs1 of an inverted bowl decoration as in ,fig4 #df4 ,then we find a change in the stretchers or bars connecting the legs2 these instead of being straight rails between the four corners1 now assume the ,x or tied-stretcher pattern as shown in ,fig4 #dg4 ,this table is inlaid with cedar and boxwood1 and is valued at twelve guineas4 ,fig4 #dh is a ,museum piece of the same period1 the marquetry work on which is very fine--the top being most elaborately inlaid4 ,the inlaid work of this period reached great perfection1 blossoms and birds1 as well as geometrical designs1 being worked out in various woods with great taste and dexterity4 ,it will be noticed that there is a strong family likeness between the two tables1 although the latter is a much finer one4#e ,chinese pottery was 7as has been pointed out7 the rage at this time1 and the flat space in the centre of the tied stretcher was very likely intended to hold a ,chinese bowl4 #e ,fine tables of this type are very expensive4 ,one such was sold at ,christie's in ,june #aiaa for fifty-eight guineas4 ,it was thus described3 ,a ,william and ,mary walnut-wood table1 with one drawer1 the top inlaid with a chariot1 flowers and birds1 in marqueterie of various woods1 on turned legs with ,x-shaped stretcher--#ch in4 wide4 ,william and ,mary tables have turned legs1 which were so popular on the furniture of the preceding period but which were soon to disappear in favour of the cabriole leg4 ,in fact1 the tables in a few years underwent a great transformation1 as will be seen in the next example1 ,fig4 #di4 ,the ,queen ,anne period was a drinking1 gambling1 duelling1 dice-throwing age4 ,in fact1 it is said that loaded dice could be purchased at the toy shops in ,fleet ,street4 ,the spirit of speculation was about4 ,the nation had accumulated wealth a trifle too quickly1 and trustee securities1 as we now understand them1 had small attraction for any one4 ,every one wanted to grow rich at once4 ,the wildest schemes were launched4 ,these culminated in #agbj in the ,south ,sea ,bubble4 ,companies1 as is well known1 were formed with the most extraordinary objects1 such as for the invention of melting down sawdust and chips and casting them into clean deal boards without cracks or flaws2 for the importing of a number of large jackasses from ,spain2 and for an undertaking which shall in due time be revealed4 ,all classes were affected2 and the ,prince of ,wales became governor of a copper company which had an unfortunate end4 ,the gambling spirit was continued in private1 and to this fact we probably owe the existence of the many interesting card-tables of the late ,queen ,anne period4 ,these were1 of course1 only found in the houses of the richer classes1 and are often beautiful pieces of furniture4 ,table legs developed similarly to chair legs4 ,the ubiquitous cabriole1 which has already been dealt with at length1 was applied generally to tables1 with1 later1 the escallop-shell decoration and the claw-and-ball foot4 ,the fine example1 ,fig4 #di1 possesses all these decorations1 together with a pendant under the shell4 ,this specimen was purchased by the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum in #aijd for the sum of twelve pounds1 which figure has1 of course1 little relation to its present value4 ,these tables are generally built with a flap and covered with cloth1 except at the four corners1 where round or square places are left to take candlesticks or glasses2 cups are also shaped in the tables to hold money1 and they are sometimes provided with secret drawers4 ,we have read extraordinary stories of great sums being discovered in these drawers--the proceeds of a night when the old home was gambled away2 but personally we have not chanced on such a find4 ,tables with two flaps were also used as breakfast-and small dining-tables4 ,they were generally oval1 but sometimes round1 and occasionally square4 ,these types were repeated later in mahogany with added decorative details1 and later still ,sheraton adopted the folding-table1 converting it to his own style4 ,tables in great variety were made in this period1 but the heavy type of table of the previous century went out with the banqueting-hall and has never returned4 ,the gate-leg table1 which originated in the oaken period1 is dealt with in ,volume ,i42 and no doubt in many parts of the country it continued to be made in oak1 but it does not appear ever to have become popular in walnut1 which1 after all1 was never a wood in general use in country districts4 ,fashion has a strong controlling influence over furniture1 as it has over so many other matters of taste4 ,the table with cabriole legs came into fashion1 and immediately cabriole legs in some form or other became de rigueur4 ,the slender-legged gate-leg table did not offer sufficient opportunity to the wood-carver1 and was also rather unsuitable for card-playing4 ,its perfect plainness1 moreover1 was not to the taste of an age which inclined towards richness and colour in its household surroundings4 ,,chapter ,v3 ,,chests ,,of ,,drawers1 ,,tallboys1 ,,cabinets ,,and ,,china ,,cabinets ,in ,volume ,i41 dealing with the oak period1 we traced the evolution of the chest of drawers from the simple chest or coffer1 first by the addition of an under-drawer to the coffer2 then1 the main body of the chest being subdivided into convenient drawers 7with the consequent disappearance of the lid71 we had the primitive form of the chest of drawers1 the term chest still clinging--apparently for all time--to the structure4 ,the earlier chests of drawers1 dating from about the middle of the seventeenth century1 were comparatively small1 usually with raised panels or mouldings2 occasionally we find them with decorations of simple carved scroll-work and guilloche banding4 ,the prolongation of the stiles to form feet1 as in the simple chest1 had disappeared in favour of bracketed corners or ball feet1 as in ,figs4 #ej and #ea4 ,fig4 #ej represents an interesting chest of drawers1 simple in outline but elaborately decorated4 ,the top is inlaid en parterre with four corner scroll designs and a centre design of birds1 flowers1 and fruit1 in ebony and laburnum wood on a ground of holly4 ,a delicately cut laurel-leaf band of inlay 7shaded with hot sand7 frames the top1 sides1 and drawer fronts4 ,it belongs approximately to about #afhj4 ,the dimensions are fairly typical for the period1 being #cf in4 high1 #ci in4 wide1 and #bc in4 deep4 ,fig4 #ea is of rather unusual form1 having three large drawers in the upper portion and one long drawer under1 which is capped by a bold moulding4 ,the oblong panel decorations consist of marquetry designs of conventional flowers in ebony1 holly1 rose1 and laburnum woods4 ,this also belongs to the year #afhj2 #da in4 high1 #dj in4 wide1 and #bc in4 deep4 ,it has a value of about eighteen guineas4 ,marquetry began to come into favour in this country about #afge-afhj4 ,we quote ,mr4 ,pollen1 who says3 ,at first the chief motives in design appear to have been acanthus leaves1 figures1 and arabesques1 under ,italian and ,french influence3 a little later1 designs of flowers and birds1 treated in a more realistic fashion1 were introduced by the ,dutch4 ,finally1 about #agjj1 these two styles passed into an ,english style of very delicate leaf-work of conventional form1 often intricately mingled with scrolls and strap-work2 and geometrical designs were used4 ,mr4 ,macquoid remarks that investigation proves that1 compared with the ,english manufacture1 ,dutch marquetrie is always duller in colour and more disconnected in design4 ,late in the seventeenth and early in the eighteenth centuries we find the chests of drawers raised on twisted or turned legs1 which are fixed to a shallow plinth or joined near the ground by shaped stretchers4 ,for the first-named type we refer readers to ,fig4 #eb1 a specimen at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,it is built of pinewood overlaid with lignum vit1 sycamore and walnut1 in small roundish pieces cut across the grain4 ,the top is further decorated with sycamore bands arranged in two concentric circles in the centre1 surrounded by intersecting segments4 ,in the corners are quadrants4 ,each side has a large circle of similar materials4 ,the structure is #c ft4 #h in4 high and #c ft4 #d in4 wide4 ,it cost the museum #aj in #ahih4 ,fig4 #ec1 another dwarf chest of drawers of the same period1 also at the museum1 is of oak and pine veneered with various woods4 ,this is an excellent example illustrating the amount of labour expended by the craftsmen of the day on the early examples of veneering4 ,on the face of the top drawer alone there are no less than twenty large and thirty-three small pieces of veneer1 exclusive of the bordering4 ,the feet are very unusual1 having a curiously booted appearance1 with the soles clearly indicated4 ,this and the previous example bear the brass drop handles and fretted escutcheons of the period4 ,great variety is displayed in these brass fitments4 ,the handles more often are of elongated pear shape1 but occasionally resemble a flattened flower-bud4 ,the ring handles appeared somewhat later4 ,as types of the chests of drawers on legs we give two illustrations4 ,fig4 #ed1 from a photograph supplied by ,messrs4 ,hampton and ,sons ,ltd41 ,pall ,mall1 represents a fine specimen of veneered work of the ,william and ,mary period4 ,the figuring in the walnut veneer is very good and finely matched4 ,the stand is tall1 with but one long shallow drawer4 ,the turned legs are particularly graceful in outline4 ,it will be noticed that the inverted cup detail is repeated in the china cabinet 7,fig4 #fi71 amongst the illustrations of lacquered furniture4 ,fig4 #ee possesses twisted legs1 a survival of the ,stuart period proper4 ,during the reign of ,william and ,mary and that of ,anne1 we are1 strictly1 still in the ,stuart period--the two queens being wholly and ,william half ,stuart4 ,with the abdication of ,james ,,ii4 there was a change in the temper of the people and a comparatively abrupt change in the furniture4 ,in the chest under discussion the upper portion is severely plain1 whilst the lower half or stand is of particularly graceful outline4 ,we see how the stand is gradually being brought into requisition1 not only as a stand1 but to hold extra drawers--quite small drawers at first4 ,the lifting of the central arch and consequent shallowing of the corresponding small drawer give a pleasing diversity of line4 ,this structure is scarcely a tallboy1 being rather a chest of drawers on a stand2 and the stand1 more than anything 7as in the previous illustration71 points to the reign of ,william and ,mary4 ,this piece is in the possession of ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 of the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin4 ,the owner values it at ten guineas4 ,something more nearly approaching the genuine tallboy is shown in the coloured frontispiece4 ,here we have the stand growing deeper and containing five small drawers4 ,the angular-kneed cabriole legs denote the period--about #agaj1 the middle of ,queen ,anne's reign4 ,the veneer is of richly figured walnut banded with herring-bone inlay4 ,it is furnished with brass handles and engraved escutcheons4 ,we begin to see how increasing wealth in clothes called for more commodious furniture4 ,this piece has six drawers in the upper carcase in addition to the five small ones in the stand3 altogether a very considerable storage capacity as compared with the dumpy chests of drawers of earlier make4 ,by easy stages we arrive at the tallboy pure and simple1 sometimes called double chest or chest on chest4 ,the term tall is obvious1 but boy is not so clear4 ,the tallboy was purely the outcome of a demand for something more commodious than the early form4 ,it was made in two sections1 mainly for convenience in moving1 and partly1 by breaking up the lines1 to lighten the appearance of what would otherwise be a somewhat ungainly structure4 ,there is scarcely room for much variation in form1 and the tallboys of the ,queen ,anne and early ,georgian period are very much of one family4 ,fig4 #ef is of walnut-wood bordered with a herring-bone banding of yew-wood4 ,a lightness is given to the upper portion by the corners being canted and fluted4 ,the oval ring plates are a pleasing feature4 ,this double chest of nine drawers stands #fi in4 high4 ,a well-preserved specimen of this calibre would have a value of from ten to fifteen guineas4 ,fig4 #eg is a less pretentious tallboy chest of six drawers1 valued at ten guineas1 in the possession of ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,springett1 of ,high ,street1 ,rochester4 ,like the majority of these old veneered walnut chests1 the drawer fronts and sides of the main structure are veneered on pine1 whilst the bodies of the drawers are of oak4 ,the fretted escutcheons and cusped handles 7unfortunately not quite uniform7 are exceptionally good4 ,there is interesting documentary evidence connected with this old piece of furniture4 ,pasted on the back of the bottom drawer is the maker's label1 yellow with age4 ,at the top of the label are engraved designs of an elaborate cabinet and four coffins2 underneath is printed the following legend3 ,john ,knowles ,cabinet ,maker and ,sworn ,appraiser1 at the ,cabinet and four ,coffins in ,tooley ,street ,southwark maketh and selleth all sorts of ,cabinets and joiners goods1 ,viz ,cabinets scruetores1 desk and book cases1 bewrowes1 chests of draws and all sorts of tables as wallnut tree mehogny1 wainscot and ,japan'd4 ,all sorts of corner ,cubbords looking glasses and sconces and all other joiner's goods made and sold both wholesale and retail at reasonable rates4 ,likewise funerals decently furnished4 ,we have not been able to unearth any other record of ,john ,knowles4 ,his name does not appear in the first edition of the ,london ,directory1 a very small volume published in #agca1 nor in any subsequent edition up to #agga4 ,the style of printing and archaic spelling1 however1 would point to a date fairly early in the eighteenth century1 probably during the reign of ,george ,i4 ,the mention of mehogny practically precludes an earlier date than #agae-bj4 ,in the earlier days--away back in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries--the wardrobe was a special room1 fitted with closets set apart for the storage of clothes4 ,all through ,tudor times the coffer was in use1 and was all-sufficient to hold the clothes and household linen4 ,we find in ,jacobean times the coffer growing into the chest of drawers1 and1 in addition1 tall hanging-cupboards were coming into use4 ,but it is not till the reign of ,queen ,anne--the walnut period--that we find the prototype of the present-day wardrobe1 with its roomy drawers1 hanging-cupboards1 and numerous shelves4 ,the inspiration of this eminently useful article came from ,holland4 ,it is made usually of oak and pine veneered with walnut and1 as often as not1 inlaid with marquetry4 ,the upper storey consists of small drawers and shelves enclosed by two doors and surmounted by a curved cornice1 the lower portion being a chest of three or four long drawers4 ,even the admittedly ,english-made specimens are so extremely ,dutch in appearance1 that it is probable the majority were designed and made by the ,dutchmen who came over in the train of ,william ,,iii4 ,we give an example in ,fig4 #eh of an inlaid hanging-press or wardrobe1 showing decidedly ,dutch influence in the lower portion1 particularly noticeable in the protruding knees set at an angle of forty-five degrees4 ,the marquetry designs of vases and flowers are also of ,dutch type4 ,it is of average size1 being #ia in4 high1 #ff in4 wide1 and #bb in4 deep4 ,as with the other furniture of the walnut period1 the early wardrobes were extremely solid and dignified in appearance4 ,the modern maker has made improvements as to interior fittings1 but on general principles the old pieces leave little or nothing to be desired4 ,the old-time craftsman was conscientious in his work4 ,we do not find the doors flying open unasked2 the drawers have no nasty habits of refusing to open or close4 ,the ,queen ,anne or early ,georgian wardrobe1 which is sound to-day1 bids fair to outlive our great-grandchildren1 and should be cheap at its average selling-price--say1 twenty to thirty pounds4 ,the china cabinet came in with the craze for ,oriental porcelain4 ,we shall have more to say upon this subject in the chapter on lacquer4 ,fulham stoneware1 ,bristol and ,lambeth ,delft and other early ,english ,clome had no claim on cabinet space4 ,the more pretentious pieces1 when not in actual use1 adorned the court cupboard and sideboard cheek by jowl with the family silver or pewter4 ,in the main1 all pottery was for use rather than ornament until the blue-and-white and famille verte arrived from ,china1 and we shall scarcely find a glazed china cabinet earlier than the ,orange accession4 ,many of the ,william and ,anne bureaux were surmounted by cabinets1 the doors glazed with panes of glass set in designs consisting of small squares or oblongs with larger sexagonals or octagonals4 ,this form was used either as a bookcase or a china cabinet4 ,unglazed corner cupboards1 often bow-fronted and lacquered1 made to hang in the angle of the wall1 were for storage1 rather than display1 of china4 ,another variety of corner cupboard made to stand on the floor has a glazed upper storey4 ,these belong to the varieties of furniture used by the middle classes1 whilst the cabinet of the china collector would be an imposing structure of more elegant design surmounted on legs joined by shaped stretchers4 ,we give an example in the chapter on lacquer4 ,fig4 #ei is an example of a china cabinet in marquetry work1 with scrolled cornice1 two glazed doors1 two cupboards1 bracketed base1 and shaped under-framing4 ,this piece has a value of about #cj4 ,the walnut period is rich in cabinets1 which were used for the storage of papers and valuables--structures quite distinct from the writing-desks of the period4 ,some types will be found in the illustrations to the chapter on lacquered furniture4 ,it must be borne in mind that the lacquering was often but an afterthought decoration4 ,scrape away the pseudo-,chinese decoration and we shall probably find the beautiful old walnut veneer4 ,,chapter ,,vi3 ,,secretaires1 ,,bureaux1 ,,and ,,writing-,,tables ,one would naturally suppose that the writing-desk is as old as the art of writing4 ,so far as this country is concerned1 the writing-desk of a sort was known in very early times4 ,in the art library of the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum are illuminated ,,mss4 of about #addj-adej showing scribes working at sloping desks of simple construction4 ,coming to ,elizabethan and early ,jacobean times1 we find desks of small dimensions mounted on table-stands1 but it is fairly certain that the ordinary tables of the house were more often used for writing purposes4 ,the composite article--secretaire1 escritoire1 or bureau 7interchangeable terms7--for writing and storage of writing materials is the product of the end of the seventeenth century4 ,the connection between the writer or secretary 7secretus1 early ,latin2 secretarius1 late ,latin7 and his desk1 the secretaire1 is obvious4 ,escritoire is but another form of the word2 sometimes scrutoire or scruetoire in corrupt ,english4 ,bureau in the ,french was originally a russet cloth which covered the desk 7from the ,latin burrus1 red71 but came to mean the desk itself1 and also the office in which the business was transacted4 ,we look back upon the ,elizabethan times as the ,renaissance period of ,english literature1 but even then the lettered were in the minority4 ,by the end of the seventeenth century literature had spread to the middle classes1 and we find the ,press pouring out countless ponderous volumes on every imaginable subject4 ,it is the age of the diarists1 conspicuous amongst whom were ,samuel ,pepys and ,john ,evelyn1 whose gossipy daily journals bring us so intimately in touch with the political and social life of the times4 ,it is the age of the pamphleteers and essayists whose effusions led up to the semi-satirical periodicals of the early eighteenth century--chief amongst them being the ,spectator1 started by ,joseph ,addison and ,richard ,steele in #agaj4 ,this vast outpouring of literature called for more commodious writing-desks1 and the escritoire or bureau is the natural result4 ,like the other furniture of the period1 the desks were solid and dignified4 ,in the main they were severe in outline1 but generally reflected the prevailing architecture of the period1 which was derived from the ,italian ,renaissance4 ,we find the desks often surmounted by finely moulded1 boldly carved cornices and broken pediments4 ,as the ,dutch influence grew we find the lower portions1 containing commodious long drawers1 with rounded or bomb fronts4 ,the principal wood used was walnut1 sometimes solid and sometimes veneered on oak and pine4 ,we also find the same schemes in marquetry work1 as in the chests of drawers1 cabinets1 and clock-cases showing ,continental influences4 ,fig4 #fj represents a ,william and ,mary period bureau of simple outline surmounted by a panelled cupboard with bookshelves4 ,the raised panels are of the late ,jacobean type4 ,it is built of solid walnut1 oak and limewood4 ,behind the visible stationery cases are concealed a number of secret recesses2 the two pillars flanking the small central cupboard are the fronts of two narrow upright sliding receptacles2 on removing these1 springs are released which secure inner secret drawers4 ,this bureau1 valued at sixteen guineas1 is in the possession of ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,springett1 of ,rochester4 ,fig4 #fa1 dating from early eighteenth century1 is a bureau with four serpentine drawers below decorated with sprigs of flowers4 ,it stands on depressed ball feet much like ,china oranges4 ,the knees set at an angle denote the ,dutch influence1 if it were not actually made in ,holland4 ,the piece1 standing #dc in4 high and #dj in4 wide1 is valued at eighteen guineas4 ,fig4 #fb1 a walnut-wood small bureau with sloping lid and knee-hole recess1 belongs to ,queen ,anne's reign4 ,beneath the lid are numerous useful small drawers and stationery cases4 ,it bears the charming original brass drop handles in form of flattened flower-buds4 ,this type was very popular all through the eighteenth century4 ,in general outline it is of the pattern adopted by modern makers of small bureaux4 ,fig4 #fc represents a charming type of ,queen ,anne period pedestal writing-table with knee-hole recess4 ,it is a beautiful example of figured walnut veneered on oak2 all the drawers are oak-lined4 ,it was recently purchased in ,london for ten pounds4 ,the knee-hole writing table--of which the present is an example--is a type of ,queen ,anne furniture of the greatest utility4 ,it has many drawers as well as a cupboard underneath1 and1 for its size1 may be said to represent the maximum of usefulness4 ,whilst seated at it you may be said to have the whole of its resources to your hand1 which can scarcely be said of the bureau1 as1 when the writing-flap falls1 it is difficult to get to the drawers beneath4 ,the ,queen ,anne knee-hole table is becoming rarer1 and the writers would certainly recommend its purchase should opportunity arise4 ,its pleasing lines and frequently beautiful arrangement of veneers make it a desirable addition to almost any room4 ,its dimensions are slender1 usually measuring at the top about #cj by #ba ins4 ,fig4 #fd represents a still simpler form of ,queen ,anne writing-table on solid walnut cabriole legs4 ,the drawer fronts and top are veneered and inlaid with simple bands4 ,this specimen has a value of about #e4 ,the photograph was supplied by ,mr4 ,springett1 of ,rochester4 ,this form of table and the one previously illustrated are sometimes described as dressing-tables4 ,they were probably used for both purposes1 and they certainly lend themselves to either use4 ,one of the most useful forms of the escritoire1 or bureau1 is of the type given in ,figs4 #fe and #ff4 ,it was bought recently in ,mid-,somerset at a cost of thirty pounds4 ,this type is made in two sections1 sometimes with bracketed feet and sometimes with ball feet4 ,the bureau under consideration is of an average size1 being #e ft4 #c in4 high1 #c ft4 #g in4 wide1 and #ai in4 deep4 ,it is of rectangular form and the falling front1 which serves as a writing-table1 is supported by jointed steel rods4 ,the opened front discloses an assemblage of drawers and pigeon-holes4 ,the pigeon-holes at the top pull out in four sections1 and behind are hidden numerous small drawers4 ,other secret drawers are so ingeniously contrived that they can only be discovered on pulling out the visible drawers and the dividing pieces on which the drawers run4 ,the middle member of the cornice details forms the front of a shallow drawer running the whole length and depth of the bureau top4 ,this bureau1 which contains in all about thirty drawers and recesses1 is built of red deal overlaid with thick veneers of walnut and fine knotted pollard oak of dark hue1 with cross-banded edges of walnut in various shades4 ,the visible drawers are of oak throughout1 whilst the hidden ones are oak-bodied with red deal fronts to match the lining of the main structure--thus ingeniously disguising their presence4 ,we have seen specimens of the same type entirely veneered with walnut and others inlaid with marquetry4 ,these bureaux1 dating from about #afij well into ,queen ,anne's reign1 have selling values of from #be to #ce4 ,there must be an added sentimental pleasure in sitting at an escritoire which was possibly the treasured possession of a pamphleteer or diarist of the last years of the rebellion3 an sthetic joy in rummaging amongst the secret drawers which contained the journals in cypher of the wire-pullers of the new monarchy4 ,,chapter ,,vii3 ,,clocks ,,and ,,clock-,,cases ,a learned dissertation on clocks and the theory of time would be out of place in a volume of this description1 and anything we have to say concerning the clocks of the walnut period will1 of necessity1 be of a popular nature4 ,in ,england the chamber clocks1 as distinguished from the costly and elaborate timepieces which adorned public buildings1 appear to have been introduced about the year #afjj4f ,the type is fairly familiar1 and is known as the lantern1 bird-cage1 or bedpost4 ,amongst dealers such clocks are usually styled lantern or ,cromwell4 ,they usually stood on a wall-bracket1 but sometimes were suspended from a nail4 ,the clocks are built of brass surmounted by a bell1 sometimes used for striking the hours and sometimes only for an alarm4 ,the clocks were often housed in hooded oak cases1 which protected them from the dust4 #f ,strictly speaking1 ,de ,vyck's clock1 invented about #acgj1 is the earliest known type of the domestic clock4 ,made for the wealthy few in days when the generality of people did not look upon clocks as necessities1 they only exist to-day as rare museum specimens4 ,these original cases are sometimes met with and are interesting in themselves1 but the brass clocks are more ornamental when minus the cases4 ,these clocks were made to run for thirty hours1 the motive power being a heavy weight with a cord or chain4 ,at first the vertical verge movement was used1 but about #afeh the pendulum was introduced4 ,the alternate bobbing in and out of the short pendulum through slits in either side of the clock accounts for the term bob pendulum4 ,it has been noticed that the doors of these early clocks were often constructed from old sundial plates1 the engraved figures of the sundial still showing on the insides4 ,doubtless the sundial makers1 finding their trade falling off1 used the materials in hand for the new-fangled clocks4 ,the dial-plate of the early lantern clock is circular1 with a band of metal 7sometimes silvered7 for the numerals1 which at first were rather short4 ,about #afdj the hour-hands were made wider and the numerals longer4 ,after about #affj1 we find the circular dial growing larger in relation to the body of the clock and protruding slightly on either side4 ,during the latter years of ,queen ,anne's reign the dial-plates often protruded as much as two or three inches on either side4 ,this did not improve the general appearance4 ,clocks of this pattern are known as the sheep's head4 ,with such slight variations the lantern clock was made from ,elizabeth's to ,george ,,iii4's reigns4 ,the late ones1 probably made by provincial clock-makers1 have square dials with arched tops4 ,the tops of the square cases of the lantern clocks are often surrounded by fretted galleries4 ,as a rule the four fretted pieces are all of one pattern1 but generally the front one only is engraved4 ,a favourite form of fret is that in which the crossed dolphins appear2 this pattern came in between #affj and #afgj4 ,these lantern clocks with ornamental galleries are furnished with bells as wide as the clock-case suspended from two intersecting arched bands stretching from corner to corner4 ,they are finished off by the addition of a turned pinnacle at each corner and a fifth one on the apex of the bell4 ,such clocks were apparently not intended to be covered by an outer wooden case4 ,they would not be greatly harmed by dust1 as they contain no delicate mechanism4 ,these old-world lantern clocks were practically indestructible1 and until a few years ago they could be found in plenty in the old farm-houses1 and would fetch but a pound or two at auction4 ,of recent years1 with the growth of the collecting habit1 the dealers have found a ready market1 and to-day a well-made lantern clock in original condition has an appreciable value of from five to ten pounds4 ,they have but a single hand1 like the old clock on ,westminster ,abbey1 and consequently to tell the exact time of day is a matter of guess-work1 as only the quarters are marked4 ,to tell the time within a quarter of an hour would have been sufficient for the original owners1 who had no trains to catch4 ,the usual process to-day is to substitute a modern eight-day fuzee movement for the old thirty-hour verge4 ,thus1 by eliminating the chain and weight1 the clock is adapted for a place on the mantelshelf4 ,from a decorative point of view it is difficult to conceive anything more charming as a finish to a walnut period room4 ,fig4 #fg is a bird-cage clock at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the dial1 which is very nicely engraved with a flower design1 is signed ,andrew ,prime ,londini ,fecit4 ,it has dolphin-pattern frets on three sides4 ,the side frets are engraved to match the front one4 ,this clock cost the museum #d #ds4 in #ahib4 ,andrew ,prime was admitted to the ,clockmakers' ,company in #afdg1 and we shall be within the mark in assuming that the clock was made some time between that date and #afhj4 ,the dolphin decoration would1 indeed1 point to a date not earlier than #affj1 and1 furthermore1 the length of the pendulum would suggest not earlier than #afge4 ,in ,fig4 #fh we give an illustration of a small lantern clock by ,anthony ,marsh1 of ,london1 with its original hooded oak case4 ,fig4 #fi is the same clock shown without the hood4 ,this subject was kindly lent for illustration by ,mr4 ,whittaker1 of #df ,wilton ,road1 ,london1 ,s4,w41 one of the comparatively few remaining clock-makers following the old-time traditions4 ,a talk with ,mr4 ,whittaker in his workshop takes us back to the old days of individual work at the lathe and bench1 when each clock-maker was an artist with ideas of his own--a clock-maker in every sense of the word1 making his own parts by hand instead of1 as in these days1 buying them by the gross from the factory4 ,anthony ,marsh1 the maker of the clock illustrated1 was a member of the ,clockmakers' ,company in #agbd1 and worked at ye dial opposite ,bank of ,england4 ,marsh is a well-known name amongst the clock-making fraternity1 no less than fifteen of the name following the trade between #afia and #ahdb4 ,contemporary with the lantern clocks of the middle period 7about #affj7 we find the bracket or pedestal clocks enclosed by wooden cases1 as distinguished from the brass-cased chamber clocks4 ,the earlier patterns had flat tops with brass handles for carrying4 ,sometimes they were surmounted by perforated metal domes1 resembling inverted baskets1 to which the handles were fixed4 ,as time went on the tops of the clock-cases were made more dome-shaped and the baskets and handles were elaborately chased4 ,the cases1 often of exquisite workmanship1 were generally constructed of oak or ebony1 and as timepieces these clocks1 by skilled makers1 were far superior to the generality of lantern clocks of the country-side4 ,we associate these bracket-clocks with such names as ,tompion1 ,graham1 and ,quare4 ,thomas ,tompion1 the father of ,english watchmaking1 was born at ,northill1 in ,bedfordshire1 in #afch1 and died in ,london in #agac4 ,he was the leading watchmaker at the ,court of ,charles ,,ii4 ,george ,graham1 ,tompion's favourite pupil1 was born in ,cumberland in #afgc1 and died in ,london in #agea4 ,he was known as ,honest ,george ,graham1 and was probably the most accomplished ,british horologist of his own or any age4 ,he was admitted a freeman of the ,clockmakers' ,company on completion of his apprenticeship in #afie1 when he entered the service of ,tompion4 ,a lifelong friendship was only severed by the death of ,tompion in #agac4 ,graham was elected a fellow of the ,royal ,society in #agbj1 and made a member of the ,society's council in #agcb4 ,even to-day ,graham's dead-beat escapement is used in most pendulum clocks constructed for really accurate time-keeping4 ,the site of ,graham's shop in ,fleet ,street is now occupied by the offices of ,the ,sporting ,life4 ,tompion and ,graham lie in one grave in the nave of ,westminster ,abbey1 near the grave of ,david ,livingstone4 ,daniel ,quare1 a contemporary maker of first rank1 was born in #afdh and died in #agcd4 ,he was ,clockmaker to ,william ,,iii4 ,there is a fine example of a tall clock by ,quare at ,hampton ,court ,palace4 ,quare was the inventor of the repeating watch4 ,fig4 #gj is a bracket clock in marquetry case made by ,john ,martin1 of ,london1 in the seventeenth century4 ,it is fitted with rack striking work invented by ,edward ,barlow 7born #afcf1 died #agaf74 ,it will be noticed that the corners of the dial-plate are ornamented with the winged cherubs' heads which we find so often in the scheme of decoration of ,sir ,christopher ,wren's churches4 ,this clock1 lent by ,lieut4-,col4 ,g4 ,b4 ,c4 ,lyons1 may be seen at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the bracket clocks were the favourite household timepieces before the introduction of the long-cased or grandfather clocks1 which came in some time between #affj and #afgj4 ,the earliest long-cased clocks were furnished with the bob pendulum4 ,the long or royal pendulum was introduced about #afgf4 ,the bob pendulum clock-cases were very narrow--just wide enough to comfortably accommodate the chain and weights1 the primal idea of the case being merely to hide the chains and weights4 ,the wide swing of the long pendulum necessitated more room in the case1 and examples are found with added wings1 showing that long pendulums have been added to the old movements4 ,as with the lantern clocks1 the early long clocks had thirty-hour movements2 but the great makers1 such as ,tompion1 ,graham1 and ,quare1 constructed clocks to run for eight days1 a month1 three months1 and even a year4 ,the introduction of the eight-day movement appears to have been coincident with the long pendulum4 ,the cases of the grandfather clocks1 in the main1 harmonised with the other furniture of the period4 ,the majority of them were built of oak1 and those of country make were generally plain4 ,many were veneered with walnut1 and others 7more rarely7 with ebony4 ,with the advent of ,william ,,iii4 came the taste for marquetry work1 and the long-cased clocks received their due share of this form of ornamentation4 ,the fronts were often pierced with an oval or circular hole filled with greenish bull's-eye glass1 through which the swinging pendulum bob could be seen4 ,about #agaj the taste for marquetry began to wane4 ,the lacquering craze was at its height4 ,clock-cases were sent out to ,china to receive treatment at the hands of the ,chinese lacquerers4 ,it was a lengthy and expensive process3 it probably would take a year or so with the slow travelling and slow drying of the various coats of lacquer4 ,we show1 in the chapter on lacquered furniture1 how the growing demand was met by the ,english and ,dutch lacquerers1 who adopted less expensive and more expeditious1 if less satisfactory1 methods4 ,it is in the nature of things that the old long-cased clocks were gently treated1 and1 consequently1 genuine old specimens are still fairly plentiful4 ,old thirty-hour clocks in plain oak cases with painted dials may still be bought for four or five pounds apiece1 whilst reliable eight-day clocks of fair make will fetch anything from five to ten pounds4 ,we cannot expect to get a ,tompion or ,graham clock for anything like these prices4 ,we had the opportunity five years ago of buying a magnificent ,graham clock in a mahogany case of fine proportions for #bj4 ,it was the chance of a lifetime1 and--the chance was missed4 ,the three illustrations we give 7,figs4 #ga1 #gb1 and #gc7 represent fine examples of marquetry-decorated clocks at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the simple naturalesque style of marquetry1 showing direct ,dutch influence1 is shown in ,fig4 #ga4 ,the carnations are exceedingly lifelike4 ,the dial-plate of this clock1 which is still in good going order1 bears the inscription ,mansell ,bennett at ,charing ,cross4 ,it was probably made about #afij4 ,figs4 #gb and #gc represent the more typically ,english style of delicate geometrical marquetry work1 dating from about #agjj4 ,in both of these clocks the fretted bands of wood beneath the cornices1 as well as the nature of the marquetry1 would point to a later period than that of the ,mansell ,bennett clock4 ,they belong to the ,queen ,anne period4 ,fig4 #gb was made by ,henry ,poisson1 who worked in ,london from #afie to #agbj4 ,fig4 #gc1 unfortunately a clock-case only1 has the original green bull's-eye glass in the door4 ,a word of warning may be in place in regard to grandfather clocks with carved oak cases4 ,such things purporting to be #bjj years old are often advertised for sale1 but are scarcely likely to be genuine4 ,speaking for ourselves1 we have never seen one which bore the impress of genuineness4 ,we must bear in mind that at the date of the introduction of the long case--say #affj-afgj--the practice of carving furniture was rapidly on the wane1 and by the end of the century had practically ceased4 ,in this connection we quote that great authority on old clocks1 ,mr4 ,f4 ,j4 ,britten1 who says3 ,dark oak cases carved in high relief do not seem to have been the fashion of any particular period1 but the result rather of occasional efforts by enthusiastic artists in wood1 and then in most instances they appear to have been made to enclose existing clocks in substitution of inferior or worn-out coverings4 ,in regard to the wonderful time-keeping qualities of old grandfather clocks1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,h4 ,cunyngham1 in his useful little book1 ,time and ,clocks1 expresses the opinion that the secret lies in the length of the pendulum4 ,this1 he writes1 renders it possible to have but a small arc of oscillation1 and therefore the motion is kept very nearly harmonious4 ,for practical purposes nothing will even now beat these old clocks1 of which one should be in every house4 ,at present the tendency is to abolish them and substitute ,american clocks with very short pendulums1 which never can keep good time4 ,they are made of stamped metal and1 when they get out of order1 no one thinks of having them mended4 ,they are thrown into the ashpit and a new one bought4 ,in reality this is not economy4 ,mr4 ,cunyngham's remarks point the moral as to the economy of the long clock4 ,but we should say1 more strictly speaking1 that ,german and ,austrian wall and bracket clocks have to a large extent taken the place of the old ,english long-cased clocks4 ,the shortness of the pendulum is not of necessity the weak point4 ,the bracket clocks of the best ,english makers since the seventeenth century1 with short pendulums1 have been noted for their reliability as timekeepers4 ,efficiency from a badly constructed clock1 be it ,american1 ,german or ,english1 can scarcely be expected4 ,as we have already suggested1 fine clocks by the great masters are now beyond the means of the modest collector2 but serviceable and decorative grandfather clocks of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries are still obtainable at moderate prices4 ,in many cases the dials show great taste in the art of engraving4 ,we must bear in mind that the majority of these clocks--particularly those with the painted dials and plain oak cases--were the joint productions of the country clock-maker and the country joiner1 and numbers of them have the very smallest pretentions to correctness of design4 ,we find clock-cases which have the appearance of being all plinth2 others are too long or too short or too wide in the body2 others are overweighted in the head2 and1 again1 others are too shallow and have an unhappy appearance of being flattened out against the wall4 ,the old oak clock-case of perfect proportions is comparatively rare4 ,the collector must studiously avoid any clock-case which is obviously out of drawing1 and in the main his eye will guide him in the selection4 ,we are indebted to ,mr4 ,stuart ,parker1 an experienced amateur collector of clocks1 for a carefully thought-out opinion as to the ideal dimensions of a clock-case4 ,supposing a full-sized clock-case #g ft4 #f in4 high3 the three main sections should measure as follows3 ,the plinth3 #b ft4 high and #a ft4 #aj in4 wide4 ,the body3 #c ft4 high and #a ft4 #d in4 wide4 ,the head3 #b ft4 #f in4 high and #a ft4 #aj in4 wide4 ,the width is taken at the middle of each of the three sections4 ,the base of the plinth and the cornices of the head section should each measure #b ft4 #a in4 in width4 ,,chapter ,,viii3 ,,lacquered ,,furniture ,english lacquered furniture in the ,oriental taste belongs to the last quarter of the seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth centuries4 ,it is not surprising that when the rage for everything ,chinese and ,japanese--at the time indiscriminately called ,indian--was prevalent1 a school of ,anglo-,oriental craftsmen should have sprung up4 ,the taste was at its height about #agaj1 and continued for many years4 ,the art of lacquering is said by the ,japanese themselves to have been practised in ,japan as early as the third century1 when the ,empress ,jingo conquered ,corea4 ,in the ninth century the ,kioto artists inlaid their lacquer with mother-of-pearl4 ,in the fifteenth century landscape decorations were used1 and by the end of the seventeenth century the art had reached its zenith4 ,the material used in ,japan is resin-lac1 an exudation from the lacquer-tree 7,rhus vernicifera74 ,without going into the details of the art1 it is well to bear in mind that the brilliant surface of ,japanese lacquer is not obtained by varnishing1 but by the actual polishing of the lacquer itself4 ,it is treated as a solid body1 built up stage by stage and polished at every stage4 ,for an exposition of the art one cannot do better than read ,mr4 ,marcus ,b4 ,huish's chapter on lacquer in ,japan and ,its ,art4 ,it was probably not till late ,tudor times that any specimens of ,japanese or ,chinese lacquer found their way to this country1 and then principally in the shape of small cups1 bowls1 and trays4 ,indian ,cabinets are mentioned occasionally in inventories at the end of ,elizabeth's reign1 and in the household accounts of ,charles ,,ii4 there is an item of #ajj for two ,jappan ,cabinets4 ,the ,english and ,portuguese traded with ,japan in ,elizabeth's reign1 but were expelled in #afcg4 ,the ,dutch were more tenacious1 and from the commencement of their trading operations with ,japan1 in #afjj1 managed1 at intervals1 to keep in touch with their new market4 ,even the ,dutch were regarded unfavourably by the ,japanese authorities1 and traded under considerable disabilities4 ,the majority of the lacquered ware which came to ,england filtered through ,holland4 ,it was brought to ,europe round the ,cape in the armed ,dutch merchantmen which1 at the same time1 were bringing home the beautiful old ,imari vases and dishes with kinrande 7brocade7 decorations1 which served later on as the models for the early ,crown ,derby ,old ,japan wares and the simple ,kakiyemon specimens copied at ,chelsea1 ,bow1 and ,dresden4 ,one of these old ships1 the ,middleburg1 trading from the ,china ,seas1 homeward bound and laden with bullion and curios1 went down in ,soldanha ,bay1 off the ,south ,african coast1 on ,october #ah1 #agad4 ,in ,august #aijg the divers salvaged some of the cargo4 ,needless to say1 the ,jappan ,cabinets had long since perished1 but the little ,chinese blue-and-white cups and saucers came to the surface none the worse for nearly two hundred years' immersion in salt water4 ,we are fortunate in still possessing at ,hampton ,court ,palace a goodly number of ,kakiyemon hexagonal covered jars and bottle-shaped vases1 and tall cylindrical ,chinese blue-and-white vases of the ,khang ,hi reign1 placed there by ,william and ,mary2 but the scarcity of contemporary ,english furniture there is deplorable4 ,the real beauty of old ,oriental porcelain is never so apparent as when displayed on the old ,jappan ,cabinets or the sombre furniture of the ,orange-,nassau dynasty4 ,it was fashionable to decry the craze for things ,chinese1 and early eighteenth-century literature teems with gibes at the china maniacs of the day4 ,we have referred in the first chapter of the volume to ,macaulay's small opinion of the merits of old ,chinese porcelain4 ,the ,spectator for ,february #ab1 #agab1 contains a letter from an imaginary ,jack ,anvil who had made a fortune1 married a lady of quality1 and grown into ,sir ,john ,enville4 ,he tells how my ,lady ,mary ,enville next set herself to reform every room in my house1 having glazed all my chimney-pieces with looking glasses1 and planted every corner with such heaps of ,china1 that ,i am obliged to move about my own house with the greatest caution and circumspection for fear of hurting some of our brittle furniture4 ,daniel ,defoe1 in his ,tour of ,great ,britain1 says3 ,the ,queen 7,mary7 brought in the custom or humour1 as ,i may call it1 of furnishing houses with ,china ware which increased to a strange degree afterwards1 piling their ,china upon the tops of ,cabinets1 scrutores and every ,chymney ,piece to the top of the ceilings and even setting up shelves for their ,china ware where they wanted such places1 till it became a grivance in the expence of it and even injurious to their ,families and ,estates4 ,at ,hampton ,court to-day we can see the chimney-pieces in the corners of the smaller closets with the tiers of diminishing shelves reaching almost to the ceilings1 and displayed thereon are the flymy little bits of ,blue which ,mr4 ,henley laughs at in his ,villanelle4 ,perhaps some day our ,national ,museum will overflow and refurnish ,hampton ,court ,palace1 which to-day in its furnishing1 apart from the pictures and tapestries1 is but a shadow of its old self4 ,although germane to the matter1 the foregoing is somewhat in the nature of a digression from the subject of the japanned furniture1 which took such a hold of the popular fancy that the making of such things was practised as a hobby by the amateurs of the period4 ,a ,treatise on ,japanning and ,varnishing was issued by ,john ,stalker in #afhh1 and1 just as painting and the use of the backboard were essentials in the curriculum of the early ,victorian seminary1 so were the young ladies of the reign of ,william ,,iii4 taught the gentle art of ,japanning4 ,in the ,verney ,memoirs we find ,edmund ,verney1 son of ,sir ,john ,verney1 the ,squire of ,east ,claydon1 writing to his little daughter ,molly 7aged about eight years7 in #afhb or #afhc1 at ,mrs4 ,priest's school at ,great ,chelsey3 ,i find you have a desire to learn to ,jappan1 as you call it1 and ,i approve of it1 and so ,i shall of anything that is ,good and ,virtuous1 ,therefore learn in ,god's name all ,good ,things1 and ,i will willingly be at the ,charge so farr as ,i am able--tho' ,they come from ,japan and from never so farr and ,look of an ,indian ,hue and ,odour1 for ,i admire all accomplishments that will render you considerable and ,lovely in the sight of ,god and ,man4444 ,to learn this art costs a ,guiney entrance and some #dj's more to buy materials to work upon4 ,john ,stalker's treatise is probably the earliest printed work in connection with furniture-making4 ,we never hear of any individual name connected with the manufacture of furniture during the oak period1 although there had been a guild of cofferers4 ,the names of the makers of the superb ,charles chairs are lost in oblivion1 and we have to wait till the eighteenth century before any artist-craftsman or designer gives his name to a style4 ,stalker's treatise is contained in a folio volume of eighty-four pages of letterpress and twenty-four pages of copper-plate engravings4 ,the title-page reads3 ,a ,treatise of ,japanning and ,varnishing1 ,being a compleat discovery of those ,arts4 ,with the best way of making all sorts of ,varnish for ,japan1 ,woods1 ,prints1 ,plate or ,pictures4 ,the method of ,guilding1 ,burnishing and ,lackering with the art of ,guilding1 ,separateing and ,refining metals1 and the most curios ways of painting on ,glass or otherwise4 ,also rules for counterfeiting ,tortoise ,shell1 and ,marble and for staining or ,dying ,wood1 ,ivory1 etc4 ,together with above an hundred distinct patterns of ,japan ,work1 for ,tables1 ,stands1 ,frames1 ,cabinets1 ,boxes c4 ,curiously engraven on #bd large ,copper ,plates4 ,by ,john ,stalker ,september the #gth #afhh4 ,licenced ,r4 ,midgley and entered according to order4 ,oxford ,printed for and sold by the ,author1 living at the ,golden ,ball in ,st4 ,james ,market ,london in the year ,,mdclxxxviii4 ,this comprehensive work is ,dedicated to the ,,right ,honourable ,the ,countess of ,darby a lady no less eminent for her quality1 ,beauty and ,vertue1 then for her incomparable ,skill and ,experience in the ,arts that those ,experiments belong to1 as well as in several others4 ,in a page and a half of the preface the author takes us through the history of painting from early ,grecian times1 particularly pointing out that the art of portrait-painting alone can keep our memories green4 ,he goes on to say3 ,well then as painting has made an honourable provision for our bodies so ,japanning has taught us a method1 no way inferior to it1 for the splendour and preservation of our ,furniture and ,houses4 ,these ,buildings1 like our bodies1 continually tending to ruin and dissolution are still in want of fresh supplies and reparations4 ,on the one hand they are assaulted with unexpected mischances1 on the other with the injuries of time and weather2 but the art of ,japanning has made them almost impregnable against both2 no damp air1 no mouldring worm1 or corroding time1 can possibly deface it2 and1 which is more wonderful1 although its ingredients the ,gums1 which are in their own nature inflamable yet this most vigorously resists the fire1 and is itself found to be incombustible4 ,true1 genuine ,japan1 like the ,salamander1 lives in the flames1 and stands unalterable1 when the wood which was imprison'd in it1 is utterly consumed4444 ,what can be more surprising then to have our chambers overlaid with varnish more glassy and reflecting than polisht ,marble8 ,no ,amorous ,nymph need entertain a ,dialogue with her ,glass1 or ,narcissus retire to a ,fountain1 to survey his charming countenance1 when the house is one entire speculum4 ,to this we subjoin the ,golden ,draught1 with which ,japan is so exquisitively adorned1 than which nothing can be more beautiful1 more rich or majestick4 ,in ,john ,stalker's opinion ,europe1 both ,ancient and ,modern1 must in the adornments of cities give pride of place to ,japan1 for surely this ,province was ,nature's ,darling and the ,favourite of the ,gods1 for ,jupiter has vouchsaft it a visit as formally to ,danae in a ,golden shower4 ,in an epistle to the ,reader and ,practitioner he severely censures inferior artificers who without modesty or blush impose upon the gentry such ,stuff and ,trash1 for ,japan work1 that whether it is a greater scandal to the name or artifice1 ,i cannot determine4 ,might we advise such foolish pretenders1 their time would be better imployed in drawing ,whistles and ,puppets for the ,toyshops to please ,children1 than contriving ornaments for a room of ,state4 ,he cautions the reader against the common error of mistaking ,bantam work for real ,japan4 ,this must be alledged for the ,bantam work that it is very pretty1 c4 c42 but the ,japan is more grave and majestick 444 the ,japan artist works most of all in ,gold and other metals1 and ,bantam for the generality in colours with a small sprinkling of ,gold here and there1 like the patches on a ,ladie's countenance4 ,he professes1 in the ,cutts or ,patterns1 to have exactly imitated the towers1 steeples1 figures and rocks of ,japan according to designs of such found on imported specimens4 ,perhaps we have helped them a little in their proportions where they were lame or defective1 and made them more pleasant1 yet altogether as ,antick4 ,had we industriously contrived the prospective1 or shadowed them otherwise than they are3 we should have wandered from the ,design1 which is only to imitate the true genuine ,indian work1 and perhaps in a great measure might puzzle and confound the unexperienced ,practitioner4 ,it may interest readers to know the market prices of some of the materials used in #afhh4 ,seed-lac1 #ads4 to #ahs4 per lb42 gum sandrack1 #as4 to #as4 #b;d4 per lb42 gum anim1 #cs4 to #es4 per lb42 ,venice turpentine1 #as4 #f;d4 to #as4 #h;d4 per lb42 white rosin1 #d;d4 to #f;d4 per lb42 shell-lac1 #as4 #f;d4 to #bs4 per lb42 gum arabic1 #as4 per lb42 gum copall1 #as4 to #as4 #f;d4 per lb42 gum elemni1 #d;d4 to #e;d4 per oz42 benjamin or benzoine1 #d;d4 to #h;d4 per oz42 dragon's blood1 #h;d4 to #as4 per oz4 ,brass dust1 ,stalker says1 cannot be made in ,england1 though it has often been tried4 ,the best1 we learn1 comes from ,germany6 ,he goes on to describe various metal-dusts1 such as ,silver dust1 ,green ,gold1 ,dirty ,gold1 ,powder tinn1 and ,copper4 ,of the makers of speckles of divers sorts--gold1 silver1 copper--,i shall only mention two1 viz4 a ,goldbeater1 at the hand and hammer in ,long ,acre2 and another of the same trade over against ,mercers ,chappel in ,cheapside4 ,the twenty-four pages of ,cutts include designs for ,powder ,boxes1 ,looking glass frames1 ,for ,drauers for ,cabbinets to be placed according to your fancy1 and ,for a ,standish for ,pen ,inke and paper which may also serve for a comb box4 ,the drawings include ,an ,embassy1 ,a ,pagod ,worshipp in ye ,indies1 and another sketch in which the central figure would appear to be a hybrid ,red ,indian before whom several devotees are grovelling4 ,we have quoted ,john ,stalker at some length as giving interesting sidelights on an industry occupying the attentions of a numerous class in his own day4 ,for the actual carrying out of the methods employed we must refer the reader to the book itself--a book which is invaluable to any one who has a piece of ,old ,english lac in want of repair4 ,there is an old-world charm about the work of the ,stalker and contemporary schools1 but in point of real beauty it is as far removed from the ,japanese lacquer as the ,oriental porcelain of the eighteenth-century ,european factories is from its ,chinese or ,japanese prototype4 ,the complaint has often been made of the lack of perspective in the ,oriental decorations4 ,this may be said1 to use a hackneyed phrase1 to be the defect of its qualities4 ,we have by this time come to see things to a certain extent through ,japanese eyes1 and have learnt to love the defect4 ,the artist of ,old ,japan--be he painter1 potter1 metal-worker1 or lacquerer--was an artist to his finger-tips1 and his work was full of a symbolism utterly incomprehensible to the ,western mind4 ,those in ,japan who know will tell you that a master lacquerer of the seventeenth century would spend many years on the decoration of a simple1 small box4 ,in the initial stage--the preparation of the background--it has been calculated that #ecj hours are required in the aggregate for drying the various layers2 but the young ladies at ,mrs4 ,priest's school at ,great ,chelsey in the seventeenth century expect1 by the aid of ,stalker's instructions1 to learn the art in twelve lessons6 ,honest ,john ,stalker thinks he can improve upon his ,japanese models1 with the result that1 whilst we may have a little less of the defect1 we have scarcely any of the qualities4 ,it is ever thus when ,west attempts to copy ,east4 ,we may mention in passing that the ,french furniture-makers of the eighteenth century utilised1 in the production of some of their finest commodes1 drawer-fronts and panels of genuine ,japanese lacquer which must have been manufactured specially for the ,french market1 exhibiting1 as they do1 shapes quite foreign to anything in use in ,japan4 ,it is highly probable that these serpentine and bow-shaped drawer-fronts were sent out to ,japan to receive their decoration4 ,in the ,jones ,bequest at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 we can see superb examples of such belonging to the period of ,louis ,,xv4 ,it is said that ,madame ,pompadour expended #aaj1jjj livres on ,japanese lacquer4 ,marie ,antoinette's collection in the ,louvre is considerable2 but it is quite certain that the finest examples of the art never left ,japan4 ,mr4 ,huish1 to whose book we have above referred1 gives some interesting statistics pointing to the scarcity of fine old lacquer in this country during the early days of trade with the ,east4 ,in one year during the eighteenth century eleven ships sailed1 and1 whilst carrying #af1ehj pieces of porcelain1 they brought only twelve pieces of lac4 ,to-day ,old ,english lacquered furniture is much sought after1 and prices are advancing rapidly4 ,the coloured varieties include red1 blue1 green1 violet1 and occasionally buff4 ,the red in particular is highly prized4 ,black lac1 which was made in great quantities in every shape of furniture1 is still comparatively plentiful4 ,an early eighteenth-century grandfather's clock1 which might fetch anything from five to ten pounds if the case were of plain oak1 would have a selling value of from ten to twenty pounds if lacquered4 ,evidence points to the fact that1 in the majority of cases1 the lacquer was an afterthought4 ,the furniture of the day was turned out1 in the ordinary course of trade1 quite innocent of lacquer1 and afterwards treated by professional japanners--sometimes maltreated by amateurs4 ,not long since1 in our own day1 there was a similar craze for covering furniture with enamel paints4 ,fig4 #gd is an interesting china cabinet in black lacquer of ,william and ,mary period1 #g ft4 #e in4 high and #e ft4 wide1 priced at #cj4 ,a first-class modern mahogany or walnut-wood cabinet of the size could scarcely be made for the money1 whilst the old lac1 apart from its intrinsic charm1 has an additional sentimental value as marking a phase in the history of furniture--a phase in decoration4 ,in this cabinet we have also a development in form2 it is palpably the product of a period when the rage for collecting porcelain was prevalent1 and in the same connection it is no less useful to-day4 ,the modern designer scarcely invents anything more appropriate4 ,it is interesting to note this cabinet as an example of the afterthought in decoration4 ,the owners--,messrs4 ,story and ,triggs ,ltd41 of ,queen ,victoria ,street1 ,london--have discovered that the lacquer is superimposed on walnut veneer6 ,it tells its own tale4 ,fig4 #ge is an early example of red lacquer1 a cabinet with boldly arched cornice2 the repetition of the arch at either end gives a fine architectural finish to the top4 ,the upper part encloses shelves1 and there are four drawers in the base4 ,the decoration consists of various ,chinese views of ladies in a garden1 a temple with a man and children1 trees1 rocks and lakes4 ,it was probably made about #afij2 #ge in4 high1 #ca in4 wide1 and #bc in4 deep4 ,fig4 #gf is somewhat later--about #agaj--with typical ,queen ,anne period cabriole legs and claw-and-ball feet4 ,the doors1 which enclose five drawers1 are decorated with figures1 buildings1 birds and flowers1 and are furnished with finely chased ormolu lock-plates and hinges4 ,it is of black lacquer with red and gold reliefs1 measures #fg in4 by #ci in4 by #ai in1 and is valued at about #de4 ,fig4 #gg is still later--about #agcj--;a cabinet surmounted on plain cabriole legs4 ,on the front is a view of a lake with ,oriental figures1 cocks1 and vegetation4 ,inside the doors are studies of the lotus-flower in vases4 ,the hinges and lock-plates are fine examples of ,english metal-work in the ,chinese taste4 ,this piece is #ef in4 high and #cf in4 wide1 and is valued at #ce4 ,for comparison we give an example 7,fig4 #gh7 of a piece of lacquered furniture made in ,china about #agdj4 ,this dressing-table1 built of camphor-wood1 and still exhaling a delicate fragrance1 was evidently made for ,england and copied1 as to shape1 from an ,english table4 ,it is inlaid with mother-of-pearl designs of landscape1 birds1 and flowers2 and the interior is fitted with a mirror1 writing-desk1 and numerous boxes4 ,during the ,english japanning period1 every imaginable shape of furniture received this ,oriental treatment4 ,besides the various forms of cabinet1 we find lacquered mirror-frames1 dressing-tables1 corner cupboards1 hanging cupboards1 chests and chests of drawers1 chairs1 work-boxes1 writing-desks1 coffee-tables1 card-tables1 pole-screens1 trays1 barometer-cases1 and even bellows-cases4 ,we give an example of a simple mirror in red lacquered frame with arched top 7,fig4 #gi74 ,it measures #ci in4 by #ai in4 ,this and the three preceding examples are the property of ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 of ,the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin4 ,fig4 #hj is a barometer in lacquered case of about #agjj4 ,fig4 #ha1 at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 is of ,dutch make of the early eighteenth century--a dressing-glass suspended between two uprights1 which are supported on a cabinet with sloping front4 ,inside the cabinet is a compartment with a hinged door1 flanked on either side by an open compartment1 one long and two short drawers4 ,the lower part has seventeen compartments fitted with boxes1 brushes1 and various toilet requisites4 ,the lacquer is raised and gilt on a red ground1 showing groups of figures in ,chinese costumes1 buildings1 landscapes and floral designs with birds4 ,fig4 #hb is a somewhat similar glass but of ,english make4 ,the woods composing it are poplar1 pine and oak1 and it is decorated with blue and gold lacquer1 the effect of which is the reverse of pleasing4 ,we have said that the ,european lacquer will not bear close comparison with the ,old ,japanese4 ,the methods of the ,chinese were simpler1 and the ,english japanner 7it is1 of course1 a misleading term7 was more successful in his attempts to copy the ,chinese cabinets4 ,his best examples1 if indeed they fell far short in technique1 did in method to a large-extent approximate to the work of the ,celestial4 ,english lacquer as a mere investment is worth buying at reasonable prices1 and in choosing pieces the collector will do well to look1 as much as possible1 for the real ,oriental feeling4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4 ,,mantelpiece ,,in ,,hampton ,,court ,,palace ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4 ,,bedsteads ,,at ,,hampton ,,court ,,palace ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4 ,,room ,,in ,,clifford',s ,,inn 7,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4 ,,carving ,,in ,,pinewood ,,attributed ,,to ,,grinling ,,gibbon ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #e4 ,,turned ,,balusters 7,,late ,,seventeenth ,,and ,,early ,,eighteenth ,,centuries7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #f4 ,,doorway 7,,late ,,seventeenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #g4 ,,overmantel 7,,late ,,seventeenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #h4 ,,doorway 7,,early ,,eighteenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #i4 ,,mantelpiece 7,,early ,,eighteenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aj4 ,,mirror ,,frame ,,attributed ,,to ,,grinling ,,gibbon ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aa4 ,,simple ,,wall ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 7,the property of ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 ,the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ab4 ,,simple ,,toilet ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 7,the property of ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 ,the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ac4 ,,wall ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ad4 ,,wall ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ae4 ,,gesso ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #af4 ,,gesso ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ag4 ,,fine ,,gesso ,,mirror 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ah4 ,,mirror ,,from ,,flask ,,tavern ,,pimlico1 ,,date ,,about #agjj ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ai4 ,,marquetry ,,mirror 7,,early ,,eighteenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bj4 ,,toilet ,,mirror ,,with ,,drawers 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ba4 ,,toilet ,,mirror ,,on ,,stand 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bb4 ,,stool 7,,period ,,of ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bc4 ,,fine ,,stool 7,,period ,,queen ,,anne7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bd ,,fig4 #be ,,fig4 #bf ,,fine ,,chairs 7,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bg4 ,,fine ,,chair 7,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bh4 ,,simple ,,chair 7,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 7,the property of ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 ,the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin1 ,herts7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bi ,,fig4 #cj ,,fig4 #ca ,,simple ,,chairs 7,,period ,,queen ,,anne7 7,the property of ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,springett1 ,high ,street1 ,rochester7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cb ,,simple ,,chair ,,with ,,cabriole ,,legs 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cc ,,fig4 #cd ,,fig4 #ce ,,simple ,,chairs ,,with ,,cabriole ,,legs 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 7,the property of ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,springett1 ,high ,street1 ,rochester7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cf4 ,,queen ,,anne ,,chair ,,with ,,inlaid ,,splat ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cg4 ,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,chair ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ch4 ,,fine ,,arm ,,chair 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ci4 ,,arm ,,chair 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,,covered ,,with ,,petit ,,point ,,needlework ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dj ,,fine ,,chair 7,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #da ,,fine ,,chair 7,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #db ,,corner ,,or ,,roundabout ,,chair 7,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dc4 ,,settee 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dd4 ,,fine ,,settee 7,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #de4 ,,fine ,,settee 7,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #df ,,table 7,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 7,the property of ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 ,the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dg ,,table 7,,period ,,william ,,and ,,mary7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dh4 ,,table 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #di4 ,,table 7,,late ,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ej4 ,,chest ,,of ,,drawers 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ea4 ,,chest ,,of ,,drawers 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eb ,,chest ,,of ,,drawers ,,on ,,twisted ,,legs 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ec4 ,,dwarf ,,chest ,,of ,,drawers ,,on ,,feet 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ed ,,fine ,,chest ,,on ,,stand 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ee ,,simple ,,chest ,,on ,,stand 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ef4 ,,tallboy 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eg4 ,,tallboy 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eh4 ,,wardrobe ,,in ,,marquetry 7,the property of ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,phillips1 ,the ,manor ,house1 ,hitchin1 ,herts7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ei4 ,,china ,,cabinet ,,in ,,marquetry ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fj4 ,,simple ,,bureau 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fa4 ,,bureau 7,,william ,,and ,,mary ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fb4 ,,bureau 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fc4 ,,writing ,,table 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fd ,,writing ,,or ,,dressing ,,table 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fe4 ,,fig4 #ff ,,escritoire 7,,queen ,,anne ,,period7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fg4 ,,birdcage ,,clock 7,,second ,,half ,,seventeenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fh ,,lantern ,,clock ,,in ,,hooded ,,case 7,,first ,,half ,,eighteenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fi ,,lantern ,,clock ,,without ,,case 7,,first ,,half ,,eighteenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gj4 ,,bracket ,,clock 7,,seventeenth ,,century7 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gc ,,fig4 #gb ,,fig4 #ga ,,marquetry ,,clocks ,,and ,,clock ,,cases ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gd4 ,,lacquered ,,china ,,cabinet ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ge4 ,,lacquered ,,cabinet ,,with ,,drawers ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gf4 ,,lacquered ,,cabinet ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gg4 ,,lacquered ,,cabinet ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gh4 ,,lacquered ,,dressing-,,table ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gi ,,lacquered ,,mirror ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hj ,,barometer ,,in ,,lacquered ,,case ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ha ,,lacquered ,,toilet ,,mirror ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hb ,,lacquered ,,toilet ,,mirror ,,index ,architectural inspiration less marked1 #ci ,ashton on ,queen ,anne period1 #ac ,balusters1 examples of1 #ca ,baths at ,hampton ,court1 #e in early times1 #e ,bedroom1 ,queen ,anne1 #dc-df ,bedsteads at ,court1 #g modern ,queen ,anne1 #dc-dd ,buckingham's1 ,duke of1 glass works1 #cg ,bureaux1 ,queen ,anne period1 #gi ,william and ,mary period1 #gh with secret drawers1 #hj-ha ,cabriole legs1 #ec ,chairs 7see ,chapter ,,iv47 claw-and-ball decoration1 #ed double1 #eh drunkards'1 #eg fine1 #eg ladder-backed1 #ee period of ,james ,,ii41 #dg ,queen ,anne1 #ea-eg shaped1 #ef ,william and ,mary1 #ej-ea with cabriole legs1 #ec-ed with rigid lines1 #h1 #ej ,chests of drawers 7see ,chapter ,v47 history of1 #fe the tallboy1 #gj-ga veneered1 #fg-fh with cabriole legs1 #fi with marquetry1 #ff with turned legs1 #fg-fi ,china cabinets first introduced1 #ac varieties of1 #gd-ge ,chinese porcelain1 ,defoe on1 #ih ,evelyn on1 #d first introduced into ,england1 #c ,chinese porcelain1 ,macaulay on1 #d popularity of1 #ac ,spectator on1 #ei1 #ih ,chintzes1 #ei-fj ,coffee-houses1 #aa1 #ab ,claw and ball1 #ed ,clocks 7see ,chapter ,,vii47 ,bob pendulum1 #hc bracket or pedestal1 #hf-hi ,cromwell or lantern1 #hb-hf ,cunyngham on1 #ib-ic ,daniel ,quare1 #hh ,george ,graham1 #hg grandfather1 #hi-id in lacquer1 #ij in marquetry1 #hh1 #ia sheep's head1 #hc ,thomas ,tompion1 #hg ,clouston on ,queen ,anne mirrors1 #cg ,cunyngham on clocks1 #ib-ic ,defoe1 ,daniel1 on ,chinese porcelain1 #ih ,doorways1 carved1 #cb ,dutch influence1 #a1 #bj1 #dg1 #if ,dwelling-room1 ,clifford's ,inn1 #g ,escallop-shell decoration1 #ed ,evelyn on ,sir ,christopher ,wren1 #ba ,evelyn's ,dairy1 #d1 #cf ,gesso work1 #da ,gibbon1 ,grinling1 and ,charles ,,ii41 #bf-bg examples at ,hampton ,court1 #f his life and work1 #be-cj mirror frame1 #ch ,graham1 ,george 7clock-maker71 #hg ,hampton ,court ,palace 7see ,chapter ,i471 #ig1 #ih-ii ,homes of the poor1 #aa1 #dg ,houses of the wealthy1 #aj ,huguenot silk-workers1 #eg ,huish1 ,m4 ,b41 on ,japan and its ,art1 #if1 #ajg ,inlay1 #ad ,japanning or varnishing by ,john ,stalker1 #ii-aje ,lacquer 7see ,chapter ,,viii47 cabinets1 #aji ,china cabinet1 #ajh clock1 #ajh dressing-glasses1 #aaa dressing-table1 #aaj ,french1 #ajf-ajg history of1 #ie-ig ,japanese1 #ajf mirror1 #aaj ,law1 ,ernest1 on ,queen ,anne period1 #b1 #c1 #h ,macaulay1 on ,verrio1 #i views on collecting porcelain1 #d ,macquoid1 ,percy1 ,age of ,walnut1 #ej on marquetry1 #fg ,mahogany introduced1 #h1 #gb ,marquetry defined1 #af ,macquoid on1 #fg ,pollen on1 #ff used on clock1 #hh mirror frames1 #db tables1 #fa wardrobes1 #gc ,marsh1 ,anthony 7clock-maker71 #hf ,martin1 ,john 7clock-maker71 #hh ,mc,carthy1 ,justin1 on ,queen ,anne period1 #aa ,mirrors 7see ,chapter ,,iii47 by ,grinling ,gibbon1 #ch ,clouston on1 #cg early examples1 #ce ,gesso work1 #da in ,hampton ,court1 #cf-cg in ,holyrood ,palace1 #cf ,mirrors1 in marquetry1 #db in ,van ,eyck's picture in ,national ,gallery1 #ce influence of ,wren1 #dj mentioned in ,evelyn's ,diary1 #cf mentioned in ,paradise ,lost1 #cd notes on purchasing1 #dj simple1 #ch-ci toilet1 #db ,needlework1 petit point1 #eg popular with women1 #ei ,queen ,mary's1 #c ,pollen1 ,j4 ,h41 on marquetry1 #ff on ,queen ,anne period1 #aj ,quare1 ,daniel 7clock-maker71 #hh ,queen ,anne period1 a gambling age1 #fb ,anne's influence1 #aj ,ashton quoted1 #ab bedroom1 #dc-df chairs and tables1 c4 7see ,chapter ,,iv47 definition1 #h-i houses of middle class1 #fj ,justin ,mc,carthy on1 #aa old city houses1 #ca ordinary types of mirrors1 #ch1 #ci simple furniture1 #i1 #aj ,thackeray on1 #ab writing-table1 #gi ,queen ,mary1 her needlework1 #c ,settee1 #eh ,stalker1 ,john1 on japanning and varnishing1 #ii-aje ,stools1 ,william and ,mary1 #db ,queen ,anne1 #dc ,tables 7see ,chapter ,,iv47 card1 #fb-fc gate leg1 #fd ,tables1 inverted bowl decoration1 #fj ,william and ,mary1 #fa with cabriole legs1 #fc with claw-and-ball feet1 #fc with escallop-shell decoration1 #fc with flaps1 #fc with marquetry work1 #fa with tied stretchers1 #fa ,tallboys1 #gj-ga ,tea-drinking1 #ab ,thackeray on ,queen ,anne period1 #ab ,toilet sets1 #de ,tompion1 ,thomas 7clock-maker71 #hg ,van ,eyck1 picture by1 #dh ,veneering1 #ad-ae ,verney ,memoirs1 #ii ,verrio1 his work at ,hampton ,court1 #i ,wardrobe 7or hanging cupboard7 in early days1 #gb in marquetry1 #gc of ,dutch origin1 #gb ,william and ,mary at ,hampton ,court1 #a costume1 #dh-di ,woodcraft1 ancient1 #af ,wren1 ,sir ,christopher1 #b-c builds ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 #bb ,evelyn on1 #ba his life and work1 #bj-be ,writing-desks1 history of1 #gf-gh ,queen ,anne knee-hole1 #gi-hj ,transcriber's ,note3 ,the italics markup surrounding currency has been removed4 ,the hyphenation of some words has been standardised4