27 / 76
6 6 /1 9 7 9 S o fa
T h o m a s C h ip p e n d a le s v æ r k s te d , L o n d o n ca. 1772
M a h o g n i o g m a r o q u in (n y e re ). H :9 7 , B :1 1 6 , D :7 2
N å r a n ta lle t a f m ø b le r i » C h ip p e n d a le s til« e r så
s to r t, s k y ld e s d e t u d e n tv iv l d e n v e lk e n d te f o r b il-
le d s a m lin g » T h e G e n tle m a n & C a b in e t- m a k e r ’s
D ir e c to r « , s o m T h o m a s C h ip p e n d a le u d g a v i
1754. D e n k o m i tre o p la g o g a n v e n d te s f littig t i
s a m tid e n o g e n d n u flittig e re sid e n h e n . M æ n g d e n
a f m ø b le r , s o m m e d s ik k e r h e d k a n tils k riv e s T h o
m a s C h ip p e n d a le (1 7 1 8 -1 7 7 9 ) o g h a n s v æ rk s te d ,
e r b e ty d e lig t m in d re , o g f o r s k e r n e h jæ lp e s ik k e p å
s p o r e t a f in d b r æ n d te m e s te r s te m p le r s o m p å d e
s a m tid ig e f ra n s k e m ø b le r .
I p e r io d e n 1 7 6 7 -7 8 u d f ø r te C h ip p e n d a le e n a f
sin e m e s t o m f a tte n d e in te r iø r o p g a v e r f o r E d w in
L asce lle s p å H a r e w o o d i Y o rk s h ire , o g i 7 0 ’e rn e
u d s ty r e d e h a n lig e le d e s G o ld s b o r o u g h H a ll, s o m
lå lig e v e d s id e n af, o g s o m e je d es a f b r o d e r e n
D a n ie l L asce lle s, m e d m ø b le r. M u s e e ts so fa s ta m
m e r fra s p is e s tu e n i G o ld s b o r o u g h , h v o r d e n
b la n d t a n d e t s to d s a m m e n m e d e n tils v a re n d e so fa
s a m t 15 sto le - alle f o r s y n e t m e d r ø d t m a r o q u in
o g m e s s in g s ø m .
M ø b le r n e e r a f e n re la tiv t e n k e l f o r m m e d fin e
o g s o b re u d s k æ r in g e r . A t h a n o g s å k u n n e v æ re
m e r e k a p ric iø s ses f.e k s . a f h a n s o v e r d å d ig e » ro -
k o k o « -s p e jle e lle r a f d e t c h in o is e ri p o r c e læ n s k a b i
n e t, s o m m u s e e t e je r (se fig . 3). D e t e r n æ s te n
id e n tis k m e d T h e d ire c to rs p la n c h e C V III i f ø r
s te u d g a v e n , o g d e ts p r o v e n ie n s s a n d s y n lig g ø r e n
tils k r iv n in g til C h ip p e n d a le selv .
66/1919 Sofa
Thomas Chippendale’s workshop, London ca. 1772
Mahogany and morocco (recent). H:97, W:116, D:72
The fact that so many items offurniture in the “Chip
pendale style” exist is undoubtedly due to the well-
known pattern book,
T h e G e n tle m a n & C a b in e t
m a k e r ’s D ir e c to r ,
which Thomas Chippendale
(1718-1779) published in 1754. It ran into three edi
tions and was used assiduously at the time and even
more so in later years. The number of items offurniture
that can be attributed with certainty to Chippendale and
his workshop is much smaller, and researchers are not
helped by a burnt-in maker’s mark as on contemporary
French furniture.
Between 1767 and 1778 Chippendale executed one
of his most comprehensive interior decoration commis
sions for Edwin Lascelles at Harewood in Yorkshire,
and during the 1770s he supplied furniture to Golds
borough Hall, which was quite close and owned by
David Lascelles, Edwin’s brother. The Museum’s sofa
comes from Goldsborough Hall, where it was grouped
with another, corresponding sofa and 15 chairs, all up
holstered in morocco fastened with brass nails.
The sofa is relatively simple inform and has delicate,
restrained carving. Chippendale could at times be more
capricious, as can be seen, for example, from his sump
tuous “Rococo” looking-glasses or fom the chinoiserie
porcelain cabinet (Fig. 3) in the Museum’s possession.
It is almost identical with that shown on Plate CVIII in
the first edition of the
D ir e c to r ,
and its provenance
makes it probable that it can be attributed to Chippen
dale himself.
24