Cabinets

During much of the period elaborately carved and gilt stands (Fig. 3) continued to be made for lacquer cabinets. Also high stands of simple lines, not gilt, were considerably used for the same purpose. Besides these there were cabinets with chests of drawers in the lower part and the upper part closed, with two doors which, being opened, revealed tiers of small drawers for curios. Some of the cabinets had glass doors and shelves for rare china. The tops were straight, as a rule, and the contour was generally the same as that of high double chests. Lastly, there were cabinets with drawers below, either straight or kettle-fronted, double glass doors above and shelves for the display of china and shaped tops. They belonged early in the period.

Bookcases

The age of Queen Anne was not a period of numerous books in the average house, but in the latter part of the Early Georgian era bookcases were made to some extent independently of the secretary or bureau bookcases. They ordinarily had two panelled doors in the lower part and glass doors above. In details of structure and ornamentation they followed the other large cabinet work of the period.

Secretaries Or Bureau Bookcases

There was considerable variety in the writing furniture of the period. First of all, there was the bureau bookcase (Plate IX, p. 112, and Key IV, 2), almost identical with the type found at the end of the preceding period. This was slightly varied by the form with straight or scrolled broken pediment tops and rectangular panelled doors, and occasionally the addition of fluted pilasters at the corners (Fig. 11). Still a third variety had the slant-top desk portion supported on cabriole legs with the upper bookcase or cabinet superstructure like those in the preceding types. There were also slant-top desks with drawers below but without a cabinet section above and slant-top desks (small) supported on cabriole legs. A slightly later form had slant top, three drawers below and short cabriole legs (Key V, 9). Towards the end of the period there were writing or library tables with tiers of drawers at each side extending to the floor and the central part open for the legs of the sitter.

Cupboards

Cupboards, three-cornered (Plate VIII, p. 102) and straight, were favourite pieces of furniture and received much attention in the way of ornamentation. There were also hanging corner cupboards. In corner cupboards the doors were sometimes circular fronted, so that the whole piece of furniture filled a quarter circle (Plate IX, p. 112). Tops of cupboards of all varieties were both straight and shaped (see Fig. 15). Plate IX, p. 112, shows a good example of what was known as "architects' furniture," large pieces designed with a distinctly architectural feeling. This tendency to architectural detail was noticeable in much of the large cabinet work. Broken and scroll pediments as well as straight pediments also occur (Fig. 15). A division is ordinarily made between the upper and lower sections, the lower having a door or doors with a drawer above and the upper having only a door or doors of taller dimension. The upper portion was often glazed with square panes.

Fig. 15. Typical Forms of Interrupted Hoods or Broken Curved Pediments.