The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director

…as Thomas Chippendale suggested in The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director (1st edition, 1754), “all may be omitted if required.” By this time, too, most large examples were blockfronted.

In The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director (1754), Thomas Chippendale illustrated bureau-bookcases with Rococo and chinoiserie (Chinese-style) decoration, the upper portions glazed within ornate framing.

…were illustrated in Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director (1754), were much more restrained and had little or no ormolu decoration. The term commode was first used in England to describe chests and low cupboards with serpentine fronts. From the late 18th century, commode was also the term, along with…

…Gothic and Chinese taste in The Gentleman and Cabinet-maker’s Director in 1754. Ruined arches, Chinese temples and pagodas, Greek columns, scrolls, fountains, waterfalls, foliage, and animals were popular motifs. More restrained and delicate designs were used during the Neoclassical revival of the late 18th century.