Illustrated History of Furniture, fifth ed.: From the Earliest to the Present TimeLitchfield, Frederick
History
Illustrated History of Furniture, fifth ed.: From the Earliest to the Present Time
Litchfield, Frederick
Furniture -- History
Knole, Longleat, Burleigh, Hatfield, Hardwick, and Audley End are familiar
instances of the change in interior decoration which accompanied that in
architecture; terminal figures, that is, pedestals diminishing towards
their bases, surmounted by busts of men or women, elaborate interlaced
strap work carved in low relief, trophies of fruit and flowers, take the
places of the more Gothic treatment formerly in vogue. The change in
the design of furniture naturally followed, for when Flemish or Italian
carvers were not employed, the actual execution was often by the hand of
the house carpenter, who was influenced by what he saw around him.
The great chimney-piece in Speke Hall, near Liverpool, portions of the
staircase of Hatfield, and of other English mansions before mentioned, are
good examples of the wood carving of this period, and the illustrations
from authenticated examples which are given will assist the reader to
follow these remarks.
[Illustration: THE GLASTONBURY CHAIR.
(_In the Palace of the Bishop of Bath and Wells._)]
There is a mirror frame at Goodrich Court of early Elizabethan work,
carved in oak and partly gilt; the design is in the best style of
Renaissance, and more like Italian or French, than English work.
Architectural mouldings, wreaths of flowers, cupids, and an allegorical
figure of Faith are harmoniously combined in the design, the size of the
whole frame being 4ft. 5ins. by 3ft. 6ins. It bears the initials R.M., and
is dated 1359, the year in which Roland Meyrick became Bishop of Bangor;
it is still in the possession of the Meyrick family. A careful drawing of
this frame was made by Henry Shaw, F.S.A., and published in "Specimens of
Ancient Furniture drawn from existing Authorities," in 1836. This valuable
work of reference also contains finished drawings of other noteworthy
examples of the sixteenth century furniture and woodwork. Amongst these
is one of the Abbot's chair at Glastonbury, temp. Henry VIII., the
original of the chair familiar to us now in the chancel of most churches;
also a chair in the State-room of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, covered
with crimson velvet embroidered with silver tissue, and others, very
interesting to refer to because the illustrations are all drawn from the
articles themselves, and their descriptions are written by an excellent
antiquarian and collector, Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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