Antique Talk's Guide to Western Furniture
Styles
by Wayne Mattox
Empowered slightly by societal change, and mostly
by society's obsession for change itself, furniture and art movements
have historically swept from country to country. Sometimes, the
"Period" or "Style" titles in those various lands are much more
differing and confusing than the inspiration behind them.
|
Circa |
WORLD STYLE |
ENGLISH |
FRENCH |
GERMAN |
AMERICAN |
|
1550 |
Gothic |
Elizabethan |
Renaissance |
Renaissance |
Pilgrim |
|
1610 |
Gothic |
Jacobean |
Renaissance |
Renaissance |
Pilgrim |
|
1620 |
Gothic |
Jacobean |
Louis XIII |
Renaissance |
Pilgrim |
|
1625 |
Baroque |
Cromwellian |
Louis XIII |
Renaissance |
Pilgrim |
|
1650 |
Baroque |
Commonwealth |
Louis XIV |
Baroque |
Pilgrim |
|
1660 |
Baroque |
Restoration |
Louis XIV |
Baroque |
Early Colonial |
|
1690 |
Baroque |
William & Mary |
Louis XIV |
Baroque |
Early Colonial |
|
1715 |
Baroque |
Queen Anne |
Rengence |
Baroque |
William & Mary |
|
1725 |
Rococo |
Queen Anne |
Louis XV |
Baroque |
William & Mary |
|
1730 |
Rococo |
Queen Anne |
Louis XV |
Rococo |
Queen Anne |
|
1740 |
Rococo |
Chippendale |
Louis XV |
Rococo |
Queen Anne |
|
1750 |
Rococo |
Chippendale |
Louis XV |
Rococo |
Chippendale |
|
1760 |
Neo Classic |
Chippendale |
Louis XV |
Neo-Classicism |
Chippendale |
|
1790 |
Neo Classic |
Hepplewhite |
Louis XVI |
Neo-Classicism |
Federal |
|
1795 |
Neo Classic |
Sheraton |
Directoire |
Neo-Classicism |
Federal/Hepplewhite |
|
1800 |
Empire |
Sheraton |
Empire |
Empire |
Federal/Sheraton |
|
1815 |
Regency |
Regency |
Restauration |
Biedermeier |
Federal/Neo
Classic |
|
1830 |
Eclectic Style |
Regency |
Louis Philipps |
Biedermeier |
Late Federal |
|
1840 |
Eclectic Style |
William IV |
Louis Philipps |
Biedermeier |
Empire |
|
1860 |
Eclectic Style |
Victorian |
2nd Empire |
Revivale |
Victorian |
|
1880 |
Arts & Crafts |
Arts & Crafts |
3rd Republic |
Jugendstil |
Vict. / Arts &
Crafts |
|
1900 |
Art Nouveau |
Edwardian |
Art Nouveau |
Jugendstil |
Art
Nouveau/Mission |
|
1930 |
Art Moderne |
Edwardian |
Art Moderne |
Art Moderne |
Art Deco |
Major Furniture Period or Style Definitions
Gothic: Medieval church architecture influences this style-characterized
by pointed arches, counterbalancing buttresses, open tracery and
vertical grandiose emphasis.
Elizabethan: Elizabeth I Reign 1558-1603 England's Renaissance
interpretation.
Renaissance: Derived from Italian Renaissance style-mainly oak
functional furniture with scroll & arabesque carving, etc. with
horizontal emphasis. A "pendulumatic" reaction to Gothic style.
Pilgrim: Spartan utilitarian American furniture reflecting 17th C.
English country styles
Jacobean: Roughly spanning James I (1602-25) & Charles I (1625-49)
reigns. Restrained ornament, Moorish influence.
Louis XIII: King reigned (1589-1643), Baroque style including cherubs,
cartouches, gilding, and spiral turning.
Cromwellian: Also known as Carolean era. Probably alluding to Irish
influence in the era roughly surrounding Charles I.
Louis XIV: The Sun King's reign (1643-1715) noted for splendor of courts
in Versailles and Paris. Marquetry inlaid furniture distinguished by
opulence and grandiose size.
Baroque: Flamboyant, heavy, decorative rectilinear style derived from
17th C. Italian architecture.
Commonwealth: Unadorned style that flourished under protectorate of
Oliver Cromwell (1649-60) in a revolt against aristocracy.
Cont'd Part Two
by
AntiqueTalk.com
Reprinted with permission
Copyright by Wayne Mattox ©
