William and Mary style

style c. 1700-1725 England Netherlands

The William and Mary style is a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 in the Netherlands, England, Scotland and Ireland, and later in the American colonies. When William of Orange and Mary took the English throne in 1688 they brought a taste for Dutch furniture and Dutch makers with them, and the style - defined during their reigns - fused Dutch and French Baroque craft into something sturdier and more unified: heavy-looking, obviously solid pieces whose carving, turning and veneer all serve one overall shape. It was one of the first European styles to imitate Asian design, most visibly through japanning. In America it lingered into the 1730s in forms like the highboy and the kast before being supplanted by Queen Anne furniture.

Exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum - Brooklyn, New York, USA. This artwork is in the public domain because the artist died more than 70 years ag
Exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum - Brooklyn, New York, USA. This artwork is in the public domain because the artist died more than 70 years agCC0 (credit: Daderot) · source

Defining characteristics

  • High-relief carving, strong 'Flemish' curves and elaborate woodturning
  • Oyster and burl veneering with contrasting woods, paints and stains
  • Japanning and ebonized black finishes imitating Asian lacquer
  • Woven cane seats and heavily scrolled chair backs (later giving way to leather)
  • Squat, sturdy silhouettes mixing straight lines with turned and Solomonic legs

Key figures

  • Daniel Marot (1663-1752) — French Huguenot designer employed by William and Mary who shaped the style's furniture and interiors
  • Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) — Master woodcarver to the late Stuart court whose high-relief carving defines the style's ornament

Example works

  • Kast — Unknown (New York or New Jersey cabinetmaker) (c. 1700-1725)
  • Highboy — Unknown (American cabinetmaker) (c. 1700-1735)
  • Boston chair (spoon-back chair) — Unknown (Boston chairmaker) (c. 1700-1725)

Sources

← Back to the catalog