Relevant categories: Bookcases,Dining Chairs,Tables,Seating and Chairs
George Hepplewhite was an English furniture and cabinet maker who - alongside Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale - was considered one of the 'big three' English furniture makers. Please click here to view our range of Hepplewhite Furniture.
Hepplewhite lived from 1727 to 1786 and was born in Ryton, County Durham which is on the North East coast. Allegedly he served his apprenticeship with Gillows of Lancaster and after that based himself in London where he lived and worked. In 1877 he published 'The Cabinet Maker and Upholstere's Guide' which constinues with the long title 'The Cabinet Maker and Upholstere's Guide or Repository of Designs for Every Article of Household Furniture in the Newest and most approved taste.' This important work became a template for furniture designers and features over 300 designs which are still influential to this day.
At Canonbury Antiques we carry a range of Hepplewhite furniture including mirrors, chests, dining chairs, cabinets, tables and sideboards. It's interesting to note that no know original pieces by Hepplewhite are known to still exist with full provenance. His enduring style can be attributed to his design ethos which included a slender, curvilinear look which was well balanced with classical proportions. Similar to a lot of the arts at that time - architecture, painting and theatre - the influence of Greek and Roman classical antiquity is very pervasive.
Much of this Hepplewhite furniture is on display in the Canonbury Antiques Hertfordshire showroom so please get in touch for an appointment. During his life it was hard to establish some facts as litte was known about his life. After he died in 1786 the business carried on under the ownership of his wife Alice - there are even some theories that George might not have even existed but rather the name was just one for Alice Hepplewhite to publish under. It was very common in the 1700s for women to adopt a pen name - often male - to publish under as female authors were taken less seriously at the time. Whoever created the designs one thing is certain, they are still influential today and older pieces can command high figures in sale rooms and auction houses.
Also, original copies of 'The Cabinet Maker and Upholstere's Guide' also command high fees - looking at the plates and drawings you can see the style is typically neoclassical with tapered legs, fluting and the use of contrasting veneers for colour variation. The book had a particular influence on cabinet makers on the East Coast of the USA.
We can ship any of our range of Hepplewhite furniture to anywhere in the world so please get in touch for a shipping quote. Our North London showroom is also open to the public so please get in touch for an appoinment. We have been in business since the 1960s and specialise in English dining furniture, continental antiques, art deco, architectural, bronzes and porcelain. We offer good discounts to interior designers and the trade or for bulk purchases.
Please enjoy some more drawings from Hepplewhite's 'The Cabinet Maker and Upholstere's Guide':
Please enjoy some videos from the Canonbury Antiques YouTube channel:
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