The country of Ireland has had many a visitor over the centuries – however, most of them were uninvited. For better or for worse, Ireland has been a country invaded and fought over for many lifetimes. Because of the burning and pillaging of many of the invaders of the Irish isle, very few pieces of art, textile or furniture still exists prior to the 17^th century. After many military campaigns, colonization from England to Scotland little of her woodworking history remains intact. Many of Ireland’s needs were also not indigenously made but were imported from England, reducing the need or desire for Irish made items.

Because of a wholesale depletion of her natural forests in the 1500 and 1600s for timber, Ireland native woods were unavailable to even create furnishings. The golden age of Irish furniture-making began about 1720. It was then that mahogany from the West Indies and South America reached Ireland. The most popular pieces of furniture to ever come out of Ireland are 18th-century Irish Georgian antiques. Irish Georgian furniture can be distinguished because of their worn patina, intense grain and peculiar dimensions. The Irish Georgian pieces may also have deep carvings of masks along with hairy paw feet.

An unusual signature of many of these mahogany pieces was the technique used to blacken with polish to match the very dark bog oak, which was native to Ireland, and commonly used in 17th-century furniture. Experts on Irish furniture like Desmond Fitz Gerald, the Knight of Glin, and James Peill, have dispelled the myth that 18th-century cabinet makers applied thick black varnish to their pieces. They feel, after careful analysis of the varnish on a table which has been at Glin Castle since the 18th century, that there are seven different layers. The first layer is a rich red-brown color applied when the piece was first made. With the later layers large particles of peat smoke had been absorbed. This smoke technique gave the table’s wood a dark color that was sealed by further layers of wax polish.

Seventeenth century Ireland saw a rise in marquetry work. Marquetry is the art of inlaying different woods, and other natural materials, to create a picture on a piece of home furnishing or furniture. From flowers and butterflies to a common figure, the kilted soldier carrying a round shield and claymore (a large medieval sword), marquetry may have been brought to the Irish by way of the Dutch. In fact, the Irish furniture maker may not have been doing the inlays themselves. Specialist in marquetry art may have been producing these fine examples and selling them to be applied by the woodworker on their own creations later. A common belief is that Dutch immigrant workers may have introduced and even provided the marquetry to Ireland.

The post-Queen Anne, Irish Georgian period is memorable for more than the introduction of mahogany. It is said that King George I. cared little about English society, English trade, and none of the Georges could be regarded as patrons of the arts, however it is recognized that from the commencement of the reign of George I. fashion changed. Once again craftsmanship and designers were important and not just their royal patrons.

Tags: Amish Furniture Styles, claymore, Desmond Fitz, England, George I, Georgian, Glin Castle, Ireland, Irish Georgian, James Peill, Mahogany, marquetry, medieval, Queen Anne, Scotland

This entry was posted on Monday, March 16th, 2009 at 11:04 pm and is filed under Amish Furniture Styles, Design Style, History of Furniture Making. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.