It is not necessary, I think, to enlarge further upon this section of Chippendale's work, for, by a careful study of the accompanying illustrations, supplemented by the explanatory remarks and criticisms I have been so bold as to offer, the reader should be able to acquire a thorough and exhaustive knowledge of every salient feature of "Chippendale-French," . sufficient indeed to entitle him to be regarded as an authority upon the subject.

"Chippendale." III. Plate 34

Reference In Text

See also page 245 re French chair legs.

I will turn now to another phase of this designer's work. Having dealt with him in his French moods, it will be interesting to see what measure of success attended his efforts to follow in the footsteps of Sir William Chambers, whose interest in all things Chinese led him, as we have seen in a previous chapter, to publish a series of plates devoted to the architecture and furniture of the Land of the Sun, and to endeavour to induce the British cabinet maker to take a leaf occasionally out of the book of his "Celestial" fellow-craftsmen. Chambers's enterprise was not successful, for reasons which may be discussed further presently; hence we are naturally curious to discover whether Chippendale met with any better fortune, and, if so, why?

First, let us compare the designs which the former published with those prepared and presented to the public by the "upholder " of Saint Martin's Lane. It was a case of friendly competition between architect and furniture designer - both of them, by-the-bye, enjoying the special patronage of royalty - and it is for us to judge now which of the two carried off the laurels.

I have said that the favoured architect of George the First, notwithstanding his ability, failed in this direction, and I will not make such an assertion without furnishing proof of its truth, and, if possible, explaining the cause of failure. That the suggestions which came from his pencil were far more faithful, in every particular, to the original Chinese by which they were inspired than were those of Chippendale is incontestable, and that fact is one of the main reasons why they "fell flat." That which may be in every way admirably suited to the Chinese home must not necessarily be expected to appeal with success to our Western tastes, as was practically illustrated in the case in point. Chambers's designs, therefore, went but little further than the pages of the book in which they first saw the light. Another reason for their failure was the lack, on the part of their designer, of a knowledge of the technicalities of cabinet and chair construction - an ignorance common to the majority of architects even to-day; and it is equally clear that he did not by any means fully appreciate the requirements of the interior of the English home, gifted as he may have been in planning and superintending its erection.

His efforts, nevertheless, were not altogether fruitless in the end, for his designs found their way into the hands, of Chippendale, who, struck by the idea which had inspired their production, decided that there might be "something in it." He determined eventually that it might be worth his while to bring that "something" out. It was fresh ground, at all events, and he made up his mind to cultivate it for a time. Chippendale was fully equipped with the practical knowledge which was, of course, essential, and which Chambers lacked, and he thoroughly understood the requirements of the British public so far as furniture was concerned, for he had made a special study of their fads and fancies - with no inconsiderable profit to himself. As a natural consequence, he met with far greater success in his endeavours to accomplish what was really an almost impossible task. Chambers's Anglo-Chinese furniture was, as we have seen, flimsy in appearance; his designs give us the impression of being more especially adapted for execution in cane or bamboo than in sturdier and more durable woods. Chippendale, of course, saw at once that, though such productions might possibly do occasionally for those grotesque extravagances which aped Orientalism, and were, to a certain extent, in vogue as smoking-rooms, in winter gardens, etc., in the palaces and mansions of the royalty and nobility of those times - such as the Royal Pavilion at Brighton - they did not in any way answer the requirements of the living rooms of the average English home; and he was perfectly right in coming to that conclusion. He, therefore, set himself to create an Anglo-Chinese style on his own account, and one, withal, which might be rendered in his beloved mahogany; one which would not only have sufficient stability of construction to inspire confidence in the minds of those for whose use it was intended, but which would, at the same time, appeal to their taste for novelty.

"Chippendale." IV. Plate 35

Reference In Text

The principal feature of this phase of "Chippendale" is, of course, the ever-present lattice work, to which it owes whatever measure of Chinese character it may possess, and in the invention of which this designer displayed not a little ingenuity.

If we consider the "Chippendale-Chinese" chairs first, in order to avoid all possibility of misunderstanding or confusion, it must at once be made clear that their general form differs very greatly from that of those which we have already studied; whereas we shall see that there is little or no radical variation in the constructional outline of the cabinet work. The small "Horse" screen on Plate IV.; the first of the two chairs on Plate V.; the two lower cabinets and the chair on Plate VI.; the upper arm-chair and "small" chair on Plate IX.; the two chairs and table on Plate X.; and two chairs on Plate XL, are admirable examples of this style; and with their forms and detail "in our eye," there can be no possible difficulty in deciding what is "Chippendale-Chinese" and what is not.

It should be noticed particularly that, in the chairs, the rectangular form of back is most frequently employed, the top and sides being perfectly straight for nearly the whole of the length, but sometimes rounded very slightly where they join at the corners. The top rail of the back was occasionally shaped, by way of variation (see Plates VI. and XL), but not to any very great extent; while, here and there, in order to put a finishing touch, so to speak, to the lattice work, scraps of coquillage were introduced, though generally kept well within bounds, as the illustrations will indicate.