356 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
December, 1910 
marble richly carv¬ 
ed, to say nothing 
of the beautiful plas¬ 
ter ones, and there 
are many fine exam¬ 
ples in existence, 
l'hey were fond of 
figure decoration, 
and many subjects 
were taken from the 
Bible. The over¬ 
mantels were deco¬ 
rated with coats-of- 
arms and other carv¬ 
ing, and the entabla¬ 
ture over the fire¬ 
place often had La¬ 
tin mottoes. The 
earliest firebacks 
date from the fif¬ 
teenth century. 
Coats-of-arms and 
many curious de¬ 
signs were used upon 
them. 
The furniture of 
the Tudor period 
was much carved, 
and was made chief¬ 
ly of oak. Cornices 
of beds and cabinets 
often had the egg- 
S-curve is often seen 
opposed on the backs of settees and chairs. It has a suggestion 
of a dolphin and is reminiscent of the dolphins of the Renaiss¬ 
ance. The beds were very large, the “great bed of Ware" being 
twelve feet square. The cornice, the bed-head, the pedestals and 
pillars supporting the cornice were all 
richly carved. Frequently the pillars at 
the foot of the bed were not connected 
with it but supported the cornice which 
was longer than the bed. The “Courtney 
bedstead,” dated 1593, showing many of 
the characteristics of the ornament of the 
time, is 103L2 inches high, 94 inches long, 
•68 inches wide. The majority of the beds 
were smaller and lower, however, and the 
pillars usually rose out of drum-like mem¬ 
bers, huge acorn-like bulbs that were often 
so large as to be ugly. They appeared 
also on other articles of furniture. When 
in good proportion, with pillars tapering 
from them, they were very effective, and 
gradually they grew smaller. Some of the 
Beds had the four apostles, Matthew, 
Mark, Luke and John, carved on the 
posts. They were probably the origin of 
the nursery rhyme: 
“Four corners to my bed, 
Four angels round my head, 
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 
Bless the bed that I lie on.”' 
Bed hangings were of silk velvet, da¬ 
mask, wool damask, tapestry, etc., and 
there were fine linen sheets and blankets 
and counterpanes of wool work. The 
chairs were high- 
backed, of solid oak 
with cushions. There 
were also jointed 
stools, folding 
screens, chests, ca¬ 
binets, tables with 
carpets (table cov¬ 
ers), tapestry hang¬ 
ings, curtains, cush¬ 
ions, silver sconces, 
etc. 
The Jacobean pe¬ 
riod began with 
James I, and lasted 
until the time of 
William and Mary, 
or from 1603 to 
about 1690. In the 
early part there was 
still a strong Tudor 
feeling, and toward 
the end foreign in¬ 
fluence made itself 
felt until the Dutch 
under William be- 
c a m e paramount. 
Inigo Jones did his 
great work at this 
time in the Palla- 
dian style of archi¬ 
tecture. His simpler 
taste did much to reduce the exaggeration of the late Tudor days. 
Chests of various kinds still remained of importance. Their 
growth is interesting: first the plain ones of very early days, then 
panels appeared, then the pointed arch with its architectural effect, 
then the round planted arch of Tudor and early Jacobean times, 
and the geometrical ornament. Then came 
a change in general shape, a drawer being 
added at the bottom, and at last it turned 
into a complete chest of drawers. 
Cabinets or cupboards were also used 
a great deal, and the most interesting are 
the court- and livery-cupboards. The der¬ 
ivation of the names is a bit obscure, but 
the court cupboard probably comes from 
the French court, short. The first ones 
were high and unwieldy and the later ones 
were lower with some enclosed shelves. 
They were used for a display of plate, 
much as the modern sideboard is used. 
The number of shelves was limited by 
rank; the wife of a baronet could have 
two, a countess three, a princess four, a 
queen five. They were beautifully carved, 
very often, the doors to the enclosed por¬ 
tions having heads, Tudor roses, arches, 
spindle ornaments and many other designs 
common to the Tudor and Jacobean pe¬ 
riods. They had a silk “carpet” put on 
the shelves with the fringe hanging over 
the ends but not the front, and on this 
was placed the silver. 
The livery - cupboard was used for 
food, and the word probably comes from 
the French livrcr, to deliver. It had sev- 
(Continued on page 372.) 
A reproduction of a walnut chair with cane 
seat and back, of the William and Mary 
Period. 
and-dart molding used on them, and the 
A reproduction of a walnut chair with cane 
seat and back, from the period of Charles II 
A reproduction of a chair from the period 
of James II, covered with velvet. The 
front strut is a characteristic feature 
