Furniture 1 Prehistoric Through Rococo Author:Robert Bishop, Patricia Coblentz The history of furniture begins in prehistoric times, when our ancestors used found objects to create the basic necessities for seating and sleeping purposes. Later they sought materials that could be readily worked into an abundant variety of furniture forms and decorative motifs. Furniture 1 traces the exciting evolution o... more »f this craft over many centuries, ending with the close of the eighteenth. (Furniture 2 will cover the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.) A lively commentary on the social life of the time accompanies a stylistic and historical analysis of furniture making, providing and understanding of how furniture was used in everyday life.
Starting with an examination of the lavish pieces of furniture discovered in the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb and of the classically elegant furnishings of Greece, the authors continue their fascinating journey through the long period of the Middle Ages and its rich complexity of forms. New furniture styles evolved during the Renaissance -- large, elaborate pieces with classical ornament were designed for sumptuous palaces, especially those of Italy. The Renaissance style spread northward in Europe, finally to be eclipsed by the exuberant baroque style early in the seventeenth century. Characterized by flamboyant carved, painted and gilded furniture, the new style reached its zenith in France under Louis XIV.
The William and Mary and Queen Anne styles in England and their influence on furniture in America are studied next. Finally the reader is treated to a delightful survey of the light and graceful rococo style that emerged in France in the early eighteenth century -- and of all its permutations in Europe and America.
A chapter on collecting, a glossary of special terms, a list of further reading and a guide to public collections of furniture, where priceless pieces can be seen, extend the usefulness of this concise work.
A Smithsonian Illustrated Library of Antiques book.« less