The breathtaking work of Chippendale as well as the work of those inspired by his creations, on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition “Chippendale’s Director: The Designs and Legacy of a Furniture Maker” invites an interesting conversation with art movements throughout history, trends in design and craft, and even incites historic debates of craftsmanship versus factory production. The exhibition was carefully curated to give viewers a glimpse into the grand legacy that is Chippendale’s designs, and in turn, shows the evolution of his work and influence on subsequent designers and craftsmen. His book “The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director” is the main focus and inspiration behind the exhibition. This, the first book ever written and illustrated by a furniture craftsman, also stands as a testament to Chippendale’s meticulousness as a creator, as well as solidifies him as the most transcendent and immortal furniture designer of his time and onward. The book is a catalogue of 160 of Chippendale’s designs for chairs, cabinets, fire screens, and other furniture, still referred to by furniture makers today.
The precedents set by Chippendale have transcended 250 years to present day as his influence on craftsmen and designers is ever-present and has been since he began his rise to fame. The exhibition brought attention to Chippendale’s impact on more recent designers with the inclusion of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s interpretation of the Chippendale chair with ‘Tapestry’ pattern upholstery, made in 1984. The simplification as well as the two-dimensionality of the chair is a juxtaposition to the original, elegant, detail-oriented Chippendale style, as well as an acknowledgement and homage to his legacy and longevity of his designs. After his death, his influence survived in America, because when he made his book, he, perhaps unknowingly, created an international brand. Some of the pieces on display from Philadelphia during the 18th century after his death had easily perceptible inspiration from Chipppendale, but were a more richly carved interpretation as opposed to their Virginian counterparts from the same time period, also on display, which had more of a plain, cleaner approach.
The intense precision and tedious crafting process of Chippendale is apparent in the miniature railing of the China Table, made in 1755, also on display at the exhibition. This furniture piece, in addition to the rest of his work as he gives this careful attention to all his creations, begets an interesting dichotomy that was being addressed during the mid-19th century; crafted versus manufactured products. Chippendale’s work is almost ironic in terms of the idea that “human touch is always imperfect and should be valued for that,” as it is in our modern day society (hand-crafted objects are of more value to us than mass produced, factory made objects). What is intriguing is, the ways by which Chippendale makes these furniture pieces is extremely personal and hands-on, but his execution is nearly mechanical in its precision. However, Chippendale breathes humanity into his work by his use of organic shapes and forms, as well as the ergonomics of his creations (his book on display showed a dresser with the woodwork shaped to hug curtains drawn on either side of it, a gentleman’s desk with foldable, hidden compartments for shaving and other needs of the average ‘gentleman,’ as well as a barometer with humane, comical, yet practical labels; fever temperature, blood temperature, freezing). He could even craft realistic fabric, and curtain, showcasing his sharp accuracy, as well as his human side. Chippendale’s work in the 18th century had already achieved what the Great Exhibition of 1851 was attempting to do nearly 100 years later; “To wed high art with mechanical skill.” The Arts and Crafts Movement emerged as a response to the palpable decline in standards for the crafted object after the introduction of machinery, mechanization, and factory production. However, the movement may also attribute its inception to Chippendale for instilling the values of craftsmanship during his era in such a way that people knew the true standard designs should be held to, even 100 years later. Resentment towards the items on display at the Great Exhibition stemmed from people’s criticisms of the objects as frivolously ornate, ingenuine, lacking in humanity, and the notable lack of understanding of the materials being worked with. Whereas Chippendale’s intensive understanding, control and mastery of his craft, during his time, earned him the title “High Priest of Mahogony.” A gripe of Owen Jones was that the pieces were products of “art novelty without beauty, or beauty without intelligence.” However this is what Chippendale had already succeeded in nearly a century prior, and this is apparent in his work, as well as this exhibition as a whole.
Chippendale was careful, precise, and a master of his material and craft, from his early Modern style (present day Rococco in Paris) to his later Chinese, ornamental style, and towards the end of his career his revival of Middle Age designs in his Gothic style. This careful consideration for craft has propelled Chippendale’s influence through time. Chippendale’s style is so ingrained in our crafting culture today, his design influence is nearly unconsciously integrated into things from buildings and architecture, to stamps, and to modern furniture designs. The inclusion of his draftswork and early drawings, as well as the book itself, in the exhibition only further emphasized the genius and attention to detail Chippendale put into his work. He not only innovated for his time, but set precedents and standards of workmanship that inspires and motivates every artist succeeding him.