18th Century Furniture - The Low Countries

When William, Prince of Orange and King of England, died in 1702, he left no adult heir. For the following 45 years the Low Countries were ruled by councillor pensionaries and regents. The first half of the 18th century was a period of stability. Dutch trade and shipping maintained the levels reached during the 17th century and money was ample.

Sombre Design
Furniture design, fitted and non fitted furniture, reflected the prevailing attitude of conservatism and there will very little innovation. Many forms imitated British examples, the major differences being not in design, but in the choice of woods and the use of marquetry. While marquetry was no longer fashionable in Britain, it continued to flourish in the Low Countries.
Chairs were similar to British designs, although the seat rails tended to be more serpentine in shape, and some chairs had a serpentine blocked seat rail with a shaped lower central section. Settees were also similar to British models, with high backs and wings and curved armrests, but stretchers remained fashionable well into the 1740s, unlike in Britain.

Signature Piece
The bureau-cabinet, which developed in Britain around 1700, was common throughout much of the 18th century. Versions with two doors often were fitted with mirrors, a feature that was used throughout the century.
The china cabinet was also popular. Similar in shape to the bureau-cabinet, the upper section had glazed doors in front of display shelves. There were several different designs for the lower section of this handmade furniture, each distinctive of furniture from the Low Countries. If the piece had straight sides, the corners were chamfered and extended outwards in heavy, overgrown scrolls. Otherwise the lower section was designed in a bombe' shape. Drawers were rounded, blocked, or serpentine.
Both the bureau-bookcase and the china cabinet illustrated the desire in the Low Countries for versatile, dual-purpose furniture, now reproduction furniture. Generally, the upper case was used to display books or ceramics, while the drawers in the lower section provided storage for household linens, or even clothes.

Dutch Armchair
Made in a typical George II style, decorated with floral marquetry. The cabriole legs terminate in claw-and-ball feet, but with as many mid century pieces, the chair lacks stretchers.

Dutch Commode

This mahogany, serpentine-shaped commode is influenced by English style, having two doors that open to reveal an interior fitted with shelves. This piece has little decoration, although originally the case may have been embellished with ormolu mounts and escutcheons. The pierced gilt-brass gallery at the back is a later addition. The piece stands on outswept bracket feet.

Dutch Chest Of Drawers

A walnut chest of drawers, feather-banded overall, the canted moulded bow-fronted top above four graduated drawers, above a moulded border and on later shaped bracket feet.