The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director. Being a large collection ofthe most elegant and useful designs of household furniture in the most fashionable taste ... &c
Chippendale, Thomas
London. Printed for the author. 1762
A very fine copy of the third and best edition of Chippendale's seminal work on furniture and cabinet-making.
First published in 1754, the Director is an outstanding example of an early trade catalogue, its purpose being to bring in commissions for Chippendale and his workshop for the various designs. To this end the book was extremely successful and Chippendale's fame as a cabinet-maker grew throughout the latter-half of the eighteenth-century. A further consequence of the book was the extensive copying of the designs by other cabinet-makers, resulting in the popularity of the Chippendale style and ensuring Chippendale's place as one of the greatest furniture designers of the age.
The 200 engraved plates depict everything from carved columns to elegant chairs, commodes, mirrors, beds, sofas, basins, shaving tables, sideboards, desks, armoirs, bookshelves, and even organs, providing a complete overview of the furniture decoration of the wealthiest houses at the time. The style is distinctly Chippendale, revealing the designer's unique blend of the Palladian, Gothic, Chinese and Rococo.
This third edition, which appeared in instalments from 1759 to 1762, is acknowledged as the most complete edition (the first edition of 1754 has only 161 plates; 95 of these plates are present in the third edition and 105 new plates are added).
Pen spotting to plate LXIX. Final 5 plates with repaired tears affecting printed area, small marginal repairs to title and dedication; some light spotting.
First published in 1754, the Director is an outstanding example of an early trade catalogue, its purpose being to bring in commissions for Chippendale and his workshop for the various designs. To this end the book was extremely successful and Chippendale's fame as a cabinet-maker grew throughout the latter-half of the eighteenth-century. A further consequence of the book was the extensive copying of the designs by other cabinet-makers, resulting in the popularity of the Chippendale style and ensuring Chippendale's place as one of the greatest furniture designers of the age.
The 200 engraved plates depict everything from carved columns to elegant chairs, commodes, mirrors, beds, sofas, basins, shaving tables, sideboards, desks, armoirs, bookshelves, and even organs, providing a complete overview of the furniture decoration of the wealthiest houses at the time. The style is distinctly Chippendale, revealing the designer's unique blend of the Palladian, Gothic, Chinese and Rococo.
This third edition, which appeared in instalments from 1759 to 1762, is acknowledged as the most complete edition (the first edition of 1754 has only 161 plates; 95 of these plates are present in the third edition and 105 new plates are added).
Pen spotting to plate LXIX. Final 5 plates with repaired tears affecting printed area, small marginal repairs to title and dedication; some light spotting.
Folio. (440 x 300 mm). Printed title, leaf with Chippendale's 'Preface', leaf with engraved dedication ('To his Royal Highness Prince William Henry'), explanation of the plates (pp. 20), two decorative woodcut head-pieces, one tail-piece and 200 engraved plates, numbered I - CC in Roman numerals, all after Chippendale by various engravers. Later half-calf over marbled boards, banded spine tooled in gilt with eight compartments, red morocco label with titles in gilt.
#47857
