The House of Miniatures

THoM Product # 40016 - Chippendale Wing Chair

Catalog Description: A stately chair for the master of the house, upholstered in Federal blue fabric. A beautiful miniature of a classic. c. 1750-90. 3 3/4"h x 2 5/8"w x 2 3/9"d.

Circa: 1750-1790

Style: Chippendale

Period: Colonial

Design © 1976

Few furniture designers become influential enough to have their names rather than a monarch's linked with current styles. One of these was Thomas Chippendale, who operated one of the most fashionable shops in London from 1745 until his death in 1777. Wing chairs generally known as "easy" chairs were popular in our country for more than 100 years, about 1700-1810. The distinctive features in all types of wing chairs are the high backs, the arms and the "wings". The wings were meant not only to make the chair comfortable, but also to protect the occupant from strong drafts which resulted from the open fires in the homes of our ancestors. The upholstery of the chair was as important as the cabinet work. In the homes of well-to-do families, the best needle work was often used, covering the entire visible surface of the chair except for the legs and feet. The Chippendale style chairs are perhaps the most elegant in appearance of any of the wing types. His earlier chairs had cabriole legs, generally with ball and claw feet, and the later ones with straight square legs and stretchers. The arms are attached to the wings rather than the back of the chair. Mahogany was the usual wood in this type of chair.

Links To Articles and Offerings