Thomas Chippendale

baptized June 5, 1718 died November 1779

Thomas Chippendale is one of the leading cabinetmakers of the 18th century in England.

Early Life

Thomas Chipendale was the son of a carpenter. He was born in Otley, West Yorkshire. There is no information about his early life  until his marriage to Catherine Redshaw in London in 1748. In 1753 he moved to 60, 61, 62 St. Martin's Lane, where he had workshops and a timber yard. In due course the Chippendales had nine children.

"Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director"

Thomas Chippendale first became famous when he published his book under the title Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director (1754). The book was illustrated with examples of work that he had produced for his clients. The book was enthusiastically received, and furniture based on Chippendale’s designs was crafted in England, on the European continent, and in the American Colonies. Tree editions were published, the first in 1754, followed by a reprint in 1755, and finally an enlarged edition in 1762.
Chippendale designs fall into three main styles: Gothic, Rococo (called modern in the pattern book), and Chinese. Chippendale blended these disparate stylistic elements into harmonious and unified designs. The term Chippendale specifically refers to English furniture of the 1750s and ’60s made in a modified Rococo style.

References

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/113138/Thomas-Chippendale http://www.thomaschippendalefurniture.com/Home_Page.htm Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754 http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/DLDecArts/DLDecArts-idx?id=DLDecArts.ChippGentCab