Bed, in Chippendale Drawings, Vol. I
Medium
Black ink, gray ink and gray wash
Dimensions
sheet: 12 1/8 x 8 7/16 in. (30.8 x 21.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.40.1(32)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 18th-century British design with Thomas Chippendale's *Bed, in Chippendale Drawings, Vol. I* (1759). This exquisite drawing, part of the renowned cabinetmaker's pattern book *The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director*, captures a luxurious four-poster bed design that epitomizes the Chippendale style—a masterful blend of Rococo exuberance, Gothic Revival elements, and subtle chinoiserie influences. Created during the Georgian era, when grand furniture symbolized wealth and sophistication, this work reflects the booming trade in high-end furnishings for England's ...
About the Artist
Thomas Chippendale · 1718–1779
Thomas Chippendale, baptized on June 5, 1718, in Otley, Yorkshire, was born into a family steeped in woodworking traditions, the only child of joiner John Chippendale and Mary Drake. His father likely provided his initial hands-on training in cabinetmaking, supplemented by time in the workshop of York joiner Richard Wood, before Chippendale relocated to London around 1749. He married Catherine Red...