TheQueen Anne style offurniture design developed before, during, and after the time ofQueen Anne, who reigned from 1702 to 1714.^[1]

Queen Anne furniture is "somewhat smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than its predecessors," and examples in common use include "curving shapes, thecabriole leg,cushioned seats,wing-back chairs, and practicalsecretary desk-bookcase pieces."^[2] Other elements characterizing the style includepad feet and "an emphasis on line and form rather than ornament."^[3] The style of Queen Anne's reign is sometimes described aslate Baroque rather than "Queen Anne."^[4][5]

The Queen Anne style began to evolve during the reign ofWilliam III of England (1689-1702),^[6] but the term predominantly describes decorative styles from the mid-1720s to around 1760, although Queen Anne reigned earlier (1702-1714).^[4][7] "The name 'Queen Anne' was first applied to the style more than a century after it was fashionable."^[5] The use of Queen Anne styles in America, beginning in the 1720s and 1730s, coincided with newcolonial prosperity and increased immigration of skilled British craftsmen to the colonies.^[8][9][10] Some elements of the Queen Anne style remain popular in modern furniture production.^[5]

Curved lines, in feet, legs, arms, crest rails, andpediments, along with restrained ornament (often in a shell shape) emphasizing the material, are characteristic of Queen Anne style.^[5] In contrast toWilliam and Mary furniture, which was marked by rectilinearity (straight lines) and use of curves for decoration, Queen Anne furniture uses C-scroll, S-scrolls, andogee (S-curve) shapes in the structure of the furniture itself.^[5] In sophisticated urban environments,walnut was a frequent choice for furniture in the Queen Anne style,^[5] superseding the previously dominantoak and leading to the era being called "the age of walnut."^[6] However,poplar,cherry, andmaple were also used in Queen Anne style furniture.^[11]

Ornamentation is minimal, in contrast to earlier 17th-century and William and Mary styles, which prominently featuredinlay, figuredveneers, paint, and carving. The cabriole leg is the "most recognizable element" of Queen Anne furniture.^[12][6] Cabriole legs were influenced by the designs of the French cabinetmakerAndré-Charles Boulle^[13] and theRococo style from the French court of Louis XV.^[14] But the intricate ornamentation of post-Restoration furniture was abandoned in favor of more conservative designs, possibly under the influence of the simple and elegant lines of importedChinese furniture.^[13]

When decorativemotifs or other ornamentation are used in Queen Anne-style furniture, it is often limited to carvedscallop orshell or scroll-shaped motifs (sometimes inrelief form and often found on the crest and knees),^[5] broken and C-curves, andacanthus leaves.^[15] The use ofjapanning is an exception to the general Queen Anne trend of minimal ornament.^[5] When used, japanned decoration was frequently in red, green, or gilt on a blue-green field.^[11]

The tilt-toptea table on a tripod was first made during the "Queen Anne" (in reality George II) period in the 1730s.^[16]

Queen Anne eventually was eclipsed by the laterChippendale style; late Queen Anne and early Chippendale pieces are very similar, and the two styles are often identified with each together.^{[17][18][19][20]}

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  Armchair, British, circa 1710
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  Armchair, British, circa 1710
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  Stool, British, circa 1710
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  Side chair, British, circa 1710–20
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  Side Chair, American, 1710–20
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  Armchair, British, circa 1720
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  Settee, British, circa 1720
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  Side chair, British, circa 1730
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  Armchair, British, circa 1730
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  Chair, British, circa 1730–40
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  High Chest of Drawers, American, 1730–40
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  Dressing table, American, 1730–60
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  Side Chair, American, 1730–90
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  Side table, British, circa 1735
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  Card table, British, circa 1735
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  Side chair, British, circa 1735–40
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  Side chair, American, 1735–60
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  Armchair, American, 1735–60
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  Armchair, British, circa 1740
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  Dressing Table, American, 1740–50
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  High chest of drawers, American, 1740–60
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  Settee, American, 1740–60
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  Side Chair, American, 1740–60
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  Square Tea Table, American, 1740–60
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  Armchair, American, 1740–60
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  Side chair, American, 1740–60
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  High chest, American, Maker: Christopher Townsend (1701–1773), 1748
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  High Chest of Drawers, American, 1750–90
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  Side chair, American, 1755–75
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  Easy Chair, American, 1758

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