The Romance of Furniture

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 83, 29 June 1927, Page 14

The Romance of Furniture

TUDOR AND EARLY JACOBEAN 11. (Written for THE SUN.) The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries should surely be named the ‘‘age of oak.” Oak was Lised not only for furniture but for the support of roofs of great halls, churches and palaces, and in the construction of ships. The extent to which the timber was used in the building of furniture is aptly put by one writer: “An examination oC late ‘Elizabethan’ and early ‘Jacobean* chairs of every kind leads us irresistibly to the conclusion that the days when they were in fashion must have been a veritable harvesttime for the timber merchants; for if we take their weight alone into consideration, almost any one of them when put into the scale would bring down the beam against three or four of its twentieth century successors.” ARBITRARY PERIODS The arrangement of furniture into “periods” is an arbitrary proceeding. Historical references are merely signposts and are not finite. It is perhaps not generally appreciated that furniture classified under the name “Elizabethan” had its existence mainly in the reign of James 1., a Stuart King. “Jacobean” furniture is credited with a life of close on a century, embracing the reigns of four Kings and Cromwell. It is generally acknowledged by students of English furniture that the reign of Henry VIII. brought craftsmanship to birth. During this period, the Renaissance of the arts on the continent spread to England and. it was primarily due to the genius of imported artisans and craftsmen from the Continent by Henry VIII. that impetus was given to the awakened interest of the British craftsman in his trade. STRAIGHTFORWARD LINES Many of the early “Elizabethan” larger pieces of furniture bear the unmistakable. brand of the Italian or French tradesman. Particularly so in the heavy four-poster b >ds, the posts of which are of architectural proportions. “Elizabethan” furniture was constructed on plain straightforward and simple lines, relieved by a crude form of “scratch” carving which is to be seen to-day on so many “reproduction” pieces of the period. Upholstery was unknown except on imported French or Italian chairs. Perhaps the most common piece of furniture was the “chest” or “coffer” for holding clothing, silver, etc. The present day sideboard is not very far removed in character from the “court cupboard” of those days. name “court” does not signify that it was an article used exclusively in the Royal household, but is derived the French meaning “short” or “low.” The lathe was in general use in the making of a common type of chair of which the back legs were set perpendicularly, making the occupier sit bolt upright. Copies of this type of chair are to be had to-day. . Inlays were freely used on wall panelling and in “court cupboards” and “chests.” BEDROOM AND LIVING-ROOM In the study of the homes of the period it must be remembered that the masses of the people subsisted and worked under conditions altogether different from those of the present day. The ordinary villa of to-day would have filled the average man of the reign of James I. with awe and amazement. Little attention was paid, even by the upper middle classes to any rooms other than those devoted to sleeping, to the entertainment of guests and to the enjoyment of the “kindly fruits of the earth.” Therefore, it is to the old bedroom and the living room that we must look for the most typical examples of the furniture in common use. A fine summing-up of the period is made by an authority in these words: “The Elizabethan and Jacobean types were almost entirely devoid of all the romance, fantastic spirit and extraordinary brilliance associated with the parent style (French and Italian) —the outcome of the temperaments of those responsible for their origination. They were, on the other hand, stamped with the mark of a rugged honesty of purpose created by and characteristic of the stern needs of our forefathers of the days of the Armada, of Marston Moor and one hundred other memorable conflicts; men made in a different mould from that of their masters in art and craft, and but little disposed to change their nature.” —OSWALD CRINE. BISCUIT-BOXES. It is some years ago since it was first discovered that a biscuit-tin, covered with cretonne, made a useful trinketbox, but now there is quite a demand for them. The boxes ar£ of all sizes, both round and square, and the material is usually pasted on to the tin. The original idea has developed so much that now special tins are made for the purpose, as arc wooden boxes. Any ordinary tin which lias contained biscuits can be converted into a fashionable little box at home without much trouble. Cretonne with a bright pattern is the favoured material, very little of it being required. Most of these tin? have loose lids, but hirges can be made by carrying the materia] over the lid. This method, however, is not very satisfactory in use, and it will be found preferable to be contented with the loose lid. There is usually a double row of braided trimming at the edges, frequently of tinsel, which adds to the appearance of the box.

SYDNEY’S CATHEDRAL Good progress is being made with the construction work on St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. It is hoped to have the church completed in time to be opened and blessed during the occasion of the Eucharistic Congress to be held in Sydney in September next year. Over £40,000 has been raised towards the £55,000 required by Archbishop Kelly for the finishing touches. To date £437,000 has been spent on the Cathedral.

“But Mike,” protested his friend of the road, “it’s no good trying to make a pillow out of a drain-pipe. It’ll be divilish hard.” • “Sure, an’ wot d’ ye tek me fer,” answered Mike. “If ye’d waited a minute, ye’d av seen I was goin’ to fill it with straw.”