BEDSTEAD, IN CARVED EBONY, BY ROULÉ, ANTWERP 232 PIANOFORTE, BY LEISTLER, VIENNA 232 BOOKCASE IN LIME TREE, BY LEISTLER, VIENNA 232 CABINET, WITH BRONZE AND PORCELAIN, BY GAMBS, ST. PETERSBURG 232 CASKET OF IVORY, WITH ORMULU MOUNTINGS, BY MATIFAT, PARIS 233 TABLE AND CHAIR, IN THE CLASSIC STYLE, BY CAPELLO, TURIN 234 CABINET OF EBONY, WITH CARNELIONS, BY LITCHFIELD AND RADCLYFFE (1862 Exhibition, Paris) 235 CABINET OF EBONY WITH BOXWOOD CARVINGS, BY FOURDINOIS, PARIS (1867 Exhibition, London) _following_ 236 CABINET OF SATINWOOD, WITH WEDGWOOD PLAQUES, BY WRIGHT AND MANSFIELD (1867 Exhibition, Paris) _following_ 236 CABINET OF EBONY AND IVORY BY ANDREA PICCHI, FLORENCE (1867 Exhibition, Paris) _following_ 236 DINING ROOM BY BRUCE J. TALBERT _facing_ 238 THE ELLESMERE CABINET 243 THE SALOON AT SANDRINGHAM HOUSE _following_ 244 THE DRAWING ROOM AT SANDRINGHAM HOUSE 244 CARVED FRAME BY RADSPIELER, MUNICH 248 [Illustration] CHAPTER I. Ancient Furniture. BIBLICAL REFERENCES: Solomon's House and Temple--Palace of Ahasuerus. ASSYRIAN FURNITURE: Nimrod's Palace--Mr. George Smith quoted. EGYPTIAN FURNITURE: Specimens in the British Museum--The Workman's Stool--Various Articles of Domestic Furniture--Dr. Birch quoted. GREEK FURNITURE: The Bas-reliefs in the British Museum--The Chest of Cypselus--Laws and Customs of the Greeks--House of Alcibiades--Plutarch quoted. ROMAN FURNITURE: Position of Rome--The Roman House--Cicero's Table--Thyine Wood--Customs of wealthy Romans--Downfall of the Empire. BIBLICAL REFERENCES. [Illustration] The first well-known reference to woodwork is to be found in the Book of Genesis, in the instructions given to Noah to make an Ark of gopher[1] wood, "to make a window," to "pitch it within and without with pitch," and to observe definite measurements. From the specific directions thus handed down to us, we may gather that mankind had acquired at a very early period of the world's history a knowledge of the different kinds of wood, and of the use of tools.