THOMAS CHIPPENDALE (1718-1779)

THE FOREMARK HALL CABINET by THOMAS CHIPPENDALE (c. 1768 England)

THE FOREMARK HALL CABINET by THOMAS CHIPPENDALE (England)

UK/USA Dimensions

64.00 inch wide 100.50 inch high 22.00 inch deep

European Converted Dimensions

162.56 cm wide 255.27 cm high 55.88 cm deep

Item Provenance & History

Commissioned by Sir Robert Burdett, 4th Bt. (1716 – 1797) for Foremark Hall, Derbyshire between 1766 and 1769
Thence by descent within the family.

Item Literature

A. Coleridge, ‘Thomas Chippendale and Foremark Hall’, Furniture History, 1997, pp. 136 – 142, figs. 2 – 5
J. Sellars (ed.), The Art of Thomas Chippendale: Master Furniture Maker, Leeds, 2000, pp. 18 and 50

Item Exhibition History

Leeds, Harewood House, The Art of Thomas Chippendale: Master Furniture Maker, 1 April – 29 October 2000, exhibited in Lord Harewood’s Sitting Room

Item Description / Dealer Expertise

A magnificent George III mahogany breakfront secretaire-cabinet commissioned by Sir Robert Burdett, 4th Bt., and supplied by Thomas Chippendale between 1766 and 1769 for Foremark Hall, Derbyshire.

The breakfront cabinet is constructed of the finest mahogany in the early neo-classical taste. The top half of the cabinet comprised of three glazed sections: the central section surmounted by a bold open scrolled pediment augmented with scale-carved detailing to the undersides of the scrolls and resting on a dentilled cornice, above a glass door with arched geometric glazing and mouldings. The side sections to left and right of the central cabinet, with similar glazing and geometric astragals, are topped by pierced fretwork galleries. Each cabinet with brass escutcheons and enclosing three adjustable shelves, each with mahogany mouldings to the fore.

The lower section of the cabinet encloses a secretaire drawer to the centre, which itself incorporates a fitted interior of pigeon-holes and drawers, with compartments for ink-wells and paper. Below the secretaire drawer can be found three fine graduated oak-lined drawers; to the sides of the central section on each side, two graduated drawers above an arched moulded panel door of fine mahogany opening to reveal a shelf. The shape of the mouldings here echo that of the mouldings of the central glazed cabinet door.

The whole on a moulded plinth base. Original handles throughout. The cupboards with chamfered back panels. Original glass fixative putty visible on the inside of the doors. The shelf fronts with mahogany mouldings throughout. The reverse and underside of the cabinet red-washed.

CHIPPENDALE

Type	Artist/Maker
Country of origin	England
Born	1718
Died	1779

Thomas Chippendale was born in Otley, Yorkshire, in 1718, the son of a carpenter. The exact date of his birth is a mystery, but we do know that he was baptised on June 5.
Like his birth, Chippendale's early life is lost to us. We do know that he married Catherine Redshaw in 1748 in London, and five years later he moved his furniture showrooms and workshop to St. Martin's Lane, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.
In 1754 Chippendale published his masterful collection, Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, a compilation of fashionable English furniture design. This work is Chippendale's enduring legacy, and shows his gift in adapting existing design styles to the fashion of the mid 18th century. So pervasive was the influence of the book that the name of Chippendale is often indiscriminately applied to mid-18th century furniture as a whole.
Chippendale partnered with upholsterer James Rannie, and when Rannie died his former clerk, Thomas Haig, became Chippendale's business partner. Catherine Chippendale died in 1772, and Thomas remarried in 1775, to Elizabeth Davis.
Chippendale's designs coveraged a wide range of styles, from Rococo to Gothic and chinoiserie (oriental style). From the 1760's Chippendale was influenced heavily by the Neoclassical work of architect Robert Adam, with whom he worked on several large projects, notably at Harewood House and Nostell Priory.
Many fine pieces of furniture have been attributed to Thomas Chippendale, but verifiable pieces are rare. His designs were widely copied, and his Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director was used heavily by other makers in both England and North America.
Even when a piece can be attributed with certainty to Chippendale's workshop, it is impossible to say for certain that he worked on the furniture himself. As the Chippendale firm became successful, more and more work was carried out by trained workmen rather than Chippendale himself.
Thomas Chippendale died in 1779 and his business was carried on by his son, also named Thomas.

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Status

FOR SALE

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THOMAS CHIPPENDALE (1718-1779)

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