INTD 301 FURNITURE & FITTINGS History of Furniture Design- Medieval & Renaissance PREPARED BY: JOSHIMA V.M., UNIVERSITY OF NIZWA, OMAN

INTD 301 FURNITURE & FITTINGS History of Furniture Design- Medieval & Renaissance PREPARED BY: JOSHIMA V.M., UNIVERSITY OF NIZWA, OMAN

Middle ages Islamic Romanesque Gothic

Emergence of Islamic Furniture circa 610 Roots of Islamic furniture can be traced back to pre-islamic and Persian societies Most of the earlier ones were functional and simple furniture that later developed into more artistic and complex designs. Use of ornamentation appeared in woven textiles and carved and inlaid chests. Calligraphy, vegetal patterns and geometric patterns were later referred to as arabesque.

Besik cradle the first bed of a child. A rocking bed with a holding bar above. Kavukluk- shelf mounted on a wall in a home at the height of an average person. To either support the head piece of a cleric or lighting equipment.

Rahle- support for Koran. Designed for a person to read Koran. A small and often folding support in X-shape wood panels. Sandik- a chest to store goods, clothes etc. Has locking systems and compartments.

Sedirs- divans for sitting- early form of mattresses developed into divans. Sehpas- portable stools. Kept next to the divans and carry food. Circular, Hexagonal or octagonal.

Romanesque Marked by the spread of Christianity as a unifying culture throughout Europe. Most of the furniture were for the wealthy; people often sat on rugs, simple stools and platforms. Classical furniture lost its main features and became more rougher during the Romanesque period. Furniture became more portable and mobile.

Furniture types Seating furniture The most common seats were benches with or without backrests. Two typical chairs were: Faldstools & Cathedra made of iron or bronze used in churches. Shows authority for the person sitting on it.

Furniture types From the 13 th century Beds started having canopy used by the noble men. Always had fabric coverings and upholstery.

Furniture types Armoire a large stationary piece of furniture popular during medieval period in Europe. Initially fabricated for holding armor and weapons. Over time this developed into domestic furniture for storing textiles.

Gothic Gothic furniture were more ornamented. It had pointed arches, rosettes and garlands.

Gothic Most of them were religious furniture. Novelty of furniture was in food storage with holes in doors for ventilation.

Types of Furniture Characteristics of Romanesque chair: Boxlike shape with emphasis on verticality. Paneling was done on its back, arms and underneath the seat. Storage under the seat. Panels were carved or textiles were draped.

Types of Furniture Storage pieces: Freestanding or built-in Some for display and for closed storage. Buffet shelves were also introduced.

Materials Wood was the primary material for furniture. Oak, Deal and chestnut- England Walnut- France Carving, painting and textiles were primary means of decoration. Ivory and iron was also used.

Characteristics of Furniture design Verticality, tracery designs, specific motifs, ogee arch, lancet arch, crockets, motifs of religious symbolism etc. English and French furniture was similar in its simplicity of form- rectangular, vertical, bulky and sturdy. French furniture were highly finished and showed greater skill with more impressive aesthetic character. Furniture purposes: Utility and Hierarchal position Chest for utility and Chair was used to express status.

Renaissance furniture Renaissance period in Europe began in early 15 th century. Renaissance period witnessed entirely new ideas in decoration and styles. The age is known as the golden age for furniture. Renaissance began in Italy. Renaissance furniture was most purely expressed in Florence, Rome and Venice.

Characteristics Renaissance furniture strived for beauty and proportions. Science, engineering, mathematics, human anatomy, perspective drawing and new materials fueled the rebirth. Characterized by naturalness, individuality and delicate majesty. Vertical construction of meddle ages were replaced by more horizontal lines of classical balance. Furniture were for common man than for religious purposes.

Materials Basic material was wood. Iron was used for ornamentation works. Other popular materials were leather, velvet and brocade.

Italian Renaissance 1460-1600 Renaissance started in Florence, Italy in 15 th century. Rich heritage of Roman arts provided the base and inspiration. Classical antiquity was the main fascination during the period. Factors responsible for this were: Treatise on Architecture by Vitruvius Readily available models of classical antiquity.

Italian Renaissance 1460-1600 Humanism permeated the Renaissance; man as the highest form of creation was stressed. Emphasis was given to symmetry and horizontality. Renaissance theory of beauty was enhanced by calculating mathematical ratios mainly based on measure of human body.

Furniture Furniture styles were mostly rectilinear with horizontal emphasis. Exceptions were those with strong structural curves. Style was imposing, dignified, massive and varied range of ornamentation. Main Wood for furniture was walnut, others were pine, cypress, chestnut, elm and poplar.

Decorative works Decorative techniques gained more importance. inlay, veneer application and carving, some had relief works. Intarsia : inlay of multi colored woods. Certosina: using bone or ivory as inlay material. Incised carving: wood is cut from around the figures which result in low relief. Pastiglia: ornament was casted in molds and then applied to surfaces. Turning also became a popular decoration technique.

Furniture Types Savonarola and Dante chairs were the principal types of the 15 th century. X-type with strong and structurally curved supports of curule form. Back rest for Dante chair was of leather or velvet. Savonarola chair was made of a series of interlaced wooden strips. Cushion was often used for seat. Dante chair Savonarola chair

Sgabello- armless back stool. Octagonal seat with solid trestle support Back rest was fan shaped Highly ornamented by the late renaissance.

Rectilinear chair with tall back became popular in 16 th century. Seat and back was upholstered.

Cassone- storage chest Body were of three typesrectangular forms, convex (boat-shaped) or contoured. Inlay techniques or high relief carvings were used. Continuous carving was done on the surface. Framed panels or pilasters were used to separate the shelves.

French Renaissance 1450-1600 French Renaissance marked its beginning in 1495 through the military expedition of Charles VIII into Italy. Italian artists were brought to France for employment. France had strong Gothic influence on furniture styles. New decorative motifs were applied on top of medieval styles during the transitional period.

Furniture Transportable Folding chairs and beds were produced in early ages. Comfort, elegance and artistic tastes were given importance later on. Furniture of French Renaissance can be divided into 2 phases: Francis I & Henry II.

Furniture Types Francis I: Rectilinear high panel-back chair, with or without storage under seat, represents the medieval form of furniture still being used in French Renaissance. Henry II: Light weight furniture with minimal decorations, simple and rectangular.

Henry II: storage pieces became more architectural. Features such as entablature, columns or pilasters were carved with reeding or fluting.

English Renaissance 1500-1660 English renaissance took place during the throne of Tudor and Stuart. Pattern books and migration of craftsmen to England were the foreign influences. Inigo Jones is credited for bringing a pure Italian style to England. Work was done with strict principles of order and proportion regardless of the material used.

Furniture Design Furniture designs were influenced by foreign sources like publications. Emphasis on design was on display and comfort. Upholstery gained importance.

Ornamentation Oak was used for darker values, holly and poplar was used for lighter values and stained wood. Checkered ornamentation was capitalized on this contrast. Inlay, carving, turning and painting were important decorative techniques.

Farthingale chair was an upholstered, armless chair designed to accommodate the width of women dress. Upholstery was velvet or turkey works.

Draw table was the improved design during English Renaissance. Draw tables can be fully extended by pulling out two under leaves attached to a pair of extended arms. Fully extended tabletop becomes its original length. Base of the table was highly ornamented. Table legs were heavy and exaggerated.

Two types of cupboards dominated during the period. Court cupboard and press cupboard. Court cupboard was primarily for display with open shelves or one level of enclosed storage space. Press cupboards had fully enclosed storage on two or three tiers.

Beds were large and elaborately decorated. Canopy became supported by posts at the foot and by the head board. Columns had low or tall pedestals sometimes paneled. Columns had fluting or strap works. An entablature was decorated with carvings or inlay designs. Realistic paintings were sometimes used. Textiles were hung from the canopy in some cases.