Topics 1400 – 1600
A survey of the development of English oak furniture in terms of its construction, style and decoration from the medieval period through to the end of the 17th Century.
A study of furniture from medieval to Tudor times referring in particular to its construction, decoration and usage and also to continental influences affecting its development.
3: Gothic Furniture from medieval times to the 19th Century
The gothic style has been around for a very long time and undergone many revivals and re-interpretations, as this lecture will show.
4: Elizabethan & Jacobean Furniture
A comparison of Elizabethan and Jacobean furniture in terms of its construction, decoration and range.
5: On Cupboards and In Drawers: When is Cupboard Not a Cupboard?
An explanation of the development of cupboards and chests of drawers in terms of their use, social significance, and their construction and decoration from mediaeval times to the 18th Century.
6: From Joinery to Cabinet-Making
The development of joinery as a method for constructing furniture from medieval times to the end of the 17th century and its comparison with that of cabinet-making.
12: From Rome to Kent – The Baroque Style in English Furniture
This lecture combines looking at furniture with looking at the interiors for which it was designed as it follows the Baroque style from Rome to England.
26: And So To Bed… (Pepys, 20 April 1660)
The significance and use of beds from the medieval period through to the 18th 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 19th century and will hopefully surprise attendees with just how much there is to reveal about such a common item of furniture.
Janusz Speaking 