A process belonging to the same reign should be noticed, called after the inventor, Vernis-Martin, a carriage painter, born about the year 1706. By carriage painter we must understand a painter of heraldic ornaments, flower borders, &c. His varnish is a fine transparent lac polish, probably derived from Japan through missionaries, who had resided there before the occurrence of the great massacres which closed Japan to all but the Dutch traders. The work which we commonly associate with his name is generally found on furniture such as tables or book cases, as well as on needle cases, snuff boxes, fans, and étuis, on a gold ground. The gold is waved or striated by some of those ingenious processes still in use amongst the Japanese, by which the paste or preparation on which their gold is laid is worked over while still soft. One or two carriages beautifully painted in vernis-martin are kept in the hotel de Cluny at Paris. Although it is popularly held that Martin declared his secret should die with him, and that he kept his word, yet it is certain that he left imitators and pupils who painted and enamelled in his manner furniture of various kinds. In Sir R. Wallace's collection there are two pieces, coloured green and varnished, one a table and the other a cabinet or bookcase, of vernis-martin work. There is on these no ornament excepting the varnish and the gold mounts that are added at the edges. The most beautiful objects that bear his name are the small wares, such as fans, needle books, or snuff boxes. Later in the century we meet with other French names, Riesener, David, and Gouthière, who gained great reputation, the two first as makers of marquetry, and the latter as a founder and chaser of metal furniture mounts, such as edgings and lock scutcheons. The history of French furniture is in general the history of that of other nations. The art of wood carving was still maintained in Italy and applied, as in the instance of this distaff, to utensils of all kinds. In England we had, about the middle of the century, a school of carvers, gilders, and ornamenters following the extravagant style of the French. The most prominent name is that of Thomas Chippendale, who worked from the middle till towards the end of the century. He was descended from a family of carvers, and inherited the skill which had been general in his craft since the days of Gibbons. We find much rococo carving on bed testers, round fireplaces, over doors, &c., in our English houses built during the reign of Anne and the two first Georges. Other pieces of furniture, such as carved tables, wardrobe cabinets, chair backs or dinner trays, go by Chippendale's name. They are in mahogany, and follow the architectural moulding lines often seen in the works of Sir William Chambers and the brothers Adam. [Illustration]