1 of 3
Objects from the furniture exhibition at the John Marshall House, on view through June 30 (Photo by Michael Phillips)
2 of 3
An early American tea table (Photo by Michael Phillips)
3 of 3
An eight-day repeating brass clock made by C. Jerome & Co. in Richmond (Photo by Susan Morgan)
Of all the cabinet makers working in America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Richmond artisans usually play second fiddle to their contemporaries from New York and Baltimore. Preservation Virginia and curator Michael S. Phillips are working to change that narrative by bringing the work of Richmond’s finest early American craftsmen to light in an exhibition dedicated to Richmond furniture. "Classical Richmond Furniture: Early American History & Craftsmanship in Virginia’s Capital" is on view at the John Marshall House through June 30.
Richmond furniture makers were at the center of the industry in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Skilled Colonial craftsmen flocked to Richmond to work on the Thomas Jefferson-designed Capitol building in 1780, the largest public commission under construction in America at the time. Jefferson’s classical design for the building — inspired by an ancient Roman temple — spawned a movement toward classicism that encompassed everything from architecture to furniture design and art.
The exhibition features 40 attributed Richmond pieces, 20 in the John Marshall House collection and 20 on loan from private collections. It's the most Richmond furniture ever in one space. Many of the pieces have never been publicly displayed, including a pair of extremely rare James Rockwood card tables from the Brook Hill Estate in Richmond that still retain their original paper label; a Chauncey Jerome shelf clock; a diminutive chest in cherry; a delicately proportioned sideboard with classical urn-shaped feet; and a sophisticated tea table with a turned urn central pedestal, reeded saber legs and brass paw feet.
“In the first quarter of the 19th century, many Americans looked to contribute to a new sense of national identity,” says Phillips. “Increased wealth brought an increase in travel and an interest in archaeology and the ancient world, all of which inspired the craftsmen to incorporate elements of Greek and Roman antiquities in architecture, furniture and the decorative arts.”
Phillips adds, “Richmond cabinetmakers drew inspiration from design books imported from England and France, combining classical motifs such as fluting, reeding, acanthus leaf carvings, complex turnings, columns and thoughtful proportions to create unique adaptations of regional forms. Richmond furniture expressed classical taste with a Southern accent.”
Admission to "Classical Richmond Furniture" at the John Marshall House, 818 E. Marshall St., is $10 for adults; $9 for AAA members, seniors 60-plus and military: $7 for students; and free for children under 6 and Preservation Virginia members.
