The term Tudor is often associated with the appearance of half-timber wood build-
ing which remained the usual vernacular style until well into the seventeenth century,
but it also defines the period when Italianate detail first began to appear in
ornamentation, in trim around doors and fireplaces, in paneling, and in details of
furniture. The epitome of Tudor style was wall paneling consisting of squares
or rectangles. These were made mostly from oak that was stained dark. The
paneling covered the entire wall height or two-thirds of the height in what's
called wainscot. The flooring used during this era were wide plank oak
floors, brick, and stone. The heavy furniture was more ornate than its
predecessors with decorations hand-carved into the wood.
Elizabethan
The period favoured wood and stonework, with brick suffering in popularity due to the
growing influence of the Renaissance. Elizabethan houses also borrow elements of
Flemish and Late Gothic design visible in the curved gables, parapets and chimney
stacks which adorn the exterior. Elizabethan balance of almost modern simplicity
along with luxury and grandeur. A massive folding chair known as a Glastonbury
chair also appeared (9.9), often with a carved back suggesting a twoarch arcade.
Oak remained the usual wood, although ash, yew, chestnut, and other woods were
sometimes used
court cupboard—actually an open
shelf unit with three tiers intended
for the display of silver ornamental
and serving pieces. The sup-
ports and edges of the shelves
were carved with a richness
intended to equal the silver on
view.
JACOBEAN
The Jacobean period (1603–49) takes its name from James I, but also includes the
reign of Charles I. Hatfield House (from 1608) is an irreg- ular although symmetrical
block, U-shape in plan. The Jacobean style is considered the second phase of
English Renaissance architecture. The Elizabethan era saw the first introduction
of Renaissance ideals into England. Jacobean furniture was often symmetrical and
based on rectilinear shapes. For example, chairs had straight backs and
rectangular seats, and both chair and table legs were made to stand perpendicular
to the floor. acobean furniture was primarily made from oak, and made use of
mortise-and-tenon joints. Furniture makers occasionally used exotic woods, or
painted wood black.
Restoration
Walnut veneer replaced solid oak timber.
Chair frames were sometimes guilded or silvered.
Upholstery and silk fringes became fashionable.
The wing chair was introduced, upholstered stools and benches in
elaborate design were popular.
Charles 11 Chair c. 1685, cresting rail fixed on top of chair back.
the time of the return of the court from its ten-year exile. It brought
about an extreme reaction.
Wil- liam and Mary, there was some retreat from the elaborate
extremes of the Carolean period. Walnut was now the preferred
wood for pan- eling and for furniture, veneer began to be used as a
means of creating decorative surface treatments with wood grain
matched to create various patterns with edging of contrasting colored
wood. Decorative lacquer work, which was previously only available
as an import, was developed in England as an alternative form of
surface decoration for furniture (9.19). The Highboy, a drawer cabinet
raised on legs, became popular, along with such inventions as the
Gate-leg table. new, intimate style of life that created smaller
rooms demanded a more modest scale of furniture. Although
the underlying contours of William and Mary furniture are
quite simple—emphasizing the vertical line rather than the
more horizontal line typical of earlier domestic furnishing—
they are embellished with delicate ornament. Marquetry in
ivory and coloured woods or metal inlay frequently is found in
arabesque patterns resembling seaweed and spiders’ webs.
Highboys and lowboys are major pieces for the period, and
serpentine stretchers and spiral turnings are typical. Walnut
superseded the use of oak as the basic wood of English
cabinetry
during this
period, and a
number of
exotic woods
such as acacia
and olive,
which reached
the country via
new East–West
trade routes,
were put to use
as veneer and
inlays
Cromwellian
Cromwellian chair, sturdy, squarish chair with a leather
back and seat, studded with brass-headed nails, made in
England and in urban centres of colonial America in the mid-
17th century. They were popular during the Puritan period and
were named after Oliver Cromwell. Cromwellian chair,
sturdy, squarish chair with a leather back and seat, studded
with brass-headed nails, made in England and in urban
centres of colonial America in the mid-17th century. They were
popular during the Puritan period and were named
after Oliver Cromwell.
