A huge building boom after the great fire of London in 1666 led to specialization within the woodworking trades. Cabinet makers made case handmade furniture, stands and tables, while joiners - and the gilders and wood carvers who worked with them - concentrated on architectural features, bedsteads and mirror frames. Chair-making also became a specialist craft.
Trade between the Low Countries and England increased after the accession of William III and Mary in 1689.
The European influence on furniture was compounded by the arrival in England of French Huguenot craftsmen, some of whom became cabinet makers to the royal household.
Skilled Craftsmanship
Cabinets were now often veneered with walnut, maple, yew, holly olive, beech, and also fruitwoods. Burr woods were especially desirable. Some woods were cut across the grain to create an 'oyster' veneer.
The most elaborate forms of veneering used floral, seaweed, or arabesque marquetry.
Other cabinets were japanned, to imitate lacquer, or were covered in patterned gesso to create a raised and gilded appearance. Now reproduction furniture, Chests on stands were replaced by bureau cabinets, often topped with pediments or domes intended for the display of expensive porcelain. Clothes presses and livery cupboards were commonplace, as were chests of drawers and kneehole desks.
Tables ranged from oak trestles to grand console tables. These were often designed to stand beneath large, ornate mirrors. High-backed chairs with caned seats and backs were popular, as were chairs in the style of Daniel Marot, which had long carved or pierced back splats.
As the century drew to a close, fine furniture, including fitted furniture, was no longer made solely for grand palaces. Simpler, well crafted pieces were also being made for wealthy city merchants and the landed gentry, paving the way for the elegant styles prevalent in the 18th century.
Japanese Lacquer Cabinet On English Stand
Designed to stand against the wall, this cabinet is only decorated on the front. Such fine lacquered pieces would have been great status symbols. The imported Japanese cabinets rests on an English giltwood stand.
Bureau Bookcase
One of a pair, this is a very rare and fine example of a bureau bookcase. Attributed to the partnership of London cabinet makers James Moore and John Gumley, and is decorated with carved and gilded gesso incorporating strapwork with scrolling foliage and floral detail. An arched pediment with a carved shell sits above arched doors with bevelled glass, which open to reveal a fitted interior.
The lower part, with a sloping fall front, encloses a bureau interior. The base contains drawers with drop-ring handles.
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