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Herzlich Willkommen!
The 18th century saw the height of court culture in Europe as well as the beginnings of its demise with conflicts such as the American and French Revolutions. The Scientific Revolution, which had begun in the preceding centuries, also ushered in a new intellectual era which advocated the use of reason to effect change in government and to advance progress in society. For furniture, this meant ever-higher standards of luxury in the designs, techniques and materials utilized for the best pieces, and more structure and specialization in the furniture-making process itself. Furniture also came into its own during this period as a collectable work of art on its own merits. Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, this volume presents essays that examine key characteristics of the furniture of the period on the themes of Design and Motifs; Makers, Making, and Materials; Types and Uses; The Domestic Setting; The Public Setting; Exhibition and Display; Furniture and Architecture; Visual Representations; and Verbal Representations.
Megan Aldrich is adjunct Professor at Richmond the International American University and a part-time tutor at the Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford; she lectures, writes and teaches aspects of architectural and design history, including interiors and furniture, and consults in the heritage sector. Recent publications include Antiquaries and Archaists: the past in the past, the past in the present (Spire Books, 2009); Art and Authenticity (Lund Humphries, 2012); Thomas Rickman and the Victorians (Victorian Society, 2019); and articles in the journals of Garden History (2016), and Furniture History (2018). She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.San Jose State University, USA