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Wood PanellingHistory of Early American Colonial Furniture

Wood Panelling with Classic Pilaster, Circa 1620

Wainscoat, was certainly the most usual form of wall decoration during the whole of the seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth century, but before commencing to deal with these periods, the work of somewhat earlier times must be referred to in order to follow the course of its development. At the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII, Gothic traditions in England had only commenced to be affected by the revival of classic knowledge already dominant in Italy; moreover, the wealth in this country was then so largely in the hands of the Church, and art was so entirely devoted to her service, that no decoration existed especially suitable for castles and manor-houses, or which varied from that employed in monasteries, abbeys and churches.

Early in the sixteenth century the panels of wainscoting were frequently ornamented with grotesque figures and faces, but the most usual design was the linenfold pattern; indeed this had served for upwards of a century throughout northern Europe to ornament chests, cupboards and beds, as well as walls: typical specimens are shown at the top of page 97.

With the distribution of Church property, many of the old buildings were destroyed, but the wainscoting which they contained was often preserved for new edifices; indeed, this practice of removing wainscoting from an old house to a new, whether or not built on the old site, continued to prevail until well into the eighteenth century. Instances are to be found at Coleshill, Badminton, Ditchley and numerous other mansions.

By the accession of Elizabeth, the linen-fold pattern had almost disappeared, and during her reign panels were generally left plain, as in the example shown. This specimen may date from her time, but exactly similar work continued to be made as late as the restoration of Charles II. Such plain panels were occasionally inlaid with geometrical and other designs, the inlay consisting usually of boxwood or ebony let into grooves cut in the solid panel and not merely inserted in a veneer as at later periods.

Before the close of the sixteenth century, considerable knowledge of classic art and English and early American Colonial furniture existed in the Netherlands, and in all designs then produced in that country, for whatever purpose they were intended, is to be seen a quaint intermingling of the old and the new styles. Nothing marks the arrival of the Flemings in this country at the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth more clearly than the carvings which they executed on wainscoting; an occupation which must have employed a considerable number of these, refugees. Their immigration continued through the reign of James I and during the earlier part of that of his successor; and in all the numerous mansions then erected, the influence, if not the actual handicraft, of these Flemings is to be traced. Although all their work bears a strong family likeness, the actual details vary considerably, the designs in no two cases being identically the same. The specimens shown on page 98 (like the other examples which illustrate this article) are in the collection at No 31 Old Burlington Street, and may be taken as typical of the best work of this interesting period.

Oak Panelling End of Sixteenth Century

Oak Panelling End of Sixteenth Century

Oak Panelling Early Part of Seventeenth Century

Oak Panelling Early Part of Seventeenth Century