Fire Screens, in Chippendale Drawings, Vol. I 1754

This sheet of designs for fire screens comes from a volume of drawings by Thomas Chippendale, the famous 18th-century English furniture maker. Fire screens were popular household items used to protect people from the heat of the fire. But, as you can see from these elaborate designs, they also offered opportunities to display wealth and taste. We can understand these drawings as tied to the social structures of Chippendale’s time. The neoclassical style, evident here, appealed to aristocratic patrons, eager to associate themselves with the refined aesthetics of ancient Greece and Rome. The inclusion of chinoiserie elements like pagodas and oriental figures also catered to the fashion for exoticism and global trade. Chippendale skillfully combined these different styles, offering his clients a range of options to suit their individual preferences and social aspirations. To fully understand these drawings, we can consult Chippendale’s trade catalog "The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director," along with the account books of his aristocratic clients. By examining these resources, we can gain insights into the social conditions that shaped Chippendale's artistic production.