CHIPPENDALE, Thomas - b. 1718 Otley, d. 1779 London - WGA

CHIPPENDALE, Thomas

(b. 1718 Otley, d. 1779 London)

English cabinet-maker. He became a cabinet-maker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles.

After working as a journeyman cabinet-maker in London, he became the first cabinet-maker to publish in 1754 a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director, upon which success he became renowned. The designs of the book are regarded as reflecting the current British fashion for furniture of that period and are today reproduced globally.

Thomas Chippendale, Junior took over the business in 1776 allowing his father to retire. He was buried 16 November 1779, according to the records of St Martin-in-the-Fields, in the cemetery since built upon by the National Gallery.

Thomas Chippendale was legendary for his furniture designs that blended English, Chinese and Gothic motifs to create the distinctly elegant style that bears his name. In fact, the English cabinet-maker is the first to have an entire style named after him and not a monarch.

Chair

This chair is one of a set of six made after the design by Thomas Chippendale.

Send Postcard Learn More

Design for a State Bed

This design for a state bed is from Chippendale’s “Director”.

Send Postcard Learn More

Hall chair

This is one of a set of four chairs made for the hall at the villa in Hampton, Middlesex, that belonged to the celebrated actor-manager David Garrick (1717–1779). Hall chairs were typically made of solid wood, and painted in whole or in part – usually showing the owner’s coat of arms on the back. But Garrick, who did not have a coat of arms, has instead used ribbons and beads surrounded by a triumphal laurel wreath, doubtless alluding to his own ‘triumph’ in the theatre.

The chairs were almost certainly made by Thomas Chippendale, whom Garrick commissioned to furnish his Hampton villa in the 1760s and 1770s, and whose reputation, like Garrick’s, has long outlived him.

Send Postcard Learn More

Pembroke Table

One of the handful of examples of furniture created by the master’s hand that is still in private hands and not in a museum, this majestic Pembroke Table was made for Paxton House in the Scottish Borders. Perfect and luxurious to the last detail, this table features exotic “crocodile” grain mahogany, a rare variety that would have only been used for the most prestigious commissions.

It is believed that the table was made for the estate’s drawing room, where it would have been at the centre of attention. The striking “crocodile” grained mahogany is balanced perfectly by the delicate sweep of the cabriole legs. It is known that on pieces he crafted, Chippendale would agonize over every single detail. While this became burdensome from a business perspective, this methodology resulted in the very finest furniture ever made.

The Pembroke table is a light, drop-leaf table designed for occasional use, probably deriving its name from Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke (1693–1751), a noted connoisseur and amateur architect. The table has two drawers and flaps on either side that can be raised by brackets on hinges (known as “elbows”) to increase its size. Usually provided with casters (it was often used for bedside meals), the legs of the common English versions are supported or reinforced by X-shaped stretchers.

Send Postcard Learn More

Two book cases

These designs are from Chippendale’s book, the “Director.”

Send Postcard Learn More