Bottoms Up!

Today I would like to remind everyone that this blog presents information on period seating furniture in a format that is understandable and enjoyable to both scholars and non-scholars alike. Our current subject is a Chippendale style ribbon back arm chair discovered in the Fort Atkinson Wisconsin shop Five Star Antiques.

At this point where we are looking for discrepancies between the design of the Ribband Back Chair as illustrated in Thomas Chippendale’s book The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director and the found chair that I refer to as the blog chair. 

 Today we will discuss the seat.

                    Here are frontal views of both chairs.

                   Top:Photo of Ribbon Back Chair by SHS

                               Bottom:Center chair in Plate XV in TG&CMD

The most obvious difference between the two seats is the amount of padding in them.  The blog chair’s seat has a definite arc.  It looks puffy. Upholstery terminology for this is a crowned seat.

                                    Ribbon Back Chair Seat. Photo SHS

The Chippendale plate shows a chair seat that is much flatter than the blog chair.  If you examine it closely you will see the illustrator thatched the seat area to give the idea that fabric covered the seat. There is a little rise in the center of the seat to show it is lightly padded. 

                 Ribband Back Chair Seat. Center chair in Plate XV in TG&CMD

The blog chair exhibits a support system typical of the 19^th century and still used in finer shops today; a webbed base onto which coil cone springs were tied.  The Ribband Back chair illustrates upholstery typical of the time in which it was drawn in the 18^th century; a webbed base on which padding was added.

This is the underside of the seat of the blog chair. I removed the black fabric covering the bottom.

                                    Photo by SHS.

Keeping in mind that the seat is upside down you can see the springs rest on woven strips of fabric called webbing. The springs are hand sewn to the webbing.  The springs are further held in place by being tied to each other by twine at the top.  Both the webbing and the twine are secured to the chair frame by tacks. Below is a close-up of what I've just described.

                                                    Photo by SHS.

This technique is called eight way hand tied springs after the number of times the twine passes over and is tied to each spring. On the top of the springs we usually find a coarsely woven fabric called burlap. On the blog chair the upholsterer used a piece of leftover fabric to provide a surface onto which padding can be packed. The blog chair probably has cotton batting padding. My educated guess is all the original fill was removed and discarded. The metal strapping you see is a "quick fix" for sagging upholstery. 

Understand that the presence of the springs is not immediate proof that the chair was made in the 19^th century.  Chairs and sofas were often updated by their owners, not only with the latest fabric, but also with the latest technology. In this case, if the chair was originally fabricated without springs, they could have been added at a later date.

In the next blog I will provide sketches of the seat upholstery construction of both chairs for comparison.

Bottoms up!

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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18th century original?

As mentioned before, we discovered thirteen similarities between the blog chair and the chair from the Chippendale plate.

Today let’s start to consider the dissimilarities and try to shoot some holes in the theory that it is an 18^th century object.  Let’s start with the cartouche. As mentioned previously, it’s a reference to a popular 18^th century fascination, the grotto.  The open hole at its center is simply the entrance to the grotto. Examine the hole of the blog chair and that of the Chippendale plate.  Notice that the hole on the blog chair is completely symmetric, but that Chippendale’s is slightly askew, or asymmetric. Recall the design requirements of Rococo that were mentioned at the beginning of this blog; 

curvilinear, foliate and asymmetric.

 Images: Top photo SHS. Bottom detail from plate 15, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, third edition.

Not to worry.  The artisan who executed the blog chair had license to add an asymmetric twist wherever he chose. Perhaps we will find it elsewhere; perhaps in the knot of the ribbon. Ah there it is! The carved gouges representing the ribbon’s knot are asymmetrically balanced. 

                                                        Photo SHS.

And look as well at the tassel on the bottom of the rope. The tassel’s center thread forms an uneven inverted “U” shape where it is joined to the rope’s end.

                                                         Photo SHS.  

                                       

       So the argument that this chair is an 18^th century original is holding on!

Let's stay balanced!

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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Let's LOOK at the Similarities

Last week Tuesday I listed the similarities between both the blog chair and its predecessor in Chippendale’s The Gentleman & Cabinet Maker’s Director. Today I will illustrate these similarities with images. Keep your eyes open for subtle variations between the two chairs, which will be discussed next. Also, a few revisions were made to the text to better clarify the points.

- The center splats (center section of the back that extends from the shoe to the top rail) of both chairs are pierced (cut through) numerous times.

  

                        - The center of the top rails rise to crests/peaks.

-Away from the peaks they curve downward and up again into “ears”, at the corner where the top rail meet the side stiles. 

    - On the lower side of the curves stylized shells (nature based) are carved.  

- At the top center of the splat is an oval cartouche composed of mirrored “C” scrolls and topped with stylized shells. This cartouche is a reference to the grotto, a popular 18^th century fascination. (9)

- Framing the cartouche are double “C” scrolls, which are also mirrored and facing the opposite direction of those forming the cartouche.

          - A distinct ribbon is carved in the center of the splat of both chairs.

- A carved rope extends out of the center of the cartouche down to the middle of the ribbon and its knot.

              - Two “C” scrolls uphold the ribbon's bottom, flanking its sides.

-the overall form of the legs is an “S” curve onto which are applied a series of “C” scrolls.

- The knees of the legs are heavily carved with “C” scrolls and stylized shells.

 

-“C” scrolls extend up from the knees at the corner into the seat frame, visually interrupting the straight line of the bottom of the seat.

- The cabriole legs end in a tightly rolled scroll foot. 

All of the above: Photos courtesy of SHS; Illustrations from The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker's Director.

"C" you later!

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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Footnote
9. Bekerdite, Luke. American Furniture 1996, The Rococo, the Grotto and the Philadelphia high Chest, University Press of New England, Hanover. 112

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Consider the Similarities

Today we will start to examine the chair to consider factors that may date it. Here is the blog chair placed on top of the chair from the plate (sketch) of the chair in Chippendale’s Director that most closely resembles it. 

                                     Top:Photo of Ribbon Back Chair (shs) 

                               Bottom:Center chair in Plate XV in TG&CMD

Examine the two chairs and start counting the semblances between them.

On both objects:

- The center crest of the top rails rise to a peak.

-Away from the peak they curve downward and up again into “ears”, at the corner where the top rail meet the side stiles.

- On the lower side of the top rail stylized open shells (nature based) are   carved. 

- At the top center of the splat is a cartouche framed with mirrored “C” scrolls and topped with shells. The shell is a reference to the grotto, a popular 18^th century fascination. (8)

- Framing the cartouche are mirrored “C” scrolls.

- The center splat (center section of the back that extends from the shoe to the   top rail) of both chairs are pierced (cut through) numerous times. 

- A distinct ribbon is carved in the center of the splat of both chairs.

- A carved rope extends out of the center of the cartouche down to the middle of the ribbon and its knot.

 - Two “C” scrolls uphold the ribbon's bottom, flanking its sides

- Inside the longer scrolls are a shorter pair of “C” scrolls that are hooked into the bottom loop of the ribbon and extend into the top of the final ornament of the style; two “C” scrolls wrapped in stylized shells.

-the overall form of the legs is an “S” curve onto which are applied a series of “C” scrolls

- The knees of the legs are heavily carved

-A reverse “C” scroll extends up from the knees at the corner into the seat frame, thus the straight line of the bottom of the seat is visually interrupted.

- The cabriole legs end in a tightly rolled scroll foot.

I have listed fourteen similarities between the two chairs. See if you can find any that I have missed and post them. In the next blog I will approach the differences so please don’t go there.

One could say that the evidence is leaning toward the chair being a true 18^th century item. But it is too early in the game to tell!

Watch out for those curves!

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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Footnote

8. Bekerdite, Luke. American Furniture 1996, The Rococo, the Grotto and the Philadelphia high Chest, University Press of New England, Hanover. 112

About American Rococo

What's not to love about Rococo?

Today scholars call the colonial American adaptation of Chippendale inspired furniture Rococo, after the French Rococo made in the early to mid 18th century.  This French style was a great source of inspiration for all of Europe. (4) The American adaptation occurred in America later that century; from approximately 1750-1790 (5) and the term rococo was adapted in the 19^th century. (6) 

The English furniture industry drew much inspiration from this French style during its golden age.  So it is only natural that the French influence is illustrated in plates 19 through 23 in the Director where Chippendale named the illustrations “French Chairs”. (7) 

Plate XX in TG&CMD

The Rococo style incorporates foliate (plant-like) and nature based forms carved into the furniture. While not obvious on these two chairs, the balance is always asymmetric. So I've added an image of an 18th century mirror, or "glass" where the effect is more easily seen.

In the chairs frames notice the “S” shape of the front legs of both French Chairs chair in plate XX. (Fig 4)  Then compare them to the photo titled "Chippendale style ribbon back armchair" in my first blog post and find that the shape of the front legs of both chairs is very similar. These legs are called cabriole and the curve an “S” curve.  Simple!

Other influences of Chippendale style are medieval Gothic and Chinese architecture and furniture.(8) Examples of these styles are found in TG&CMD on plates CVI for Gothic and CXXXII-CXXXVII for Chinese.  These influences play a smaller part in the American rococo style.   

The blog chair’s main stylistic influence is the French rococo, one of my yummy favorites! 

Hope your chairs "Roc", 
Theresa
Yummy Furniture and Design
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Footnotes

4. Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, Harper & Row, New York. 59

5. Kirk, John T. American Furniture, Henry N. Abrams, Inc. New York.  7

6. Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, Harper & Row, New York. 59

7. Chippendale, Thomas, The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director, Dover Publications, New York, Reprint 3^rd Edition. Plate XX                                                    

8. Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, Harper & Row, New York. 78

A Man of Yummy Inspiration

We will determine if the ribbon back chair is an original 18th century Chippendale style chair made using a plate from Chippendale’s book, The Gentleman & Cabinet Maker’s Director as its guide; or if it is instead a fake or reproduction produced in a subsequent era. 

Unabridged -1966 Dover republication-Third Edition 

 

An introduction to Thomas Chippendale and the furniture he made is next, but first let’s clarify “fake” furniture:

Simply put, furniture made in the time period original to a style’s first appearance is considered a true period piece.  That which is made after the period no matter how exactingly it is produced is then called a reproduction.  If the reproduced furniture is acknowledged to be a reproduction, that’s okay.  ...But if a person attempts to pass a reproduction as an original, then the item is a fake!

Now about Thomas; Mr. Chippendale (1718-1779) (1)was a cabinetmaker who produced furniture for a wide variety of clients in 18th century England. His style became famous and subsequently synonymous with the golden age of English furniture (1740 -1780) (2) even though he was but one manufacturer in a thriving industry of proficient cabinetmakers making comparably styled and equally executed furnishings. 
Chippendale and his widow published his book illustrating the furniture he made and the styles contemporary to his time. His pattern book, The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director was widely dispensed throughout Europe and the American colonies.  Cabinetmakers used the Director as a catalog to sell the items pictured to their clients.  At that time most furniture was commissioned rather than pre-made and sold at a store.(3)

(www.findagrave.com)

Chippendale outside the old Prince Henry's Grammar School in Manor Square, 

in his home town of Otley, near Leeds, Yorkshire

In short Chippendale's name became synonymous with this period of furniture because he published his design book. Little is known about Thomas Chippendale aside from the legacy of his work. His Director remains a seminal design text.

  
Theresa
Yummy Furniture and Design
theresamhs@sbcglobal.net
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Footnotes 

1. Thomas Chippendale, The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director (Dover Publications, New York, Reprint 3rd Edition 1966) Back cover

2. John Kenworthy-Browne, Chippendale and his Contemporaries, London, (Orbis Publishing 1973) 3

3. Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley, The 1772 Philadelphia Furniture Price Book, An Introduction and Guide, (Dept of Publishing, Philadelphia Museum of Art 2005) 17.
Kirtley explains that the name Cadwaleter (sic) and a brief description of a firescreen and frame was discovered on the inside front cover of the Price Book.  The Cadwaladers were known to have commissioned numerous pieces of furniture in Philadelphia in the 18th C. 
Joh T. Kirk, American Furniture, Understanding Styles, Construction and Quality, New York. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. 115. Kirk explains that 18th c furniture buyers chose the different features to be incorporated into items they were purchasing. Thus the items were made to order.