46 
House 
& Garden 
SATIN WOOD FURNITURE 
The Furniture Which Marks the Highest Achievement of 
1 8 th Century Cabinet Making 
T HE 18th Century has been 
called the Golden Age of 
English cabinet-making. It was a 
time when luxury was allied to re¬ 
finement and good taste; the stand¬ 
ard of workmanship was high, 
originality of design and idea was 
passionately sought for. From the 
Adam Brothers on to poor Thomas 
Sheraton (the last, and, perhaps, 
the greatest of the 18th Century’s 
designers), carpenter and painter, 
craftsman and designer were all 
artists working together to produce 
beautiful or fitting things for the 
wealthy and profoundly fastidious 
dwellers in the homes of that 
period. 
Of this Golden Age it is hardly 
stretching a point to call satin- 
wood furniture the consummate 
achievement. True, the satinwood 
period is towards the end of the 
century; it goes linked with She¬ 
raton’s name. But Chippendale, 
whose name is linked with ma¬ 
hogany, used satinwood quite soon 
after its first arrival from the East 
Indies, and it was employed by 
other makers, eminent in their day, 
whose names are now forgotten, 
and whose work is attributed to, or 
merged in, greater names. 
Light-colored woods were just 
A large card table typical of the period is inlaid with a border 
and center circle of darker wood. The border is decorated with 
a painted design of roses, jasmine and polyanthus 
coming into fashion; mahogany, 
though still used, had become less 
inevitable. This change in fash¬ 
ion was chiefly due to the Brothers 
Adam; dark, heavy-colored woods 
were inconsistent with their classic 
white rooms and marble mantel¬ 
pieces. If Robert Adam could 
have had it all his own way he 
would most likely have furnished 
on the stone and marble lines of 
ancient Rome. But, although his 
influence was enormous, and his 
adopted style permeates the whole 
of that period, it was too cold and 
severe for comfort, and certain 
modifications there had to be. 
Light-colored wood at all events 
was essential, and the newly-im¬ 
ported satinwood was timely. 
Two kinds of satinwood are 
used for cabinet-making: East 
Indian and West Indian satin- 
wood. Botanically considered, the 
trees are not closely allied, but 
the wood of one bears so close a 
resemblance to the other that it is 
well to note the points of differ¬ 
ence. 
East Indian satimvood ( Chlor- 
oxyeou Swietenia) is cut from a 
fairly large deciduous tree, allied 
to mahogany, growing in central 
and southern India and Ceylon. 
Nasturtiums, cro¬ 
cus and red cur¬ 
rants form a 
decorative border 
for the top of 
the painted sat¬ 
inwood table to 
the left 
A f r u it and 
flower design has 
been used to dec¬ 
orate the top 
and graceful ta¬ 
pering legs of the 
semi - circular 
console 
A closer view shows the dec¬ 
orative banding of the large 
card table 
The contour and decora 
tions make this satinwood 
table a remarkable piece 
(Left) The ground color of 
this small console is a very 
beautiful pale gold 
