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History of Furniture and Inventor
- Furniture
 Furniture is the collective term for the movable objects which may support the human body (seating furniture and beds), provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground. Storage furniture (which often makes use of doors, drawers, and shelves) is used to hold or contain smaller objects such as clothes, tools, books, and household goods.
Furniture can be a product of artistic design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. Domestic furniture works to create, in conjunction with furnishings such as clocks and lighting, comfortable and convenient interior spaces. Furniture can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood.
History
Furniture has been a part of the human experience since the development of non-nomadic cultures. Evidence of furniture from antiquity survives in the form of paintings, such as the wall Murals discovered at Pompeii; sculpture, and examples have been excavated in Egypt and found in tombs in Ghiordes, in modern day Turkey.
The Classical World
Early furniture has been excavated from the 8th-century B.C. Phrygian tumulus, the Midas Mound, in Gordion, Turkey. Pieces found here include tables and inlaid serving stands. There are also surviving works from the 9th-8th-century B.C. Assyrian palace of Nimrud. The earliest surviving carpet, the Pazyryk Carpet was discovered in a frozen tomb in Siberia and has been dated between the 6th and 3rd century B.C.. Recovered Ancient Egyptian furniture includes a 3rd millennium B.C. bed discovered in the Tarkhan Tomb, a c.2550 B.C. gilded set from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres, and a c. 1550 B.C. stool from Thebes. Ancient Greek furniture design beginning in the 2nd millennium B.C., including beds and the klismos chair, is preserved not only by extant works, but by images on Greek vases. The 1738 and 1748 excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii introduced Roman furniture, preserved in the ashes of the 79 A.D. eruption of Vesuvius, to the eighteenth century.
Early Modern Europe
The furniture of the Middle Ages was usually heavy, oak, and ornamented with carved designs. Along with the other arts, the Italian Renaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth century marked a rebirth in design, often inspired by the Greco-Roman tradition. A similar explosion of design, and renaissance of culture in general, occurred in Northern Europe, starting in the fifteenth century. The seventeenth century, in both Southern and Northern Europe, was characterized by opulent, often gilded Baroque designs that frequently incorporated a profusion of vegetal and scrolling ornament. Starting in the eighteenth century, furniture designs began to develop more rapidly. Although there were some styles that belonged primarily to one nation, such as Palladianism in Great Britain, others, such as the Rococo and Neoclassicism were perpetuated throughout Western Europe.
19th Century
The nineteenth century is usually defined by concurrent revival styles, including Gothic, Neoclassicism, Rococo, and the Eastlake Movement. The design reform of the late century introduced the Aesthetic movement and the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau was influenced by both of these movements.
Modernism
The first three-quarters of the twentieth century are often seen as the march towards Modernism. Art Deco, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Wiener Werkstätte, and Vienna Secession designers all worked to some degree within the Modernist idiom. Postmodern design, intersecting the Pop art movement, gained steam in the 1960s and 70s, promoted in the 80s by groups such as the Italy-based Memphis movement. Transitional furniture is intended to fill a place between Traditional and Modern tastes.
Asian history
Asian furniture has a quite distinct history. The traditions out of China, India, and Japan are some of the best known, but places such as Korea, Mongolia, and the countries of South East Asia have unique facets of their own.
Traditional Japanese furniture is well known for its minimalist style, extensive use of wood, high-quality craftsmanship and reliance on wood grain instead of painting or thick lacquer. Japanese chests are known as Tansu, and are some of the most sought-after of Japanese antiques. The antiques available generally date back to the Tokugawa era.
Chinese furniture is traditionally better known for more ornate pieces. The use of uncarved wood and bamboo and the use of heavy lacquers are well known Chinese styles. It is worth noting that China has an incredibly rich and diverse history, and architecture, religion, furniture and culture in general can vary widely from one dynasty to the next.
Thomas Chippendale
 Thomas Chippendale (ca June 5, 1718 - November 1779) was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. He went to London in 1749 where, in 1754, he became the first cabinet-maker to publish a book of his designs, titled “The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director”. Three editions were published, the first in 1754, followed by a virtual reprint in 1755, and finally a revised and enlarged edition in 1762, by which time Chippendale's illustrated designs began to show signs of Neoclassicism.
Chippendale was much more than just a cabinet maker, he was an interior designer who advised on soft furnishings and even the colour a room should be painted. He worked in partnership initially with the upholsterer James Rannie and later with Rannie's assistant, Thomas Haig, but artistic control of the luxurious furnishings that came from his premises in St. Martin's Lane was firmly in Chippendale's hands.
His workshop was continued by his son, Thomas Chippendale, the younger (1749-1822), who worked in the later Neoclassical and Regency styles, 'the rather slick delicacy of Adam's final phase', as Christopher Gilbert assessed it.[2] A bankruptcy and sale of remaining stock in the St. Martin's Lane premises in 1804 did not conclude the firm's latest phase, as the younger Chippendale supplied furniture to Sir Richard Colt Hoare at Stourhead until 1820 (Edwards and Jourdain 1955: 88).
Recognizably 'Chippendale' furniture was produced in Dublin and Philadelphia, as might be expected, but also in Lisbon, Copenhagen, and Hamburg. Catherine the Great and Louis XVI both possessed copies of the Director in its French edition. (Gilbert 1978, xvii). As a folk hero of English craftsmanship, he is enshrined as a full-size sculpted figure standing among other notables adorning the facade of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
 His designs became very popular again during the middle to late 19th century, leading to widespread adoption of his name in revivals of his style, so much so that dealers spoke of 'Chinese Chippendale', 'Gothic Chippendale', and even 'Irish Chippendale'. Many of these later designs that attach his name bear little relationship to his original concepts.
The 'Chinese Chippendale' chair is characterized with having a pagoda roofline, dragon motifs, and flipped up ears on the top. The body of the chair has fretwork, a stretcher for carving, a drop in seat with an exposed wooden apron. Its legs are sober in the back and square in section, on block feet.
The 'Gothick Chippendale' chair has a cupid's bow crest rail, highly pierced splat, and a stretcher that is for show rather than function. The chair also has a completely covered seat as opposed to the drop in seat. The legs are straight or square but do not sit on feet. This chair has a masculine and rectilinear quality. The 'Neo-classical Chippendale' chair is a lyre back chair. The integrated crest rail at the top has flipped up ears. There is a boss, or circular decorated motif, often incorporated into the design of this chair. The central splat is in the shape of a lyre. Greek and Roman motifs are often also incorporated into the chair. This chair differs from the Gothick Chippendale by having a drop in seat. It is similar to the Chinese Chippendale by having an exposed apron.
 There is a statue and memorial plaque dedicated to Chippendale outside the old Prince Henry's Grammar School in Manor Square, in his home town of Otley, near Leeds, Yorkshire.
1. 'Thomas Son of John Chippindale of Otley joyner bap ye 5th' (Otley, Yorkshire Parish Register, June 1718). He was buried 16 November 1779, according to the records of St Martin's-in-the-Fields, in the burying ground now occupied by the National Gallery. Details of Chippendale's life are drawn from Christopher Gilbert, The Life and Works of Thomas Chippendale (New York: Macmillan) 1978, 'Biographical Essay'.
2. Gilbert 1978:I,122.
- The Chippendale Society
- Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director, first edition, 1754 - online as part of the University of Wisconsin's Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture.
- Ralph Edwards and Margaret Jourdain, 1955. Georgian Cabinet-Makers.
- Christopher Gilbert, 1978. The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale 2 vols. (New York: Macmillan) 1978.. The standard work.
- Thomas Chippendale - The Legend!
Sheraton style
 Sheraton is a late 18th century neoclassical English furniture style, in vogue ca 1785 - 1800, that was coined by 19th century collectors and dealers to credit furniture designer Thomas Sheraton, born in Stockton-on-Tees, England in 1751 and whose books, 'The Cabinet Dictionary' (1803) of engraved designs and the 'Cabinet Maker's & Upholsterer's Drawing Book' (1791) of furniture patterns exemplify this style.
The Sheraton style was inspired by the Louis XVI style and features round tapered legs, fluting and most notably contrasting veneer inlays. Sheraton style furniture takes lightweight rectilinear forms, using satinwood, mahogany and tulipwood, sycamore and rosewood for inlaid decorations, though painted finishes and brass fittings are also to be found. Swags, husks, flutings, festoons, and rams' heads are amongst the common motifs applied to pieces of this style.
Without pedantic archaeology, it brought the Neo-Classical taste of architects like Robert Adam within reach of the middle class. In many respects Sheraton style corresponds with the contemporary Directoire style of France. The Sheraton style was the most reproduced style in the United States during the Federal period.
Jean Avisse
Jean Avisse (1723 - 1796 in Paris) produced chairs, sofas, chaises and similar furniture in 18th century France. His chairs are elaborately decorated with natural images such as shells, flowers, and leaves. He stamped his work with the signature IAVISSE. Reproductions in his style are often called Avisse.He was not very successful during his life.
George Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite (1727 - June 21, 1786) was a cabinet and chair maker. He was one of the 'big three' English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale.
There are no pieces of furniture made by Hepplewhite or his firm known to exist but he gave his name to a distinctive style of light, elegant furniture that was fashionable between about 1775 and 1800.
Reproductions of his designs continued through the following centuries. One characteristic that is seen in many of his designs, but not all of them, is a shield-shaped chair back, where an expansive shield appeared in place of a narrower splat design.
Life and work
Very little is known about Hepplewhite himself. Some established sources list no birth information; however a 'George Hepplewhite' was born in 1727 in Ryton Parish, County Durham, England. He served his apprenticeship in Lancaster and then moved to London, where he opened a shop.
After he died in 1786, the business was continued by his widow, Alice. In 1788 she published a book with about 300 of his designs, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide. Two further editions were published in 1789 and 1790.
Many are quick to praise the designer George Hepplewhite and few notice the in discrepancies of his sudden fame. The published guide books, that claim George Hepplewhite as their author, were released after his death. It was not until years after his death that his designs started to receive recognition.
Alice, his widow, was responsible for publishing the books. Later editions of his book were released by Alice multiple years after his death. Little is known about the man George Hepplewhite. His death certificate seems to offer the only evidence of his existence.
The question rises if "George Hepplewhite" was a man or just a name for Alice Hepplewhite to publish under? With contemporaries such as Thomas Chippendale producing pieces in a variety of styles Hepplewhite’s famed style is more easily identifiable. Hepplewhite produced designs that were slender, more curvilinear in shape, and well balanced.
There are some characteristics that hint at a Hepplewhite design. Look for shorter more curved chair arms, straight legs, shield- shape chair backs, all without carving. The design would receive ornamentation from paint and inlays used on the piece. The book influenced cabinet makers and furniture companies for several generations. The work of these generations influenced in turn copies of the original designs and variants of them through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Pierre-Antoine Bellange
 Pierre-Antoine Bellange (1760-1844) was a French ébéniste (cabinetmaker) working in Paris. Bellange held an eminent position among the representatives of the decorative arts at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
He gained his master craftsman title on October 24, 1788. Among his work from this time were four chairs in mahogany described as being 'of the Gothic type' that he created for Count Esterhazy.
 Bellange was designated several times as arbitrator or expert in trials brought before the tribunal of commerce. At the end of 1811, he became the 'Imperial Furniture Warehouse.
Suites of furniture by Bellange were provided for many European courts including the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. Bellange's work is often classified as Empire Style a reference to the First French Empire under Napoleon I.
 Motifs included swans favored by Napoleon's first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais, honeybees (a symbol for Napoleon), laurel branches, laurel wreaths, and roman eagles. Bellange's furniture often showcases the dense grain of mahogony, combined with gilded bronze or carved and gilded relief decoration. His highest style court furniture was built of gilded beech and upholstered in silk lampas fabrics in saturated colors, often with a gold jacquard pattern of medallions, eagles, or the arms of the court or family the piece was manufactured for.
 In 1817 President James Monroe purchased a suite of furniture for the White House, which was made famous in Jacqueline Kennedy's TV tour of the White House. The furniture is in the Blue Room. He also produced furniture for Napoleon at Saint-Cloud, for the Tuilleries, Joséphine's Château de Malmaison, and also for his brother Joseph Bonaparte. Examples of his work can be seen at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace in England. The set of furniture in the Treasure Room of the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is of the period when Napoleon was emperor, around 1810, and has the swan motif favored by Josephine, his first wife. It is entirely possible that this set was made for one of Napoleon's or Josephine's rooms.
Bellange kept the same functions under the reign of Louis XVIII, during which he furnished the Saint-Ouen pavilion. He was assigned by Charles X to the Director General of the Royal Furniture and appointed by Louis-Philippe 'Cabinet Maker to the King,' a title he kept until his death.
Antique furniture
The collecting of antique furniture is a particularly popular area of antiques due to the practical characteristics of these antiques.
Antique furniture includes dining tables, chairs, bureaus, chests etc. The most common woods are mahogany, oak, pine, walnut and rosewood.
In Chinese antique furniture the most common wood is elm a wood common to most regions able to sustain trees. Each wood has its own distinctive grain and colour.
Many modern pieces of furniture often use laminate or wood veneer to cheaply achieve the same effect. There are a number of different styles of antique furniture depending on when and where it was made. The most common include Arts & Crafts, Georgian, Regency and Victorian.
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