William & Mary

William and Mary style – this describes the decorative arts style that came to prominence during the reign of William III (also known as William of Orange) and Mary II of England from 1689 to 1702. It is also known as early Baroque. The style blended into the Queen Anne style which became popular when she took over the regency after the death of William.

William III was from the Netherlands and when he became King of England he encouraged Dutch artisans and craftsmen to follow him. He was also fond of the French style and so also encouraged the French Huguenot refugees to come to London after the Edict of Fontainebleau issued in 1685 severely restricted their religious freedom. They worked in designers’ and cabinet makers’ workshops as well as in the silk trade in London.

The fashion in furniture moved away from the heavy exuberance of the English Restoration period and became plainer with pieces becoming smaller to match the more intimate size rooms that became the vogue. Comfort was also important and chairs often had needlepoint upholstery. Lines moved from horizontal to vertical with chair backs becoming longer and embellished with more delicate ornamentation. Highboy and Lowboy chests of drawers were popular and serpentine stretchers and spiral turnings of legs were typical of the style.

Marquetry in arabesque patterns using coloured woods and metal inlay was also popular with patterns resembling spiders; webs and seaweed being used. Walnut rather than oak started to be used for basic cabinetry and exotic woods such as acacia and olive arrived in the country as a result of the opening up of new East-West trade routes. These were used for inlays and veneers. The popular Asian influenced lacquer work Japanning remained popular. Other characteristic decorative motifs included the scallop shell, ‘C’ and ‘S’ scrolls and the acanthus leaf from the classical tradition.

Famous names of the time include Daniel Marot, a huguenot who became Designer General to the royal couple and Gerrit Jensen who was the most fashionable furniture designer of his day who took most of his inspiration from the French.