Middle English Renaissance

The Middle English Renaissance started in 1600 and ended around 1750. One of the major events of this time was the great fire of 1666 which took place on September 2, 1666. It started as a small fire on Pudding Lane in the bakeshop of Thomas Foyer who was the baker to King Charles II. Because most of the houses during this time were made of wood, they were highly flammable which led to the fire spreading at an alarming rate. The procedure at the time to stop a fire was to destroy the houses in the path of the fire in hopes of creating a fire barrier, however, the Lord Mayer Bludworth was worried of the rebuilding costs and hesitated to do so. By the time the royal command came to create the fire barriers, the fire was too out of control to stop.The loss of life was minimal, some sources say that only 16 lives were lost, about 430 acres of land was destroyed which was about 80% of London. Things destroyed in the fire include: around 13,000 homes, 89 churches, and 52 guild halls.

After the fire, Charles II assigned 6 commissioners to rebuild London. Among them was Sir Christopher Wren who set new standards for housing. For the first time there were regulations on wall thickness, floor heights, and materials used in the construction of buildings. He also started zoning and construction regulations. He is the most renowned English Architect of all time and his master piece was St. Paul's Cathedral. 

The age of William and Mary was the age of Walnut. During this time, there was a flight of french furniture craftsman to England. There was a new regulation to furniture during this time, for the first time they were concerned with comfort in addition to the beauty of the design. Also, for the first time there was a concern for beautiful furniture for the masses, which before was only accessible to the wealthy. Also, upholstery appears for the first time during this time. There was an oriental influence on the furniture and some of the fabrics used were velvet, brocade, chintz, leather and needle point.

Characteristics of furniture during this time are:

• straight turned legs or cup turned legs
• Low, horizontal X-stretcher 
• Curved crossed stretcher 
• Ball feet or ball and claw feet.
• Veneers perfected
• Marquetry and lacquer work

 William and Mary chairs

William and Mary Sette

 During the time of Queen Anne, the interiors were simpler, and paper or silk was used on the walls. William Kent's designs were prominent during this time. He was a painter, architect, and designer who spent 10 years in Italy and was the first to design furniture for specific interiors. 

Characteristics of furniture during the time are: 

• Curved lines as dominated motif
• Chinese form in the structure of the furniture
• Lacquer as a finish
• Feminine and graceful
• Cabriole leg
• Looks like animal leg on ancient furniture
• Elongated S shape
• Found on some Chinese furniture
• Modeled after goats leg
• Stretchers started to be finished
• Smaller, lighter, and more comfortable furniture  

Cabriole Leg

Queen Anne Furniture: 

Current Applications:

EC:
More information about Queen Anne Furniture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Hmlwlx9rM
More information on William Kent Furniture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vogpr7l_gLc

Early English Renaissance

The English Renaissance was divided into three periods, the early renaissance, the middle renaissance, and the late renaissance. The English were the last to fall to the renaissance, as the early renaissance started in 1550. During this time, there was a shift away from the church because of conflict between Henry VIII and the pope. The Tudor style was prominent in the era, it is associated with timber framed construction and officially started the beginning of the renaissance.

The English renaissance was the age of oak and the furniture of this time was very masculine. The chairs were box like and carved from wood. An example of a chair during this time is the settle chair.

EC:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPBEeLRZ4lE