William and Mary style

The William and Mary style is a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 AD in the Netherlands, the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Scotland, and later, in England's American colonies. It was a transitional style between Mannerist furniture and Queen Anne furniture. Sturdy, emphasizing both straight lines and curves, and featuring elaborate carving and woodturning, the style was one of the first to imitate Asian design elements such as japanning.

In 1688, James II of England was deposed by his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, in what came to be known as the "Glorious Revolution". From birth in 1650, William had reigned over five provinces of the Dutch Republic, and Mary had lived in the Netherlands with him after their marriage in 1677. William and Mary brought to their kingdoms a taste for Dutch furniture styles, as well as a number of Dutch furniture-makers. Although movement toward what would come to be called the William and Mary style had begun during the reign of Charles II of England, primarily due to the influence of his Portuguese-born queen, Catherine of Braganza, the style became defined and widely accepted during the reign of William and Mary.

The William and Mary style was influenced by recent French furniture traditions, which in turn were influenced by Italian Baroque furniture designs. William and Mary style furniture emphasized unity, so that all elements contributed to an overall shape or look. It also featured high relief carving, strong curves, and elaborate woodturning. Despite these elements, the style was fairly squat, heavy-looking, and obviously sturdy. Straight lines are common. Paint, stains, or different kind of wood were used to create contrasting colors, which was another element of this style.Japanning, a technique of varnishing which was very popular at the time, was also used on this furniture design. For chairs, woven cane seats and heavily-scrolled backs predominated. Toward the end of the style, cane-woven seats and backs had given way to leather, and straight or slightly angled backs had given way to serpentine forms.

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