The Age Of Rococo - England - Part 1

One of the really fascinating aspects of the study of the history of English handmade furniture is the process of rapid evolution that took place. A couple of decades, and sometimes even less, were often enough to see the dramatic winds of change sweeping through , blowing away yesterday's cherished tenets and altering the course of popular taste.
The short period between around 1725 and 1750, spanning the major part of George II's reign (1727 - 1760) is a great example of such a rapid evolution.

These years represent a milestone in the nomenclature of English furniture periods. Previously, phases of furniture design gained their description from reigning monarchs - from the Tudors, through the Stuarts, and ending with Queen Anne. After the latter reign, the picture changes.
We often use terms such as 'mid' or 'late' Georgian, or resort to more specific descriptions, such as George II, III or Regency when referring to pieces of the 18th and early 19th century periods respectively, however, the main movements of England's golden age of furniture come to life for us in the names of cabinet-making commoners, rather than King's or Queen's.
This age was preceded by a short period, the second quarter of the 18th century, which had a profound effect on what was to follow. The most important factor in this transition was the establishment of mahogany as the English cabinet-maker's principal material. Secondly, the period was notable for the contribution of architects such as William Kent, who was probably the first of his profession to make a practice of designing the movable, as well as fixed, furniture of his rooms as part of unified schemes.

American furniture historians have occasionally claimed that the colonies had the distinction of leading the world in the use of mahogany for furniture making. The justification for this is the existence of inventories and other records in the New York and Philadelphia areas referring to the use of the wood between 1690 and 1708, some long time before the 1720s, a period which is generally accepted as the beginning of England's age of mahogany.

Apart, however, from the fact that Elizabeth I is reputed to have been mildly interested in the wood when Sir Walter Raleigh imported some mahogany from the West Indies and used it to repair his ships , it is known that the pioneering use of mahogany in fitted and non fitted furniture occurred in England in the latter half of the 17th century. In fact, Spain, with its strong bonds in the Caribbean area, the home of mahogany, had recourse to the wood much earlier. Records of such occasions were few and fat between, and it was the relaxation of import duties on Jamaican supplies in the third decade of the 18th century that opened the way to the general use of mahogany in Britain. Further lifting of tariff restrictions in 1733 gave the 'new' wood an enormous boost and led to its competing with walnut on a grand scale.