The 16th and 17th centuries in Europe witnessed a significant paradigm shift:
the exploration so characteristic of the period stemmed from religious motives but came to be propelled by commerce and curiosity as Europeans increasingly engaged with the rest of the world. Interiors in both public and private spaces changed to reflect these cultural encounters and, with them, the furniture with which they were populated. Visually, furniture of this period displayed new designs, forms, and materials. In its uses, it also mirrored developments in science, technology, government and social relationships as prints became more widely distributed, the Wunderkammer developed and there was religious strife and resistance to absolute monarchical rule.
Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, this volume of A Cultural History of Furniture presents essays that examine key characteristics of the furniture of the period on the themes of design and motifs; makers, making, and materials; types and uses; the domestic setting; the public setting; exhibition and display; furniture and architecture; visual representations; and verbal representations.
List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction, Christina M. Anderson, University College London, UK and Elizabeth Carroll Carroll, San Jose State University, USA 1. Design and Motifs, Martha H. Willoughby, Christie's, UK 2. Makers, Making, and Materials, Yannick Chastang, Independent Scholar, UK and Adam Bowett, Independent Scholar, UK 3. Types and Uses: Medieval Furniture in Social Context, James Yorke, Independent Scholar, UK 4. The Domestic Setting, Claudia Goldstein, William Paterson University, USA 5. The Public Setting, María Paz Aguiló-Alonso, Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, Spain and Paul Rem, Het Loo, The Netherlands 6. Exhibition and Display, Michael Wenzel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Germany 7. Furniture and Architecture, M. B. Aldrich, Independent Scholar, UK 8. Visual Representations, Jeffrey Collins, Bard Graduate Center, USA 9. Verbal Representations, Deborah L. Krohn, Bard Graduate Center, USA Notes Bibliography Index
Christina M. Anderson is Principal Research Fellow, SELCS-CMII, University College London, UK. Elizabeth A. Carroll is Lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History, San José State University, USA.
