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COLONIAL STYLE
- The colonial should consider the furniture created in America during an epoch of colonisation by its European powers. It is a question not of independent style, and about such furniture which at the earliest stage was created on similarity of the subjects of house conditions delivered by colonists. In the American furniture lines of a local originality gradually amplify, in 19 century here there are shots of designers, furniture firms open.
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- The colonial furniture was, in effect, a local American version of English furniture, the direction of its development was defined by the events which were taking place in English furniture. It means, that there was no one, concrete style, and existed almost as much variants and shades of "colonial style», how many style versions were in English furniture.
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- Twisted legs, archaic forms in the spirit of English позднеренессансной furniture, furnish under a nut etc. are considered as the main distinctive signs of this style.
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The period of formation of the American colonial furniture can be subdivided into three stages: 1608-1720 (the early period), 1720-1780 (the period of board of English kings of Georges), 1780-1830 (the first decades after an independence gain).
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- The sound, qualitative furniture executed under the influence of the Dutch samples delivered by colonists on the American continent, has been sustained in English позднеренессансном style. Between 1700-1720 of a position of this style are loosened by getting stronger Dutch baroque which, taking, eventually, the top, subordinates to itself the American furniture (1720-1750), having undergone here some changes.
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- In the south in a considerable quantity cases, chests, couches were made; in the north - lockers, secretaries, desks and soft armchairs. Among early samples of the American furniture even the most magnificent are enough simple under forms and are executed, as a rule, from мореного and the tree finished with wax. Besides a pine to work there is an oak, a birch, a nut and a maple. The furniture is made strong, sound. In the subjects of house conditions made in New Amsterdam, thanks to the developed trade with Europe and India, Far East influence is felt.
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In 18 century the growing rich American bourgeoisie already presumed luxury to get to itself everything, that offered the European market. The amplified inflow of the various goods should affect and an applied art. However as a whole the American furniture follows English samples with lateness for 10-20 years. The Dutch baroque forms start to be superseded English only in the middle of 18 centuries. With lateness style directions accustom behind ocean and fashionable at this time to the European art: the French rococo, the Chinese and Gothic influences.
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- The American furniture of 1750-1780th years technically any more does not concede on quality to English products. In workshops of Philadelphia high lockers, toilet tables, secretaries are made; the furniture is processed by the rich carving, the bent eaves. Masters of New England specialise on low lockers, cases in the form of two lockers, put one on another (double chest), and secretaries with wavy surfaces (block front). It is already typical the American furniture. The early colonial furniture was so simple, primitive, that it have christened «kitchen colonial», however now, during an epoch of prompt lifting of the American bourgeoisie, in all the aspiration to riches is felt. Conditions of dwellings of Americans find out much in common with an English inhabited interior of this time.
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Between 1780-1810 years the American furniture develops under strong influence of creativity Чиппендейла and other visible masters. Sheraton's style has rendered especially strong influence on creativity of well-known American furniture master Dunkana of Fife. The Scot Fife since 1795 worked in New York. The furniture of its work differed convenience, beauty, elegance. Fife has not created new style, but the direction dominating at this time has found in his face of the best spokesman. In the American colonial furniture it is the penetration and distribution period классицизирующих forms, influence Хэплуайта and Sheraton. Prominent features of the American version of style of Sheraton: full absence of profiles, straight lines, орнаментация интарсией.
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- To the first quarter of the eighteenth century expensive furniture was mainly made of a nut tree. About 1725 the nut has a contender: mahogany (махагони). After 1800 expensive furniture execute from a satiny and pink tree. Americans willingly used the developed English architects and furniture masters projects of exemplary pieces of furniture and interiors.
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In 1760 James Rivington has published the collection of drawings of various subjects of the house conditions, containing 180 tables. This and a number of other similar collections testify that in America experts have been well informed on the newest style tendencies in an English applied art. The leading furniture centre and the fashion-maker of this time is Philadelphia, it is followed by Boston and the Charleston. Furniture manufacture in America was under construction on a principle of division and work specialisation (joiners, turners, carvers, dressers etc.), that on the one hand provided high quality of production, and with another increased productivity.
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- During an empire style epoch the American furniture industry worries a lifting strip. Furniture of this time mostly рубленая and decorated with a carving. About 1825 in decorative furniture of pieces of furniture there are Gothic elements. The neogothic style has not found the wide response, it quickly gives way to the next craze - to style of a neorococo.
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Independent, independent - not so "colonial" - the American art furniture has developed in 19 century in the conditions of formed large capitalist manufacture, having passed preliminary, like the European furniture, a stage of a birth, searches, experiments and neostyles.
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- So, «colonial style» as that was not, and there were only colonial versions European, mainly English, furniture styles. Colonial forms find out a close connection with initial prototypes, quite often being their almost exact copies, and even simply original subjects delivered from Europe. Therefore often happens very difficultly to distinguish the American furniture from corresponding to it on style of the European.
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- 20.03.03
