Queen Anne Furniture - Some History and Beautiful Pieces to Consider
If you are a collector of antique furniture, you may be interested in Queen Anne furniture and all it has to offer. This style of furniture happens to be one of the most beautiful and charming option and it is named after the last Stuart monarch in England - Queen Anne. The period of this furniture started when she ascended to the throne back in 1702 and it would go even beyond her death, decreasing in influence by about 1754. In American circles, this style would not become popular until Queen Anne herself was dead for some time.
Queen Anne furniture came about at a time when American colonists had more money to spend on furnishings for their homes, which is why so many pieces of furniture were made in this style at the time. This furniture that was crafted in America was made in various places, such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. While the style was very close to the versions from England, there is a bit of difference that can allow you to easily distinguish between the English and American versions of this type of furniture.
One of the key designs that was seen in Queen Anne furniture happens to be what is known as the cabriole leg, which would end with a carved webfoot or what was known as a Dutch foot. This leg and foot style would be used on various pieces from this time period, including bed frames, chairs, day beds, tables, desks, lowboys, chests, and more.
There was a certain chair style found during this time of Queen Anne furniture as well. Chairs were very skillfully made and designed. No longer were they straight backed and straight lined, but the seats were curved and it became popular to have the seats wider towards the front. The central splat was usually vase shaped as well and the top was usually carved and crested for a special curve that brought both comfort and beauty to the chairs.
Some of the more elaborate pieces of Queen Anne furniture included the tea table, the lowboy, and the highboy. It was these pieces that would later give way to some of the intricate carvings and decorations of similar pieces during what is known as the Chippendale period. In the beginning, the highboys were quite simple with Dutch feet and cabriole legs. The highboys would have 5-6 drawers in them as well with lines that were simple and at right angles. A sunburst or fan carving was often added to the front of the drawers as well.
Of course, these are only a few of the beautiful Queen Anne furniture pieces that were made during this time period. Beautiful desks were made, bedframes were made, and more. In America, the designs were a bit simpler, while the furniture made in England was a bit more elaborate with ornamentation and design, but both styles had the beautiful grace that was known to come along with furniture from this time period.