This book presents new information on the export trade, patronage, artistic collaboration, and the small-scale shop traditions that defined early Rhode Island craftsmanship. This stunning volume features more than 200 illustrations of beautifully constructed and carved objects—including chairs, high chests, bureau tables, and clocks—that demonstrate the superb workmanship and artistic skill of the state’s furniture makers.
Drawing on the latest scholarship, this comprehensive, lavishly illustrated survey tells the story of the evolution of American furniture from the 17th century to the present. Not viewed in isolation, furniture is placed in its broader cultural, historic, and aesthetic context. The focus is not only on the urban masterpieces of 18th century William and Mary, Queen Anne, Chippendale, and Federal styles but also on the work of numerous rural cabinetmakers. Special chapters explore Windsor chairs, Shaker, and Pennsylvania German furniture which do not follow the mainstream style progression. Picturesque and anti-classical explain Victorian furniture including Rococo, Renaissance, and Eastlake. Mission and Arts and Crafts furniture introduce the 20th century. Another chapter identifies the eclectic revivals such as Early American that dominated the mass market throughout much of the 20th century. After World War II American designers created many of the Mid-Century Modern icons that are much sought after by collectors today. The rise of studio furniture and furniture as art which include some of the most creative and imaginative furniture produced in the 20th and 21st centuries caps the review of four centuries of American furniture. A final chapter advises on how to evaluate the authenticity of both traditional and modern furniture and how to preserve it for posterity. With over 800 photos including 24 pages of color, this fully illustrated text is the authoritative reference work.
The Metropolitan Museum's preeminent collection of early colonial furniture is expertly documented in this long-awaited publication. It covers the full spectrum of furniture forms made during the 17th and early 18th centuries--from chairs and other seating to tables, boxes, various types of chests and cupboards, and desks. Each of the 141 objects is thoroughly described with detailed information on provenance, construction, condition, inscriptions, dimensions, and materials. Photographed anew in color for this volume, each piece is explicated in terms of the styles and craftsmanship of the period and is evaluated in light of comparative pieces in public and private collections throughout the country. One appendix contains photographic details of construction and decorative elements, and another has drawings of joints and moldings.
This publication documents The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of early colonial furniture and presents a broad spectrum of furniture forms made in America during the 17th and early 18th centuries, including chairs and other seating, tables, boxes, various types of chests and cupboards, dressing tables, and desks. The volume also includes prime examples of the different modes of ornamentation in fashion during that period. Over 140 objects are thoroughly described, with detailed information given on each one's construction, condition, dimensions, materials, and inscriptions and other marks, as well as provenance and exhibition history. Every object is explained in terms of the styles and craftsmanship of the period and evaluated in light of comparative pieces in public and private collections throughout the country. Also included is one appendix containing photographic details of construction and decorative elements, and another with line drawings explaining furniture terms and showing various types of joints and moldings. This is the first volume in a series of two that is dedicated to American furniture in the Museum. -- Metropolitan Museum of Art website.
Published to coincide with the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of Thomas Chippendale, England’s most famous cabinetmaker, this issue of the Bulletin addresses the history of Chippendale works at The Met. Morrison H. Heckscher recounts the designer’s meteoric rise from rural obscurity to the heights of the London luxury trade, crediting that remarkable success to the publication of the Chippendale Director, an instructive book on furniture design and ornament. The text analyzes the Museum’s rare collection of drawings by Chippendale, revealing a gifted and highly imaginative designer who mastered what today would be called branding. Illustrating a wide selection of the Director drawings alongside furniture inspired by the Director or actually made in Chippendale’s shop, this Bulletin features works of art that attest to the museum’s century-long infatuation with drawing, prints, books, and furniture in the Chippendale style.
First published in 1998. Design reform in the fields of architecture and the decorative or applied arts became objectified through writings published during the period of 1885 to 1910. This investigation includes, but is not limited to, Art Nouveau in France and Belgium, and the arts and crafts movement in England and the United States. Even though the similar processes of creativity and shared goals of Art Nouveau and the arts and crafts movement have long been recognized, attempts to explore their origins and their points of interrelation with the broader scope of art history have been largely unsuccessful—until now.
