Neat Pieces is a detailed, extensively illustrated survey of the major forms and makers of the "plain style" of furniture made and used by Georgians in the 1800s. Simply designed, solidly constructed of local woods, and usually unadorned, such pieces were used daily by their owners for storage, sleeping, eating, and more. Today, this furniture is read by historians, folklorists, and other experts for clues into a past way of life. It is also prized by museums, antiques dealers and auction houses, and furniture appraisers, collectors, and makers. Neat Pieces first appeared as the companion volume to the Atlanta History Center's seminal 1983 exhibit of the same name. The exhibit featured 126 exemplary pieces of furniture, including chairs, tables, huntboards, washstands, and candlestands. Each of them is described and illustrated in this book. Photographs in the original edition of Neat Pieces were black-and-white; here they are color. A new foreword by Deanne Levison looks at related publications and exhibits of the subsequent two decades. The introduction, by William W. Griffin, provides information on furniture forms, nomenclature, and finishes. Also included in the book is a list of more than twelve hundred nineteenth-century Georgia furniture craftsmen, with key details of their lives and work. 126 exemplary pieces of furniture (including chairs, tables, huntboards, washstands, and candlestands) 172 color photographs, 17 black-and-white photographs Information on furniture forms, nomenclature, and finishes Details about more than twelve hundred nineteenth-century Georgia furniture craftsmen

Includes biographies of designers and information on design tools.

Publisher Description

Cabinetmakers and the furniture of the mid-nineteenth century is a field in its infancy. While a great deal is known about the various styles and their popularity and about some of the makers of these styles, there is not a vast amount that can be documented as made by a particular cabinet shop. We have attempted to put the styles in chronological order where possible. Several of the cabinetmakers, however, worked over long periods and in a variety of styles. -- Preface.

Despite the upheavals of the first decades of the nineteenth century, Paris soon recovered its position as a leading centre for furniture and design in Europe, a position that was to grow and strengthen as the century progressed. Encouraged by royal and imperial regimes, exhibited at the great international fairs, and collected by international aristocrats, bankers and newly wealthy industrialists, Paris furniture by the second half of the century had once again become synonymous with luxury and exquisite craftsmanship. Furniture makers drew their inspiration from a vast array of historical periods and cultural sources to create new and exciting designs that both appealed to the eclectic tastes of the nineteenth-century amateur and yet suited the demands for comfort and convenience of the luxury consumer. Building on the generations of skills and techniques that had characterised French furniture during the years of the Ancien Regime, contemporary makers exploited technological advances and new materials to produce some of the most creative and inventive pieces ever made, often surpassing the quality achieved by previous generations. AUTHOR: Christopher Payne's 45-year career in the Decorative Arts spans both the commercial and the academic worlds coupled with a deep knowledge and understanding of the practical side of furniture making and conservation. After reading law, Christopher started his career at Sotheby's where he stayed for 25 years, becoming a Senior Auctioneer and a Director of the Furniture Department with responsibilities for furniture, works of art, clocks and sculpture. At Sotheby's Christopher was working at the very centre of the art world, advising international collectors on both buying and selling, building up collections, giving restoration advice and insurance valuations as well as teaching post-graduate students at the Sotheby's Institute. Private clients have enjoyed his lectures at the Buccleuch Studies and tours of many of Great Britain's country houses. He personally helped the late Earl of Carnarvon furnish part of Highclere Castle, the location for the highly acclaimed ITV television series Downton Abbey and has been a member of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow team for over thirty years. He continues his work as an independent consultant advising top-level private clients and lecturing both in the United Kingdom and internationally, including China. 1250 colour, 250 b/w images

This book presents new information on the export trade, patronage, artistic collaboration, and the small-scale shop traditions that defined early Rhode Island craftsmanship. This stunning volume features more than 200 illustrations of beautifully constructed and carved objects—including chairs, high chests, bureau tables, and clocks—that demonstrate the superb workmanship and artistic skill of the state’s furniture makers.