The Chippendale style was the style of choice in the 1700′s making it a highly desirable antique base and a prolifically reproduced genre’. Thomas Chippendale developed the style integrating the Cabriole leg, a Queen Anne styled ornate, curved leg, with elegant feet.
The beauty of Chippendale is in the graceful, flowing lines created with both great detail and design as modeled in the lacework and fretwork on some pieces. Thomas Chippendale was influenced by the Chinese and Gothic styles. Theses pieces typically had simpler, square legs with square feet as in the late Chippendale creations. As integral though, and probably thought of as more the signature, are the use of clawed feet. The bear claw, the lion’s paw, the ball and claw, and similarly, the eagle talon claw. Paired with the ornate and curved lines of the leg style typical on a clawed piece, these pieces are a feast for the eyes with their pleasing symmetry.
We can’t talk about Chippendale without mentioning the woods used for his furniture. Mahogany was the wood of choice. Some makers used veneers but due to the heavy carvings only solid wood was employed making the pieces durable and aesthetic. American producers on Chippendale furnishings used Cherry more than Mahogany simply because it was more readily available to them.
It’s difficult to determine an original Chippendale piece. There was no mark used to identify the maker and the only way to verify original pieces is to have the original bill of sale.
All of these factors, the exquisitely elegant lines, the shapely carvings, the timeless beauty of the Mahogany wood, and the historical significance of the early American time period have contributed to the success of Chippendale reproductions and the desirability of collectible antique pieces. Even early reproductions are highly sought after by collectors.
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