Bookcases and Desks

It would seem that the old English makers of furniture went somewhat astray when they gave themselves the general designation, still surviving, of “cabinet-makers”; for we learn from the article Cabinet (Vol. 4, p. 918) that the elaborate cabinets which have come down to us from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries are almost invariably of Italian, Dutch and French origin, and it was in other branches of work that the English were most successful. The Cupboard (Vol. 7, p. 634) was used to contain books long before the Bookcase (Vol. 4, p. 221) had assumed a distinct form, and in the earlier bookcases the volumes were either placed on their sides, or, if upright, were ranged with their backs to the wall and their edges outwards. Until printing had cheapened books, it was not the custom to mark the title on the back, and the band of leather which closed the volume, like the strap on an old-fashioned wallet, bore the inscription. Sheraton’s satinwood bookcases were among the most elegant of all his pieces. The Desk (Vol. 8, p. 95) about the year 1750 had assumed the form which is now described as a library table—a flat top with a set of drawers on each side of the writer’s knees, when its vogue was interrupted by the invention of the cylinder-top desk. At first the cover was a solid piece of curved wood, but the “tambour,” or series of slats mounted on canvas proved more serviceable; and the American roll-top desk is now exported to all parts of the world. Other articles dealing with individual pieces of furniture are Wardrobe (Vol. 28, p. 323), Sideboard (Vol. 25, p. 38), Dresser (Vol. 8, p. 577), Cheffonier (Vol. 6, p. 22), Cradle (Vol. 7, p. 360), Buffet (Vol. 4, p. 757), and Mirror (Vol. 18, p. 575).

Technical Articles

Of the more technical articles Timber (Vol. 26, p. 978) shows the comparative advantages of all the varieties of wood used for furniture; and, as the list at the end of this chapter shows, there is a separate article on each kind. Tool (Vol. 27, p. 14), by J. G. Horner, is of great importance. It would fill 75 pages of this Guide, and contains 79 illustrations. The furniture maker will find in it complete information about all the hand tools and machine tools used in the industry. Joinery (Vol. 15, p. 476), by James Bartlett, describes, with practical diagrams, every variety of joint and dovetail. Sound guidance for the workshop will be found in Glue (Vol. 12, p. 143), Painter-Work (Vol. 20, p. 457), Lac (Vol. 16, p. 35), Lacquer (Vol. 16, p. 53), in regard to which there is also information in the article Japan (Vol. 15, p. 188), French Polish (Vol. 11, p. 154), Weaving, Industrial Technology (Vol. 28, p. 440), Dyeing (Vol. 8, p. 744), by Profs. J. J. Hummel and Edmund Knecht; Rep (Vol. 23, p. 105), Tapestry (Vol. 26, p. 403), with numerous illustrations, by A. S. Cole; Silk, Manufacture (Vol. 25, p. 102); Plush (Vol. 21, p. 857), Velvet (Vol. 27, p. 979), Marble (Vol. 17, p. 676), by J. S. Flett; Onyx (Vol. 20, p. 118); and Alabaster (Vol. 1, p. 466).

Decoration and Ornament

Biographical Articles

Although wood, ivory, precious stones, bronze, silver and gold have been used from antiquity for the decorations of furniture, the modern maker will be more concerned with Wood-Carving (Vol. 28, p. 791), illustrated, by F. A. Crallan, author of Gothic Wood-carving. In this article materials and methods are described, and there is much information as to the domestic use of wood-carving. The article will be most valuable to manufacturers and dealers who have to do with church fittings. Gilding (Vol. 12, p. 13) and Carving and Gilding (Vol. 5, p. 438) impart knowledge of a practical nature as to these processes. The art of inlaying is described in Marquetry (Vol. 17, p. 751) and Bombay Furniture (Vol. 4, p. 185); see also Veneer (Vol. 27, p. 982). Materials other than wood used for inlaying are described, as, for example, Pearl (Vol. 21, p. 25) for pearl and mother of pearl; Ivory (Vol. 15, p. 92), Lapis Lazuli (Vol. 16, p. 199), Tortoiseshell (Vol. 27, p. 71), Brass (Vol. 4, p. 433), etc. The mention of the last two materials naturally suggests the name of Boulle and the Britannica’s biography of that artist. Such biographies, as anyone interested in the subject knows, are most difficult to find, and they are included in much detail in the new Britannica. Boulle (Vol. 4, p. 321) was the most distinguished of modern cabinet-makers before the middle of the 18th century; and, beginning with that date, both France and England produced a number of men whose renown is scarcely less than that of the great painters, sculptors, architects or musicians of the period. The Britannica’s accounts of their lives, ideas and work will be of much value and interest to those who make or deal in furniture. For the French schools we get the essential facts about, for example, Oeben (Vol. 20, p. 11), to whom Louis XV’s famous desk owes its general plan; Riesener (Vol. 23, p. 324), his more celebrated pupil, who completed the desk; Röntgen, David (Vol. 23, p. 693), the maker of “harlequin furniture,” several of whose ingenious mechanical devices are described; and Gouthière (Vol. 12, p. 291), the metal-worker whose furniture mounts are among the most noted art products of the Louis XV and XVI periods. Chippendale (Vol. 6, p. 237), with whom arose the marvellously brilliant school of English cabinet-makers, is the subject of a biography describing fully the characteristics of his designs; and the history of this school is continued under such headings as Hepplewhite (Vol. 13, p. 305), whose taste at its best “was so fine and so full of distinction, so simple, modest and sufficient that it amounted to genius”; Adam, Robert (Vol. 1, p. 172), who left so deep and enduring a mark upon English furniture, and Sheraton (Vol. 24, p. 841), “the most remarkable man in the history of English furniture,” whose extravagant creations marked the end of the great school. Many other biographies are included in the list appended.

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ARTICLES, INCLUDING BIOGRAPHIES, IN THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA WHICH ARE OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS

CHAPTER IX
FOR MERCHANTS AND MANUFACTURERS OF LEATHER AND LEATHER GOODS