Thomas ChippendaleBritish, 1718–1779Design for a commode attributed to Thomas Chippendale
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Design for a commode attributed to Thomas Chippendale” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
This design is part of a collection of works acquired by the museum at the same time. While the designs are evidently by different hands, this design for a commode has been attributed to Thomas Chippendale, a fashionable London cabinet-maker. The design has been elegantly executed and therefore may have been used as a presentation piece which Chippendale’s firm could have shown to their clients. The asymmetrical details within this design, such as the feet of the commode, demonstrate that the firm were also offering their clients a choice of design. The decorative elements on the front and the top of the design suggest that these parts would have been decorated using marquetry. Marquetry is the process of applying a decorative arrangement of thin veneers of coloured wood or other materials to the surface of an item of furniture.
Read on
This process was an extremely popular way of decorating furnishings during this time and the effect was often very elaborate. This commode could have been used within a variety of rooms within a wealthy interior such as the bedroom, dressing room or drawing room where they would have been displayed to guests.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- D.726-1906
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
In the life of Thomas Chippendale
The whole life19 May 1748
Marriage to Catherine Redshaw
Chippendale marries Catherine Redshaw at Saint George's Chapel in Mayfair.
1754
Designs for the gentleman and cabinet maker
Chippendale publishes The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director, a book of his furniture designs.
1754
The business in St Martin's Lane
Chippendale moves his business to 60–62 St Martin's Lane, where the family firm will remain until 1813.
