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ARTTUS: Period Interiors Glossary
English Restoration & Carolean Period
1660 - 1685
Opulence and innovative styles were embraced on the return to the throne of King Charles II. Whilst oak was still used for country furniture the restoration period saw very fine, decorative cabinetry and veneered furniture made in walnut with marquetry in olive, white cedar, kingwood, yew and coromondal, amongst others. Their was an influx of Dutch and French immigrants many of whom became the manufacturers of veneered , gilded, marquetry and laquered furniture. They also introduced their French and Dutch Baroque tastes to London .
Furniture craftsmen in the Carolean era specialised in exquisite designs of flowers with birds , cupids and acanthus leaf motifs Wood carving was once again celebrated and Grinling Gibbin was a master carver of the time specialising in carving of fruit, birds and flowers.
After Charles II death his brother James II succeeded to the throne, only to loose it to his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange in 1688.
William & Mary
1688 - 1702
A lot of the Dutch influences started to show within English life , especially in the area of William & Mary period furniture. When William 111 came to England alot of Craftsmen & Dutch furniture cabinet makers followed him, together with influential designers such as Gerrit Jensen and Daniel Marot. In 1689 William III purchased Nottingham House and commissioned Christopher Wren to extend and improve, this then became Kensington Palace, the favourite London palace of successive monarchs until George 111 .
Although a very short period this was influential in changes to interiors , chairs became taller and had matching stools and settees, often upholstered in rich Genoa velvets.
Queen Anne I
1702 - 1714
Blenheim Palace was created in the reign of Queen Anne for John Churchill, Ist Duke of Marlborough as a reward for his services to crown and country in fighting the French. Built in the Baroque style the architect was Sir Jan Vanbrugh. The splendour and tranquillity of the acres of landscaped parkland and the formal gardens are unrivalled anywhere in Britain and the Palace interiors beautifully balance the delicate with the awe-inspiring, from the imposing vastness of the Great Hall, to the intricate detailing of the Red Drawing Room.
After Anne the throne passed to the Elector of Hanover, the grandson of Charles I sister.
George I, II, III & IV
1714 - 1820
Georgian architecture is characterised by its sense of proportion, balance, symmetry and adherence to classical rules. This style succeeded the Baroque and was initiated by Andreo Palladeo, it was the equivalent of the European Rococo styles – and from the mid 1760s the range of neoclassical modes associated with the British Architects William Kent, Robert Adam, James Gibbs, Sir William Chambers, James Wyatt, and Sir John Soane .
In the colony of America this style was broadly called Colonial and later Federal after the war of independence 1775 - 1782.
This stability in design resulted in many fine furniture makers becoming world renown, including Thomas Chippendale in George II reign and George Hepplewhite in George III. Mahogany became the main material for Geo9rgian furniture and was imported from south America .
George IV & William IV
1820 - 1837
This period was given the name of Regency, as George was made R$egent during his fathers mental illness. George was very extravagant and able to indulge his love of design and luxury. During the war with France the influence Napoloeon’s Empire filtered through and together with Egyptian and Greek Revival styles (although very diverse) were embraced and then evolved into what we now know as Regency. The Brighton Pavilion, built for George when Regent is a great example of these opulent times.