Featured at the Unity Shoppe’s second hand furniture shop on State Street, P sends me a photo of a table she’s considering buying. She wonders about the period, the style, and the date of this little, dark piece. It’s old, but HOW old? she wants to know.
The STYLE, even though this particular table is NOT, is Jacobean (1660-1690), named for the sober reign of James I. The distinctive James I style developed into what we call “Jacobean” after the exuberant and fertile reign of Elizabeth, called Elizabethan. The Jacobean style is less carved, less stately, and sometimes dark and ponderous.
Important trends in furniture during the Jacobean period included the invention of the armless chair because women’s skirts as well as men’s trousers became quite full. Upholstery became popular originating with the importation of Oriental rugs, and used on chairs. The invention of the chest of drawers replaced the large coffers and trucks. Hard to imagine forms of furniture so close to us every day were actually invented at one time in history. We have the Jacobean period to thank for these forms.
The decorative arts usually reflects the mood of an era.
The mood in the mid 1600’s England appeared terrible. Civil War broke out with a vengeance in 1642. The great English manor homes became abandoned as the nobility left for fear, or to serve on the battlefield. No one stayed around to create much elegance.
American style from the get-go comes from this difficult period in history. In England, the dominance of the Puritans and their ethos influenced furniture. The styles associated with their era lacked inspiration, grandeur, and opulence. The gate leg table in the Jacobean style recalls the Puritan sparseness and functionality. Simplicity became the style. You see this in the simple ‘rope’ turnings of the legs and lack of ornamentation popularized in the Puritan times. The style of turning the legs, in a woodworker’s vice, to create a knobby pattern is called “bobbin” turning.
During the English Civil War, a time of misery for most Britons, houses became smaller, less decorated, and a full dining table didn’t seem suitable. So, craftsmen invented the gate leg table, a drop-leaf table with oval or rounded ends, supported by a single or double wing of legs or gates. Furniture of this era didn’t take a permanent “place” in a home, like our furniture today. Any size house accommodated such a sized table. Because people hauled the table around the domicile, artisans added “stretchers” at the bottom of the legs to strengthen pairs of legs with heavy wood bridges. The legs became chunky and heavy, making these tables practically indestructible, and many antique tables are still around today.
The Puritans came to America in the 17th century,
They brought the gate leg table with them. Thus, American examples of the Jacobean gate leg table are made of American trees, such as maple, as opposed to the English tables of oak or sometimes walnut. Centers for American furniture were parts of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania in the 17th century.
Things changed in the English decorative arts style in the late 17th century
The British monarchy was restored, after Cromwell, in 1660, and during the reign of William and Mary (1685-1725). Gate leg tables became more elegant, larger, with carving on the cornice, and a less chunky profile. Spanish furniture coming to England from the William and Mary’s (Dutch originated) monarchy influenced the legs and the feet of the gate legs. Those little hooved splay feet are called “Spanish feet.” Remember Holland ruled Spain. Dutch furniture with its elegance in veneers and marquetry was introduced to England by the craftspeople forced to leave the Lowlands because of religious persecution during this reign. Their coming changed English style forever, lending it a more international sophistication.
Still, the lowly gate leg table remained a staple in England and America for decades. Then, during the Victorian era, revival styles surfaced, and 19th century artisans mimicked the Jacobean style gate leg. I’ve seen thousands of 19th century gate leg tables in the 17th century style. P’s table is a revival period table, it’s worth $200 or less because there are many such 19th century tables available. Sorry dear P. If 17th century, I’d say $2,000 or over!