The Queen Anne style of furniture design developed before, during, and after the time of Queen Anne, who reigned from 1702 to 1714.[1]
Queen Anne furniture is "somewhat smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than its predecessors," and examples in common use include "curving shapes, the cabriole leg, cushioned seats, wing-back chairs, and practical secretary desk-bookcase pieces."[2] Other elements characterizing the style include pad feet and "an emphasis on line and form rather than ornament."[3] The style of Queen Anne's reign is sometimes described as late Baroque rather than "Queen Anne."[4][5]
The Queen Anne style began to evolve during the reign of William III of England (1689-1702),[6] but the term predominantly describes decorative styles from the mid-1720s to around 1760, although Queen Anne reigned earlier (1702-1714).[4][7] "The name 'Queen Anne' was first applied to the style more than a century after it was fashionable."[5] The use of Queen Anne styles in America, beginning in the 1720s and 1730s, coincided with new colonial prosperity and increased immigration of skilled British craftsmen to the colonies.[8][9][10] Some elements of the Queen Anne style remain popular in modern furniture production.[5]
Curved lines, in feet, legs, arms, crest rails, and pediments, along with restrained ornament (often in a shell shape) emphasizing the material, are characteristic of Queen Anne style.[5] In contrast to William and Mary furniture, which was marked by rectilinearity (straight lines) and use of curves for decoration, Queen Anne furniture uses C-scroll, S-scrolls, and ogee (S-curve) shapes in the structure of the furniture itself.[5] In sophisticated urban environments, walnut was a frequent choice for furniture in the Queen Anne style,[5] superseding the previously dominant oak and leading to the era being called "the age of walnut."[6] However, poplar, cherry, and maple were also used in Queen Anne style furniture.[11]
Ornamentation is minimal, in contrast to earlier 17th-century and William and Mary styles, which prominently featured inlay, figured veneers, paint, and carving. The cabriole leg is the "most recognizable element" of Queen Anne furniture.[12][6] Cabriole legs were influenced by the designs of the French cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle[13] and the Rococo style from the French court of Louis XV.[14] But the intricate ornamentation of post-Restoration furniture was abandoned in favor of more conservative designs, possibly under the influence of the simple and elegant lines of imported Chinese furniture.[13]
When decorative motifs or other ornamentation are used in Queen Anne-style furniture, it is often limited to carved scallop or shell or scroll-shaped motifs (sometimes in relief form and often found on the crest and knees),[5] broken and C-curves, and acanthus leaves.[15] The use of japanning is an exception to the general Queen Anne trend of minimal ornament.[5] When used, japanned decoration was frequently in red, green, or gilt on a blue-green field.[11]
The tilt-top tea table on a tripod was first made during the "Queen Anne" (in reality George II) period in the 1730s.[16]
Queen Anne eventually was eclipsed by the later Chippendale style; late Queen Anne and early Chippendale pieces are very similar, and the two styles are often identified with each together.[17][18][19]