0:00:02 > 0:00:06In the golden age of British furniture...
0:00:09 > 0:00:10..the 18th century...
0:00:12 > 0:00:15..one man defined the age - in wood.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21He stood for luxury.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Elegance.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29The finest furniture ever to come from these isles.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36His name? Thomas Chippendale.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41He was the best, he was a master at his craft.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43You can't beat that.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48In this film, we'll see how an enigmatic Yorkshire joiner
0:00:48 > 0:00:52escaped his humble roots to conquer fashionable London.
0:00:53 > 0:00:59He won favour by bestowing grandeur and taste upon a new moneyed class.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06We'll reveal the techniques he mastered...
0:01:06 > 0:01:10You know, when we stand in front of this furniture, it's a work of art.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13..kept alive by craftsmen today.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Design inspiration is what it was,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20by a man who was truly incredible and wonderful.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Through his ground-breaking designs, he became famous
0:01:27 > 0:01:32at home in Britain and across the Atlantic.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37We will know in 300 years' time, in 1,000 years' time,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39we will know Chippendale's name.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Why? Because he's already done 250 years.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And we'll reveal how Chippendale was betrayed
0:01:46 > 0:01:49by the very men he'd worked so hard to please...
0:01:51 > 0:01:54..ending his days in penury.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01But most of all, we'll celebrate his finest creations -
0:02:01 > 0:02:06the defining masterpieces of the Georgian age.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Thomas Chippendale's early life has been pieced together
0:02:34 > 0:02:37from a few tantalising fragments of information.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41We know he was born here,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45in the small Yorkshire village of Otley in 1718.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52And even though opportunities were limited,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56we know Thomas went into his father's trade - carpentry.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Yorkshire was not exactly in the mainstream
0:03:02 > 0:03:06of furniture-making at this moment, or the high point of high fashion.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09In Chippendale's own milieu, if you like,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13there was the vernacular tradition of furniture made from oak,
0:03:13 > 0:03:18beautifully made, often, but fairly sturdy, standard things
0:03:18 > 0:03:22for which design barely changed from one generation to the next.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Just one, telling object survives
0:03:28 > 0:03:32from the Chippendale family firm. This oak chest.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It's simple, robust and it's lasted centuries,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46but it's basic, and the joints are clumsy.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53A talented and ambitious young man,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Chippendale set his sights on greater things.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And there was only place to go.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03London.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The young Chippendale would've been amazed
0:04:12 > 0:04:15by this strange, bustling metropolis.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20In the mid-18th century,
0:04:20 > 0:04:25London was at the heart of a Britain on the rise.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30A rapidly expanding empire across the world meant power.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It meant an influx of luxurious, exotic goods
0:04:35 > 0:04:39into ports across the nation.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48And it meant wealth for merchants, lawyers and shippers.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54This moneyed set would come to be known as "the middle classes".
0:04:56 > 0:04:59A group Chippendale would have had his eye on.
0:05:02 > 0:05:09The mid and late 18th century see this great surge in buying things,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I mean in the material culture.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16And that's because whole new groups of people have more money
0:05:16 > 0:05:21to spend on pleasure, and money to spend on their surroundings.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24And also a far greater sense of their status.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30They wanted to buy all the fineries they could afford,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32from grand portraits
0:05:32 > 0:05:34to fine china.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And there was one thing at the top of their wish-list.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45The way you impressed people with your taste was how you dressed
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and how you furnished your home.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And of course you furnished your home
0:05:50 > 0:05:55with a collection of things, of fine art from abroad, and furniture.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59So furniture was the emblem. It was the showpiece of your home.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Chippendale would have noticed that tastes were getting more exotic.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Oak was now seen as old-fashioned.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19And there was a new wood on the block - mahogany -
0:06:19 > 0:06:22from the Empire's West Indies.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Mahogany as a raw material
0:06:26 > 0:06:30had the ability to transform an entire industry.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37It's hard but it's not too hard, it's durable, it's strong,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41but also, for a carver, it's a wonderful wood to use
0:06:41 > 0:06:45because of its capacity to take fine detail, to carve crisply
0:06:45 > 0:06:48and to produce a really clean finish.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Chippendale truly mastered this wood,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57manipulating it to produce spectacular furniture.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01This is one of his earliest chairs.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It's been carved to the most elegant effect.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So exceptional was his skill,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16he came to be known as "the high priest of mahogany".
0:07:21 > 0:07:25But Chippendale still needed to make a name for himself.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32In 1754, he did something completely revolutionary,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36establishing him at once as the greatest designer of his day.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41It was bold, but it wasn't a piece of furniture.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49It was the first ever furniture catalogue.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55The Gentleman And Cabinetmaker's Director
0:07:55 > 0:08:00contains over 160 of Chippendale's own designs.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Right on the title page it tells you
0:08:04 > 0:08:08everything you need to know about what it is and who it's for.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11"A large collection of the most elegant
0:08:11 > 0:08:14"and useful designs of household furniture."
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This catalogue contains everything the fashion-conscious shopper
0:08:21 > 0:08:26of the 18th century could possibly want for their home.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32From chairs to breakfast tables,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34cabinets and fire screens.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47In an attempt to attract the most customers,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52he included the three major fashions circulating town.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57The Modern Style, fresh out of Paris.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Today we'd call it Rococo -
0:08:59 > 0:09:06an extravagant confection of curls, swirls and fanciful carving.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10The Chinese.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Inspired by an 18th-century passion for the Orient,
0:09:13 > 0:09:20adorned with pagodas and make-believe Chinese figures.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And Gothic - a medieval fantasy
0:09:25 > 0:09:30that revived patterns from the Middle Ages.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Chippendale was all about creating what the customer wanted,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42in whatever style they chose.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49He's confident that he can convince all noblemen,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54gentleman or others "who will honour me with their commands",
0:09:54 > 0:09:58which means everyone who is going to actually commission him,
0:09:58 > 0:10:04"that every design in this book can be improved both as to beauty
0:10:04 > 0:10:07"and enrichment in the execution of it,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10"by their most obedient servant, Thomas Chippendale."
0:10:10 > 0:10:13So what he's saying is really quite key,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16in that he's saying, not all the designs are perfect,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19all you have to do is ask me to make it
0:10:19 > 0:10:23and I will guarantee that they will look better.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27There is a figure of Mercury at the end of the preface.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30And Mercury is the messenger god
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and he's also the god of commerce.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38Printed on his banner is "colligit ut spargat" -
0:10:38 > 0:10:41"collected in order to distribute" -
0:10:41 > 0:10:45which is a perfect thing, because that's exactly what this book is.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49It's a collection of designs brought together to better distribute it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55No craftsman had ever produced
0:10:55 > 0:11:00something that looked so fine, that is so detailed.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03But also quite doctrinaire in a way,
0:11:03 > 0:11:08laying down rules, orders, perspective, for furniture.
0:11:08 > 0:11:14This is something that architects did, but not furniture people.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17They were tradesmen, they were craftspeople.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21And this is actually a very, very important landmark,
0:11:21 > 0:11:27both because it gives everybody else in the trade a model
0:11:27 > 0:11:30so that they can use it. It's going to create a style.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Chippendale's style became so popular,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38inferior craftsmen started using The Director to make copies.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46James Lomax is an expert at spotting the fakes from the fortunes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Well, the first thing that strikes you, of course,
0:11:50 > 0:11:51is the colour.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56We find this Chippendale chair is a wonderfully deep, rich colour,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00which is what was most admired in the 18th century.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02The other, on the other hand, is much lighter
0:12:02 > 0:12:07and perhaps not quite so admired at the time.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11This has far, far better quality mahogany.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16Much denser, much richer, much more expensive.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18The carving on this is superb.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It's absolutely as crisp and as sharp as you can make it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:30The splendid use of the materials in the cutting of the fronding here
0:12:30 > 0:12:35and the leaves, the splendid curvature of the back,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I mean, it's sort of seamless in its wonderful, tactile quality.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44You know, the highlights on some of the edges of the carving
0:12:44 > 0:12:46make it really sparkle.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49This, on the other hand, is terribly flat.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Very little depth to it, really, at all.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55And here, all these extra little scrolls for some reason.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00And then if you look at the sides, this reed design down here,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04really, is just piled on for no particular reason.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07He's piled on a bit of Chinoiserie here,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10for example, too. Quite unnecessary.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14This one just seems so much more confident as well.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17When you put the two side by side,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21and you look at the curvature of the backs too...
0:13:21 > 0:13:27Look at the way this has the most marvellously elegant
0:13:27 > 0:13:31curvature to it, just one splendid swoop.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Whereas on this one, we're going down to here,
0:13:34 > 0:13:39and suddenly it goes rather straight, and then the curve continues.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40Something obviously went wrong!
0:13:42 > 0:13:46So, all in all, the two might have a lot of similarities,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48but put the two side by side,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52and you really begin to see something quite different emerging.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01To meet demand for his exquisite furniture,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Thomas set up shop in the fashionable St Martin's Lane.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14St Martin's Lane was a great area of furniture makers.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19You had all the big names there - Vile, Cobb, Chippendale, Linnell.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22So the environment is utterly creative.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25You're surrounded by, it's not just furniture makers,
0:14:25 > 0:14:30you've got goldsmiths, there are artists, there's sculptors.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33People that we would now call the creative industries,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35but the 18th-century equivalent of them,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37all milling around St Martin's Lane.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40It must have been quite a hotspot.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50He lived and worked in numbers 60, 61 and 62.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02The workshop itself consisted, on the front of St Martin's Lane,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04his own dwelling house.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08You would then go through an archway, a carriageway,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11into the main premises behind, and, amazingly,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15you can almost still see that to this day on exactly the same site.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Most of the work would take place in the courtyard beyond that,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26which is where the cabinet workshop was,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30where the veneering workshop was,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34where the carving and the gilding workshops lay
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and stores for things like the feathers for the upholstery.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41So it was a busy place.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Chippendale could do anything for anybody.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45He could even bury you -
0:15:45 > 0:15:50we know he had an undertaking department at St Martin's Lane.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53And he was supervising the whole operation.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57He was in charge of the artistic direction of the business,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59he was in charge of quality control
0:15:59 > 0:16:03and he was, above all, in charge of design.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Chippendale's production model
0:16:15 > 0:16:17is still used in modern furniture making.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25This workshop in Dorset makes Chippendale pieces
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and it's run by Jonathan Sainsbury.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37Up here, we've probably got in excess of maybe 200 different models.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Of which each model contains sometimes 20 or 30 pieces.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I mean, if you look through here, it looks chaos,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47but I know where every single one is.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Every little bit of carving, every little bit of flower decoration,
0:16:50 > 0:16:51I know where it all is.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59This is a classic Chippendale model.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It's just got all the refinements that I really, really like.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05It's got this sort of chamfered stretcher, which is lovely
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and it's got this decoration running down the leg here.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11And then the fineness of the carving with the urns and balustrade
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and the sort of sweeping movement there,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17they're all absolutely classics of the Chippendale textbook stuff.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27Chippendale's workshop hired up to 50 journeymen workers,
0:17:27 > 0:17:34each with different specialisms from carvers to joiners and polishers.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I think one of the wonderful things about Chippendale furniture
0:17:50 > 0:17:51is that it's just right.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53It's hard to put your finger on how
0:17:53 > 0:17:57it's just right, but it's kind of just right.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Basically, design inspiration is what it was,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09by a man who was truly incredible and wonderful.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11To try and to copy it is difficult,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14to improve it is pretty much impossible.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Thomas Chippendale had gone from small town joiner
0:18:28 > 0:18:32to a leader of furniture design in London.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34His success gave him the freedom,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39in his 40s, to go back home to Yorkshire.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And Chippendale was determined to show
0:18:48 > 0:18:51his Yorkshire patrons just how far he'd come.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Nostell Priory near Wakefield was the home of the Winn family
0:19:01 > 0:19:04who made their money through textiles.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Headed by Rowland, a young obsessive collector,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14he wanted to make his house the talk of the county.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23And he allowed Chippendale's imagination to run riot.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Here you can see the only Chippendale barometer.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48A Chippendale chess board.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Even this exquisite doll's house
0:19:56 > 0:19:59is rumoured to have been by the hand of the master.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Complete with miniature lords and ladies, tables and chairs.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Chris Blackburn, house manager for the past six years,
0:20:15 > 0:20:20knows the secrets of Nostell better than anyone else.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23This is one of my favourite pieces in the whole house.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25It looks fairly simple,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29but it's got lots of lovely things going on inside.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32We can pull this drawer out, very carefully.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34It's a bit of an old lady, this one.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It's seen a lot of action, this desk.
0:20:37 > 0:20:38So we pull the drawer out,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and what we get is a nice baize writing table.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44But, in turn, if we pull that back
0:20:44 > 0:20:48very slowly,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50we find underneath, this mirror.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Lovely slide back there.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And in here would have been a shaving bowl for water.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Inside here,
0:21:08 > 0:21:14we have everything a gentleman needs to get ready for his day.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Over here, we've got razors.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21There should be six, one for each day of the week.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22Except there isn't a seventh.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26I'm told that gentleman didn't shave on a Sunday.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27These little items over here,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30they're receptacles for powders for your wig.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34And over here, little boxes.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37And this is what sums up Chippendale for me.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38This very simple little box.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40We don't know what Roland would have kept in here.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Maybe a couple of love letters.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46We've got lovely little tiny joints here.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50They're wafer thin. You can barely see them, there and there.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52They are just connecting this box.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And it still fits beautifully into place.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04It really sums up Chippendale's skill.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But Chris's most treasured piece of Chippendale furniture
0:22:20 > 0:22:22is even more hidden from prying eyes.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30A little surprise behind here. It's lovely.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37There we go. This is Chippendale's medal cabinet.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Rowland Winn was a big collector of Roman coins and Roman seals,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and this is his idea
0:22:43 > 0:22:46of a high-security cabinet for those treasures.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51It's got a lovely little glass door on the front of it which opens out.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52And then these beautiful drawers
0:22:52 > 0:22:54that sort of grade all the way down
0:22:54 > 0:22:58so you can keep all sorts of different-sized objects in there.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04We'll just pull one of these drawers out and find the treasures inside.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09There we go. Little coins.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Models and seals.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19These things were very collectable
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and sought after in the 18th century.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Chippendale himself described it in his bill
0:23:28 > 0:23:29as a very neat mahogany cabinet,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32which I thing just sums it up really nicely.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Very neat and very elegant is what he described it as.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37This carving up here is just amazing,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and I just thrill every time I see this.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42If you put your hand behind it,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45you can see that it's carved all the way through.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49I think it's a fantastically made piece.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52It's beautifully carved, really simple,
0:23:52 > 0:23:53absolutely right for the job,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56which I think is where Chippendale was coming from.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58He didn't just do fantastic, beautiful things,
0:23:58 > 0:23:59they were always right for the job.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03So I think it's an amazing piece, and for it to be tucked in,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06especially behind this door, made to measure for this door,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08I think it's quite fantastic, and still today,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12after all these years - knocking on for 240 years - it's still
0:24:12 > 0:24:16in perfect condition, the drawers are beautiful. It's great.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31But nothing compares to the spectacular, Oriental fantasy
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Chippendale created in the Winns' bedroom.
0:24:36 > 0:24:44This Chinese suite was completely designed and crafted by Chippendale.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47He even provided the wallpaper.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53To make the suite look really special, Chippendale went
0:24:53 > 0:24:58the extra mile and decorated the surface of the wood so it would look
0:24:58 > 0:25:01as lustrous as Oriental lacquer -
0:25:01 > 0:25:04through a technique called japanning.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20To give this furniture a taste of the East was no mean feat.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27First, the specialist japanner would've had to smooth
0:25:27 > 0:25:30the surface of the wood by filling the grain
0:25:30 > 0:25:33with a combination of chalk and animal glue.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Once you had a smooth surface,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40even more chalk and glue would be added
0:25:40 > 0:25:43to create these raised sections.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Next comes the paint -
0:25:51 > 0:25:56one super-thin layer added after another until it was crisp and even.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Finally, the wood was ready
0:26:01 > 0:26:04to undergo its most miraculous transformation.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Dominic Shuster is a professional restorer of japanned furniture.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18I'm using a little red lead with some modern artists' oil colours
0:26:18 > 0:26:22to mix together to produce a base colour on the raised section,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26and that just gives the gold a nice warm colour.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35I'm now using an oil size.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Oil size is a glue that after a while goes quite sticky,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and gold powders, gold leaf, will stick only where I've painted it.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54The Japanese were very good at doing this with one hair on a brush.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05I'm using a slightly modern method of gold leaf on transfer paper.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10This, of course, would have been loose leaf in the 18th century.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I can lay the transfer over the size...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18..gently brush...
0:27:21 > 0:27:25..and the gold will just stick to the detail.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I can wipe off the excess...
0:27:30 > 0:27:33..and the gold will only stay where the size is.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The end result is otherworldly -
0:27:56 > 0:27:59a taste of the Far East in a Yorkshire house.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12If you look closely, imagine those raised figures.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15They're not just raised, they're standing out,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18they're almost three-dimensional. And the gilding on top of them!
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Imagine, someone actually put that on blob by blob,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23little dot by dot, and built those up.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Wonderful! And it stands out. It's superb.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35It is the most startling of all of them. I mean, vibrant colour.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37It must have been a knockout.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Can you imagine walking in?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41"Darling, I've got a present for you."
0:28:41 > 0:28:43And you open it - "This is your new closet!"
0:28:43 > 0:28:45Wow.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54But Nostell was almost Chippendale's undoing.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Like many 18th-century gentlemen,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Winn wasn't prompt at paying his bills,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11and Chippendale's workshop was starting to run at a loss.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18Chippendale's lowly status meant he could only plead for his money.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22He wrote to Winn that his debts were so large he,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25"could hardly keep himself out of jail".
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Chippendale had a wife and growing family to support,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34and matters were about to take an even more challenging turn.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40In the 18th century, fashions weren't set in stone.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47And, by the 1760s, his eclectic style was beginning to look vulgar.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Now the fashion was for classical simplicity.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Gentleman of the day travelled the continent,
0:29:58 > 0:30:00on what was called the Grand Tour,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03to see the marvels of the ancient world.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10They returned espousing the glories of newly excavated sites,
0:30:10 > 0:30:15like Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the beauties of classical furniture.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23But Chippendale, a lowly craftsman, never had the opportunity
0:30:23 > 0:30:26to see such wonders and found himself out of step.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34If you do the Grand Tour
0:30:34 > 0:30:37as a professional, you got to meet potential clients,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40other Englishmen, rich fellows on the Grand Tour,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44you will see objects which will inspire you as a designer
0:30:44 > 0:30:46and also you get yourself a pedigree.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48You're more likely to be employed.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57The Scottish architect Robert Adam used his Grand Tour experiences
0:30:57 > 0:31:01to promote a fresh style,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03which came to be known as neo-classicism.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10His designs were all about simple, straight lines
0:31:10 > 0:31:13and ancient decoration.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18And now, everyone wanted Adam to redesign their homes.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25He was able to persuade the aristocracy, the gentry,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28to be able to update their taste.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32To begin to dispose of all the fripperies of the Chinese
0:31:32 > 0:31:33and the French and the Gothic styles
0:31:33 > 0:31:38and actually to take on the new classicism,
0:31:38 > 0:31:43which he was determined should now become the rule in Britain.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47He's the man of the moment.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Everyone wants to get hold of Adam, because he's the man
0:31:49 > 0:31:54who can produce the building with the authentic feel of antiquity.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00But Adam wasn't a threat to Chippendale - he was his saviour.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Adam realised a skilled cabinet-maker like Chippendale
0:32:05 > 0:32:09could come in handy to furnish his interiors.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18It was a marriage of convenience,
0:32:18 > 0:32:23but together they would create the greatest houses of the 18th century.
0:32:26 > 0:32:32Harewood House near York is Chippendale and Adam's masterpiece.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Thomas Chippendale threw himself into this commission,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52producing a magnificent array of furniture that took
0:32:52 > 0:32:57the St Martin's Lane workshop a staggering 30 years to complete.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17He provided everything from the garden benches
0:33:17 > 0:33:19to the red curtains in the long gallery,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21which are all carved of wood.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Harewood really was probably the most lavish
0:33:29 > 0:33:34furniture commission anywhere in Britain at this date.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38It was even beyond really what the Royal Family were ordering.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41It was the opportunity
0:33:41 > 0:33:44for Chippendale to show really what he was capable of.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50It is one of the greatest palaces in Europe at this time.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Ever the pragmatist,
0:33:56 > 0:34:01Chippendale embraced the restrained neo-classical style,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04achieving complete harmony with Adam's architecture.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14In the grand entrance hall, the classical motifs on the ceiling
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and on the walls are elegantly reflected on the chairs.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28The house belonged to the Lascelles family
0:34:28 > 0:34:31who had grown wealthy through trade across the Empire.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37And, three centuries later, this is still the Lascelles family home.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47I think, with historic pieces like this,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50you admire them, you respect them, you look after them well.
0:34:50 > 0:34:55But we try to make the house and what's in it as alive as possible.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Not like a museum, in which you're one side of things,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01and the precious stuff is somewhere else over there at arm's length.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06The furniture in this room, the library, we were very used to it.
0:35:06 > 0:35:07It's what you sat on
0:35:07 > 0:35:11and tried not to bounce up and down too vigorously on.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15This was and still is very much a family room,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18still occasionally used for family gatherings at Christmas,
0:35:18 > 0:35:23so they're just used as a suite of furniture in a room that you use.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25People sit, kids climb on them,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29you try to stop people spilling sticky drinks onto them.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32From that point of view,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34when this room is in full swing, it's used like any other room.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Like any other family in any other room.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46The showpiece of the house and of Chippendale's career
0:35:46 > 0:35:49is the Diana and Minerva Commode.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00It's an elaborate neo-classical cabinet
0:36:00 > 0:36:04which depicts Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and, appropriately, Minerva, goddess of craft.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25This imagery was created using the expensive technique of marquetry.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Marquetry was a way of seamlessly piecing together
0:36:32 > 0:36:36thousands of tiny slivers of wood called veneers.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Chippendale covered this mahogany cabinet
0:36:46 > 0:36:48with six different types of wood veneer,
0:36:48 > 0:36:54including satinwood, tulipwood, purple heart and ebony.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58The Diana and Minerva Commode
0:36:58 > 0:37:01is one of the most astonishing pieces of furniture.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Not only in terms of its design,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07but also, of course, the quality of the craftsmanship.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10It's like a mini piece of architecture in a way,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12with its pilasters, its frieze
0:37:12 > 0:37:17and the cove in the centre, which suggests an arch.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20And also the wonderful way that it curves at the side.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24That's, of course, intended so that the curtains can be drawn back
0:37:24 > 0:37:26so they wouldn't be all ruched up.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39The wonderful use of the different timbers. If you look, for example,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43at the figures of Diana and of Minerva, Diana in particular,
0:37:43 > 0:37:47look at the shading which we have there on the ivory
0:37:47 > 0:37:50which is offset against the ebony.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57It has wonderful details, which are an astonishing thing to see.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06Jack Metcalfe is one of the few people in Britain
0:38:06 > 0:38:09still practising marquetry.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13He's been studying the commode for almost 10 years.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19Round about 1994, '95, we went to Harewood House,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21and that just blew my mind away.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23I'd never seen anything as beautiful.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25And I realised then that I needed to study that work.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Thomas Chippendale was a superb designer, first and foremost.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35His designs were far superior to any of his rivals.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37He was a hands-on man as well.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43Jack is now recreating elements of the Diana and Minerva Commode
0:38:43 > 0:38:47using Chippendale's original techniques.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Here you can see I've drawn the fan out on a template,
0:38:51 > 0:38:53and what I want to do here now
0:38:53 > 0:38:57is start the first process of the artwork,
0:38:57 > 0:39:02by making a dark line against one edge of this fan
0:39:02 > 0:39:04and using this hot sand.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06It's a technique we call sand shading.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10This sand is called silver sand.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13It has to be silver sand, it's a very gritty sand,
0:39:13 > 0:39:14and because of that,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17it will not stick to the veneer when I dip it in there.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25And you can see there how quickly it's singed and burned the edge.
0:39:25 > 0:39:26It will turn the effect as though
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the flutes of the fan look three-dimensional.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32So what I want to do now is to lay them onto this template
0:39:32 > 0:39:37one piece at a time using some veneer tape.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42In the 18th century, Chippendale would have just used
0:39:42 > 0:39:45a piece of paper with some animal glue brushed on with his finger.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52All I do is lick this paper and hold it in place.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56I can then line the ruler up and cut through.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59And that's the first flute installed.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12I've got all eight flutes now,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15and you can see there, if I turn it over,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18you won't get the 3D image yet, but you can see where I'm trying
0:40:18 > 0:40:23to get some areas of sand shading and darkening along the edge.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25And so now we need to produce
0:40:25 > 0:40:30what I call the scallops at the end of each flute.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I can draw round the template.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40And now what I want to do is to border it with a white veneer,
0:40:40 > 0:40:44and then I'll fret-saw the two at once as I go round these scallops.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51This is a saw that we call a treadle saw,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54and it's a replica of one that we think would have been
0:40:54 > 0:40:58used by Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century.
0:41:00 > 0:41:06And all it consists of is me using my foot on a treadle
0:41:06 > 0:41:10to pull down this rectangular frame
0:41:10 > 0:41:13which is made out of aluminium,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17and above me, there's a return lathe of wood
0:41:17 > 0:41:20which acts like a return spring.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30There we are. And if we take off the fan,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33discard the background, as I don't need it,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37there's the back of the fan already now, sawn with its eight scallops.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42The method of cutting and sand shading
0:41:42 > 0:41:46is used all over the commode to stunning effect.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54And Jack's research has revealed something quite surprising.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01Rather than the now faded honeyed shades of brown we see today,
0:42:01 > 0:42:03each veneer would have been dyed
0:42:03 > 0:42:06with up to 15 different vibrant colours.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15You can see now that the fan has been laid
0:42:15 > 0:42:17onto the backboard,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20and the rest of the motifs have all been added as well.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23What we need to look at now is
0:42:23 > 0:42:27how this is transformed when polish is applied.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I haven't time to polish it,
0:42:29 > 0:42:34but what I can do here is cover this cloth with some neat alcohol.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39And this will be the base for the French polish that will be
0:42:39 > 0:42:44going on, and here is where you see the transformation take place.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51And there you can see the change of colours.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Harewood was the highpoint of Chippendale's career.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11But grand houses like this were to be his final undoing.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16Just like at Nostell, bills were left unpaid.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23Chippendale was owed the unprecedented sum of £10,000.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27He had paid for the labour and materials out of his own pocket,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30only to find, once again, that the lord of the manor
0:43:30 > 0:43:32was reluctant to pay up.
0:43:35 > 0:43:36In the 18th century,
0:43:36 > 0:43:43grand clients felt they didn't necessarily have to pay on the nail.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45And at Harewood, for example,
0:43:45 > 0:43:49it was 10 years before the first bill was actually paid.
0:43:49 > 0:43:55£7,000. Which was a huge amount of credit.
0:43:55 > 0:43:56And, of course, it's always the case -
0:43:56 > 0:43:59the richest man in England has the best credit.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03So, of course, Chippendale had to put up with this.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15Harewood was to be Chippendale's last major project.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22He died in his early 60s.
0:44:22 > 0:44:27Chippendale left no money, just £28 worth of furniture
0:44:27 > 0:44:30and a struggling workshop to his family.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35His grave, in sight of his workshop
0:44:35 > 0:44:37in the St Martin-in-the-Fields churchyard,
0:44:37 > 0:44:39is now lost.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41It was built over,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45trampled by other artistic titans, under the National Gallery.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04However, the story doesn't end there,
0:45:04 > 0:45:06because 3,000 miles away,
0:45:06 > 0:45:11in America, The Director enabled Chippendale to live on.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18This is Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23It recreates life as it would have been
0:45:23 > 0:45:25in the 18th-century British colony.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33The people who lived in this new and untamed land
0:45:33 > 0:45:37were desperate for a taste of British Chippendale-style elegance.
0:45:43 > 0:45:49And there's a museum here full of 18th-century American furniture
0:45:49 > 0:45:51made to Director designs...
0:45:58 > 0:46:00..that would have decorated the homes
0:46:00 > 0:46:02of figures like George Washington.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10The Chippendale style in the 18th century in America
0:46:10 > 0:46:12was seen as an English style.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13The people in America
0:46:13 > 0:46:17in the late colonial period thought of themselves as British.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20And so they saw London as centre of the fashion world.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26In each of the different colonies along the seaboard,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28it was interpreted in a different way.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32For example, in the Philadelphia area, Chippendale's designs
0:46:32 > 0:46:35are very florid and very richly carved.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Whereas in Virginia, the cabinet-makers here
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and the householders ordering the furniture tend to take
0:46:41 > 0:46:44a plainer, neater, less ornamental style.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56Williamsburg even has an 18th-century furniture workshop,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58making Chippendale designs
0:46:58 > 0:47:02and using only the tools that would've been available to him.
0:47:08 > 0:47:09Master craftsman Mack Headley
0:47:09 > 0:47:12is creating a Chippendale-style candle stand.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17We're working on a project
0:47:17 > 0:47:20replicating a pair of four-foot-tall candle stands
0:47:20 > 0:47:24that George Washington had made for Mount Vernon for his dining room,
0:47:24 > 0:47:29they believe, a design done by Thomas Chippendale.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35Working with the grain of the wood,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37I've got the outline of my design.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39That gives me break points
0:47:39 > 0:47:42where I can then begin to remove material.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58It's pretty satisfying when it comes together.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08The Director, originally written
0:48:08 > 0:48:12to entice 18th-century Londoners, was now a global phenomenon.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Thomas Jefferson had a copy in America.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21So too did Catherine the Great at the Hermitage in Russia.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26And Louis XVI in the Palace of Versailles.
0:48:34 > 0:48:39What Chippendale did with The Director was truly remarkable.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42He created the first international brand.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48In a way, The Director was the lifestyle catalogue of his day.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52He set off something which ended up in the Habitat catalogue,
0:48:52 > 0:48:53in the IKEA catalogue.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58He produced something which celebrated his work.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Chippendale was one of the first to make the idea
0:49:00 > 0:49:02of a brand, for furniture, especially,
0:49:02 > 0:49:07which could be copied, could be understood
0:49:07 > 0:49:08and recognised by many people.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13At its strongest, a brand is something that turns
0:49:13 > 0:49:16base metal into gold, or raw wood into Chippendale furniture.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19Something that transcends the individual maker.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Chippendale's designs still pop up in the strangest places,
0:49:26 > 0:49:31from skyscrapers to stamps
0:49:31 > 0:49:35and, of course, in modern chair design.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44In Scotland, the next generation of furniture makers
0:49:44 > 0:49:47still find Chippendale's legacy inspirational.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54And the market for hand-crafted furniture is enjoying a revival.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59The ethos of the school is to have students
0:49:59 > 0:50:03coming from around the world to here to learn about Chippendale
0:50:03 > 0:50:06but to learn what Chippendale would be doing today.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09He would be making new, exciting, vibrant furniture,
0:50:09 > 0:50:11which is what he was doing at that time.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17The students here are keeping Chippendale's skills alive
0:50:17 > 0:50:21through their work, from heavy planing to delicate gilding.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31If you ask anyone in the street, Chippendale,
0:50:31 > 0:50:32his name is right out there.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35It's the one name that people have always heard.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41For all his fame, and all the copies,
0:50:41 > 0:50:46the furniture made by Chippendale himself is incredibly rare.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50And any piece is worth serious money.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58Sales are not common, but when they happen, records are smashed.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02In 2010, the Harrington commode,
0:51:02 > 0:51:06attributed to Chippendale, became the most expensive
0:51:06 > 0:51:09piece of English furniture sold at auction.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15It's very rare for, extremely rare
0:51:15 > 0:51:19for a piece of provenanced, documented furniture
0:51:19 > 0:51:23by Thomas Chippendale to appear on the market.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27But we don't know yet how many more there may be.
0:51:27 > 0:51:33Back in 1924, I think there were only 14 clients known.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38And in 1968, we'd still only discovered another 12 or so.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Now we know there are 68.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44Now, that accounts for 700 pieces of Chippendale furniture.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47There might be another house somewhere.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55One such property hit the market in 2007
0:51:55 > 0:52:00when the contents of Dumfries House in west Scotland came up for sale.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11It was a perfectly preserved time capsule
0:52:11 > 0:52:14full of pristine Chippendale furniture.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Christie's auction house produced this double-volume catalogue,
0:52:27 > 0:52:29containing every piece in the house...
0:52:38 > 0:52:40..at eye-watering prices.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52But this furniture was never sold.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55The collection was dramatically saved at the 11th hour
0:52:55 > 0:52:57by the Prince of Wales,
0:52:57 > 0:53:02who helped to find the £45 million needed to save it.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Charlotte Rostek looks after this furniture today.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19It's as perfect as when it was first made,
0:53:19 > 0:53:22and each piece carries a hefty price tag.
0:53:25 > 0:53:31You know, when we stand in front of this furniture, it's a work of art.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34They're priceless. If you just think of the price ticket
0:53:34 > 0:53:37that this bookcase had when it was prepared for auction,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41it was set to go between two to four million, but experts thought
0:53:41 > 0:53:46it would have gone for much, much more money than that.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53Keys.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56This just shows you how close we came
0:53:56 > 0:53:59to lose this bookcase to an auction.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Number 40 in the catalogue.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06And we have these side doors here.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09I'm just going to pull those open gently.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13We don't open these very often,
0:54:13 > 0:54:18and in fact I don't think these have been opened very often throughout
0:54:18 > 0:54:22its entire life, because, if you look, it's absolutely immaculate.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Indeed, sometimes when we show this to people
0:54:24 > 0:54:27they can't quite believe that these are the original handles,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29because they look spanking new.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33And, of course, it also still works.
0:54:33 > 0:54:38It pulls out as though it was made yesterday. Absolutely amazing.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42And we want to keep it that way for at least another 250 years.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53The longer one works with it, and, you know, talking about it
0:54:53 > 0:54:58and observing it and explaining it to people, you really almost
0:54:58 > 0:55:02develop a relationship with it. And in some cases, it's almost,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05I would say, a sensual relationship
0:55:05 > 0:55:08because of all these wonderful curves.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10And I do have the privilege
0:55:10 > 0:55:13of moving and touching and sometimes stroking it.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17It's...amazing, and you really get under its skin.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30I can only say that if there was one of those things from Dumfries,
0:55:30 > 0:55:35any of those things being sold, had come up for auction,
0:55:35 > 0:55:37whatever it made wouldn't have been enough.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39It would not have been enough.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Suddenly, it's not a wardrobe or a clothes press,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44it's something by Chippendale
0:55:44 > 0:55:49and of that quality and that stature that makes it important
0:55:49 > 0:55:51as well as just wonderful.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55I mean, you just sit there and look at it.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00No recession in English furniture would have any connection
0:56:00 > 0:56:05with Thomas Chippendale any more than...say there were
0:56:05 > 0:56:08a recession or a dip in the British landscape market
0:56:08 > 0:56:11would have to do with Constable.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13It would be totally unaffected.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16They are miles apart, worlds apart.
0:56:16 > 0:56:22And the market for the best has always, always been maintained.
0:56:23 > 0:56:29And he was the best. He was a master at his craft. You can't beat that.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54We have the name of Chippendale and what it embodies.
0:56:54 > 0:57:00It embodies Englishness, it embodies a notion of excellence
0:57:00 > 0:57:04and it embodies a style which everybody recognises.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17Quite apart from being objects of design,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20these are little works of art in their own right.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30We will know in 300 years' time,
0:57:30 > 0:57:32in 1,000 years' time, we will know Chippendale's name.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Why? Because he's already done 250 years.
0:58:09 > 0:58:12In the next episode...
0:58:12 > 0:58:16from the ashes of the Fire of London
0:58:16 > 0:58:19emerged our greatest ever woodcarver.
0:58:21 > 0:58:25Grinling Gibbons decorated the finest buildings in Britain
0:58:25 > 0:58:29and transformed wood into pure art.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd