Thomas Sheraton, cabinetmaker

August 1989

Interior Design

The life of Thomas Sheraton presents us with a curious paradox. Here was
a man who earned his living as a cabinetmaker, went on to teach drawing
and architecture, and ultimately designed some of the most exquisite
furniture of the late 18th and early 19th century Yet, not one piece of
furniture which can be directly attributed to him has ever been discovered.

Biographical facts are sketchy He was born in 1751 in Stockton-onTees,
England, and he traveled from one small town to another working as a
carpenter to support himself. In 1790 he moved to London, set up shop in
Wardour Street, Soho, where he became a freelance teacher and designer.
His first style book, called The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing
Book, was published in four parts between 1791 and 1794. After several
editions, and a Cabinet Dictionary, his final book, the Cabinet Maker,
Upholsterer, and General Artist's Encyclopedia, appeared in 1805. One
year later he was dead.

Sheraton's designs found instant favor among the upper classes. His
early style was characterized by an absence of curved lines and an
emphasis on crisp and clear details. Grace and refinement were the
hallmarks of his work, and they were present in his writing tables for
ladies, his dressing tables, work tables, card tables, dining tables and
chairs, secretaries and etageres.

England had reached the zenith of national furniture style during the
last third of the 18th century with the ascendance of Robert Adam and
his brother The Adams, who replaced the rococo of Chippendale with the
austere elegance of classical lines, organized the kind of atelier that
would permit them to undertake not only the architectural design but
also the complete furnishing and decorating of houses. The two
cabinetmakble with the Adams' style were George Hepplewhite and Thomas
Sheraton.

Although there were similarities between their work, each man made
distinctive contributions to the art of furniture design. Heppiewhite,
who flourished between 1775 and 1786, followed the Chippendale aesthetic
with curved lines, intricate carving and a strong preference for
mahogany Sheraton's dominance, from 1790 to 1805, was more significant.
The essentials of his style were straight lines rather than curved ones,
a notable lightness and delicacy of form and ornament and a preference
for unusual woods, mainly satinwood.

His sketches were strongly influenced by the contemporary French
neo-classicism of the Louis XVI period. In France Sheraton furniture was
called Louis Seize a L'Anglaise. His later designs owed much to the
prevailing Empire mode in France but this phase was not as popular or
influential as his earlier work. His creativity led him to experiment
with new forms. He used exotic woods like zebra, beech and tulipwood for
inlays, banding and stringing. Some wood pieces were painted and others
were adorned with painted bouquets of flowers, acanthus leaves, urns,
feathers, ribbons or swags. These painted decorations supplemented the
delicate marquetry for which he was famous. Another innovation credited
to Sheraton was the use of porcelain inserts in his wood pieces.
Wedgwood plaques became as popular in England as Sevres medallions had
been in France. Sideboards were relatively new in Sheraton's day and he
designed many elegant versions, some with brass galleries at the back to
hold plates. His beds, in the French tradition, were elaborate and
fanciful, often with intricate canopies.

Like many of the chairs Sheraton designed, the mahogany library chair in
the photograph has straight lines and a square back. The arms are shaped
and tapered. He also sketched some upholstered easy chairs, high-backed
with wings or low-backed with rounded curves. His settees were airy and
delicate, strongly influenced by Heppiewhite styles.

Desks, which were introduced in mid-century, were conceived with drawers
or cupboards on either side of the kneehole. Sheraton drew many
variations of these and other pieces of combined furniture like bu
reau-bookcases. Bow front commodes, serpentine chests, kidney shaped,
Pembroke and other tables-Sheraton designed them all, and did it with
beauty and distinction.

Many fine examples of Sheraton furniture can be found today. Agostino on
lower Broadway in New York has the illustrated chair and a good
selection of pieces from this period. Down the block at Hyde Park are
many specimens of Sheraton's art. Around the corner on East 12th Street,
Kentshire Galleries is another establishment that continually searches
the market for authentic and useful Sheraton furniture. Happy hunting!