ament is generally a
foliated or curled endive scroll; sometimes the top of a cabinet is
finished in the form of a Chinese pagoda. Upon examining a piece of
furniture that may reasonably be ascribed to him, it will be found of
excellent workmanship, and the wood, always mahogany without any inlay, is
richly marked, shewing a careful selection of material.

[Illustration: Fac-simile of a Page In Chippendale's "Director." (The
original is folio size.)]

[Illustration: "French" Commode and Lamp Stands. Designed by T.
Chippendale, and Published in His "Director."]

[Illustration: Fac-simile of a Page in Chippendale's "Director." (The
original is folio size.)]

[Illustration: Chimneypiece and Mirror. Designed By T. Chippendale, and
Published in His "Director."]

[Illustration: PARLOUR CHAIRS BY CHIPPENDALE.]

The chairs of Chippendale and his school are very characteristic. If the
outline of the back of some of them be compared with the stuffed back of
the chair from Hardwick Hall (illustrated in Chap. IV.) it will be seen
that the same lines occur, but instead of the frame of the back being
covered with silk, tapestry, or other material--as in William III.'s
time--Chippendale's are cut open into fanciful patterns; and in his more
highly ornate work, the twisted ribands of his design are scarcely to be
reconciled with the use for which a dining room chair is intended. The
well-moulded sweep of his lines, however, counterbalances this defect to
some extent, and a good Chippendale mahogany chair will ever be an elegant
and graceful article of furniture.

One of the most graceful chairs of about the middle of the century, in the
style of Chippendale's best productions, is the Master's Chair in the Hall
of the Barbers' Company. Carved in rich Spanish mahogany, and upholstered
in morocco leather, the ornament consists of scrolls and cornucopiae, with
flowers charmingly disposed, the arms and motto of the Company being
introduced. Unfortunately, there is no certain record as to the designer
and maker of this beautiful chair, and it is to be regretted that the date
(1865), the year when the Hall was redecorated, should have been placed in
prominent gold letters on this interesting relic of a past century.

[Illustration: Clock Case, by Chippendale.]

Apart from the several books of design noticed in this chapter, there were
published two editions of a work, undated, containing many of the drawings
found in Chippendale's b