The Design of Furniture in Tudor Period 1500-1650

"A rich ebony cabinet with gilded fixtures" and a very large ebony cabinet are inventoried among the goods plundered from Corfe Castle in the Civil War. In the check to the production of fine furniture in England, the wars and the enforced exile of many royalists, it was natural that the finest household gear should have been imported. Ralph Verney, who returned to England in the spring of 1653 and set himself to repair the damage at Claydon House, brought with him from abroad mirrors from Venice, some ebony and tortoise-shell cabinets from Holland, rich embroidered hangings and fringes for beds and couches ; while Mr. Robert Spencer, when in Antwerp in 1651, was commissioned by a friend to buy her an ebony cabinet, but recommended her instead a tortoise-shell cabinet, mounted with silver or brass, of which "the best choice is at Antwerp." With the death of Charles I. the establishment of the Commonwealth checked the manufacture of fine furniture, which was no longer " merchantable," and there is, as far as any change that can be attributed to the eleven years of the Commonwealth, a reversion to austerity and simplicity; the characteristic pieces, with the notable exception of the cabinets inlaid with bone and mother of pearl, aiming at usefulness rather than ornament. WOODS

While the extant furniture of the early Renaissance is almost exclusively of oak, there is evidence of the use of varied materials after the general abandonment of painting and gilding.' The majority of the furniture of Sir William More at Loosely in 1556 is of chestnut; a " table of fine deal upon a frame of beech " and a livery cupboard of beach and deal occur in the inventory of household stuff at Howard House in 1588, and it is evident from the constant mention of walnut that the best pieces, especially in the second half of the sixteenth century, were constructed of this wood. Bacon mentions the wood as best for tables, cupboards, and desks, etc; apart from the evidence of inventories such as the Howard House, surviving pieces such as a number of walnut buffets, and the fact that the joiners had the monopoly of making " all tables of wainscot, walnut or other stuffed, glued with frames, mortises, and tenants," is evidence of English manufacture of walnut furniture.

The walnut must have been imported, for after the Restoration Evelyn points the contrast between England and Burgundy, which abounded in walnut trees "and never one felled but a young one is planted," adding that" what universal use the French make of the timber of this sole tree for domestic affairs may be seen in every room, both of poor and rich."

Cedar, a very sweet wood and fine timber, is mentioned as early as 1586 as suitable for making 11 sweet and fine bedsteads, tables, desks, lutes, virginals, and many other things."

Mathew works with the Woodcarvers Guild preserving the history & finesse of period furnitre and architectural fittings. Would you like to have your own piece of captured history whether it be wall panelling, four poster beds, furniture, etc Go to http://www.periodfurniture-carved.co.uk/ for more information and for a free ebook.

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/the-design-of-furniture-in-tudor-period-1500-1650-307478

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