18th century furniture - Low Countries

The Netherlands underwent a variety of political changes in the late 18th century as Spanish and Austrian rule was ceded to revolutionary France in 1795, the Netherlands was renamed the Batavian Republic.
Despite these changes, several areas of commerce continued successfully - agriculture, the money markets of Amsterdam, and trade with the East Indies all prospered and provided income for furniture and building.
The established trade links also facilitated the import of exotic woods such as mahogany and American satinwood.

Imported Furniture Ban
While wood continued to be imported, the import of finished furniture was banned in 1771, largely due to the excessive popularity of French and British handmade furniture. This ban meant that Dutch cabinet-makers lacked competition and an environment in which new ideas were readily generated. This led to the provincial nature of much late 18th century furniture, and to satisfy demand, the imitation of French Louis XVI pieces. Andries Borgenwas known for this type of work.

Applying The New Style
The rectilinear styling of Louis XVI furniture was applied to Low Countries case fitted and non fitted furniture. Cabinets were also inspired by British designs, as pediments became less heavy, and later examples incorporated a stylized swan's neck or a broken pediment.
Canted corners were common and, while cases swelled out at the base, they were not as broad as previous examples. Feet became square and sharply tapered. Glazed panels, rather than solid wooden doors, were used  on cabinets designed to display collections of ceramics. Smaller case pieces such as the commode kept their signature shape but had a lighter, more geometric feel.
In the last quarter of the 18th century, a new type of case furniture, the low buffet of sideboard cabinet, was introduced. This piece was similar to a commode, but had a hinged top that opened to reveal an enclosed cistern for washing glasses. On some examples, a number of shelves were attached to the lid,, which fell open on lifting the lid. On other models, additional flaps were fitted under the lid and could be opened to provide more surface space.

Decorative Features
Local cabinet-makers continued to excel in the art of marquetry, using exotic woods such as rosewood, satinwood, or ebony. During the second half of the century, marquetry designs began to incorporate Classical motifs such as the stylized fan, urn, and trophies, commonly used in reproduction furniture techniques today.
Despite the Dutch appreciation of French style, the angular, contrasting geometric shapes of the marquetry and the minimal use of ormolu mounts - except in keyhole escutcheons and handles - gave their furniture a distinctive Dutch character.
Decorative inlays remained popular, and as furniture became more rectilinear in the 1780s, lacquer was again used for decoration on cupboard doors, table tops, and cabinet fall-fronts. These lacquer panels were quite often combined with light woods to provide a strong colour contrast.