Illustrated History Of Furniture:
From the Earliest to the Present Time.
Frederick Litchfield.
With numerous Illustrations
1893.
Preface.
n the following pages the Author has placed before the reader an accountof the changes in the design of Decorative Furniture and Woodwork, fromthe earliest period of which we have any reliable or certain record untilthe present time.
A careful selection of illustrations has been made from examples ofestablished authenticity, the majority of which are to be seen, either inthe Museums to which reference is made, or by permission of the owners;and the representations of the different "interiors" will convey an ideaof the character and disposition of the furniture of the periods to whichthey refer. These illustrations are arranged, so far as is possible, inchronological order, and the descriptions which accompany them areexplanatory of the historical and social changes which have influenced themanners and customs, and directly or indirectly affected the Furniture ofdifferent nations. An endeavour is made to produce a "panorama" which mayprove acceptable to many, who, without wishing to study the subjectdeeply, may desire to gain some information with reference to itgenerally, or with regard to some part of it, in which they may feel aparticular interest.
It will be obvious that within the limits of a single volume of moderatedimensions it is impossible to give more than an outline sketch of manyperiods of design and taste which deserve far more consideration than ishere bestowed upon them; the reader is, therefore, asked to accept thefirst chapter, which refers to "Ancient Furniture" and covers a period ofseveral centuries, as introductory to that which follows, rather than as aserious attempt to examine the history of the furniture during that spaceof time. The fourth chapter, which deals with a period of some hundred andfifty years, from the time of King James the First until that ofChippendale and his contemporaries, and the last three chapters, are morefully descriptive than some others, partly because trustworthy informationas to these times is more accessible, and partly because it is probablethat English readers will feel greater interest in the furniture of whichthey are the subject. The French meubles de luxe, from the latter halfof the seventeenth century until the Revolution, are also treated morefully than the furniture of other periods and countries, on account of theinterest which has been manifested in this description of the cabinetmaker's and metal mounter's work during the past ten or fifteen years.There is evidence of this appreciation in the enormous prices realised atnotable auction sales, when such furniture has been offered forcompetition to wealthy connoisseurs.
In order to gain a more correct idea of the design of Furniture ofdifferent periods, it has been necessary to notice the alterations inarchitectural styles which influenced, and were accompanied by,corresponding changes in the fashion of interior woodwork. Such commentsare made with some diffidence, as it is felt that this branch of th