Queen Anne style furniture
Queen Anne furniture is an early-eighteenth-century British style of chairs, tables, and case pieces, named long after the monarch it was attached to - the label was coined more than a century after the style was fashionable. Emerging under William III and dominant from the mid-1720s to about 1760, it traded the rectilinear heaviness of William and Mary furniture for curves: the cabriole leg, pad feet, cushioned seats, and wing-back chairs made pieces lighter, smaller, and more comfortable. Ornament shrank to carved shells, scrolls, and acanthus leaves, letting line and form lead - a restraint that suited walnut and earned the era its nickname, the age of walnut. Colonial prosperity carried the style to America in the 1720s and 1730s, where cabinetmakers such as Christopher Townsend adapted it, before the Chippendale style absorbed and eclipsed it.
Defining characteristics
- Cabriole leg with pad foot - the style's most recognizable element
- Curves built into the structure itself: C-scrolls, S-scrolls, and ogee profiles in legs, arms, crest rails, and pediments
- Restrained ornament emphasizing line and form, carving limited to shell, scroll, or acanthus motifs
- Smaller, lighter, more comfortable proportions: cushioned seats, wing-back chairs, secretary desk-bookcases
- Rich walnut veneers (the "age of walnut"), with poplar, cherry, and maple in American work
- Occasional japanning in red, green, or gilt on a blue-green ground - the exception to the plain trend
Key figures
- Christopher Townsend (1701-1773) — Newport cabinetmaker whose 1748 high chest documents the style in colonial America
- André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) — French cabinetmaker whose designs helped shape the cabriole leg Queen Anne makers adopted
Example works
- High chest — Christopher Townsend (1748)
- Dressing table (burl walnut veneered) — Unattributed (American) (c. 1730-60)
- Tilt-top tea table — Unattributed (1730s)
Sources
- Queen Anne style furniture - Wikipedia encyclopedia