Chippendale-style Chair

This side chair exemplifies Chippendale style furniture. The use of scrollwork and acanthus leaves are common motifs of the Baroque, Chippendale, or Rococo style, all three of which are terms used to describe the prevalent decorative art style of the mid-eighteenth century. The hairy-paw feet on the elaborately carved cabriole legs are also indicative of the style, along with the floral decoration carved in various places on the chair. More simple rear legs compared to the richly ornamented front legs recall a similar motif in the earlier Queen Anne style, when chairs were expected to remain against a wall, so the rear legs did not need to be as decorative. The popularity of The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director[y] by Thomas Chippendale created a truly international style of furniture-making present on the European continent, the British isles, and the Americas.