Lectures 3

21: Neo-Classical Furniture: Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton

This lecture charters the spread of neo-classical design and decoration on furniture from that of the most fashionable and wealthy to that of the upwardly mobile middle and professional classes of the late 18^th century.

22: Thomas Chippendale the Younger and George Bullock

After Chippendale’s death in 1779, his eldest son, also named Thomas, carried on his cabinet-making business until 1804.  Chippendale the Younger & George Bullock were brilliant and highly influential designers and skilled craftsmen, as this lecture will show.

23: Regency Furniture 

An examination of the novelty, variety and intricacy of what we now call the “Regency” style but was then known as the “Grecian or modern style”.

24: Why Victoria Was Not Amused… Victorian Furniture

A suitable sub-title would be “The good, the bad and the ugly” as all three are to be found within Victorian furniture!

25: The Gillows Story and its Furniture 

The history of this most famous of furniture firms and an examination of pieces which exemplify the styles and techniques associated with it.

26: And So To Bed… (Pepys, 20 April 1660)

The significance and use of  beds from the medieval period through to the 18^th century both in terms of their association with the highest level of society and an explanation of why Shakespeare left hiw wife Anne “..my second best bed”!  as expressed through the great “State Beds” and also the history of their construction,

27: Are You Sitting Comfortably?

The lecture traces the development of the chair in terms of its construction and style from ancient times through to the 19^th century and will hopefully surprise attendees with just how much there is to reveal about such a common item of furniture.

28: English and French Furniture of the 18th Century (specially prepared for Paris DFAS)

An examination of baroque, rococo and neo-classical furniture from both sides of the Channel.

29: The Golden Age of English and Dutch Furniture (Specially prepared for The Hague DFAS)

The art of Dutch furniture making and decoration climaxed in the late 17th century and, not least because of the close political and commercial connections between the two countries at the time, greatly influenced that made in England.

30: The Golden Age of European Cabinet-Making (Specially prepared for Brussels DFAS)

English cabinet making reached a near-unrivalled degree of excellence by the mid 18^th Century largely thanks to the influence of new styles and methods of construction and decoration from the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

31: Going Potty About Commodes

The commode as ornament. Tracing the origin, purpose and social significance of what were highly fashionable and often beautifully decorated pieces of furniture in the 18th century.