Thomas Sheraton
Encyclopedia
Thomas Sheraton was a furniture designer, one of the "big three" English furniture
makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Chippendale
and George Hepplewhite
.
, England. He was apprenticed to a local cabinet
maker and continued working as a journeyman
cabinet maker until he moved to London
in 1790, aged 39. There he set up as professional consultant and teacher, teaching perspective
, architecture
, and cabinet design for craftsmen. It is not known how he gained either the knowledge or the reputation which enabled him to do this but he appears to have been moderately successful.
Starting in 1791 he published in four volumes "The Cabinet Maker's and Upholsterer's Drawing Book". At least six hundred cabinet makers and joiners subscribed to his book and it was immediately widely influential over a large part of the country. During this period he did not have a workshop of his own and it is believed that Sheraton himself never made any of the pieces shown in his books. No pieces of furniture have ever been traced to him directly. So a piece of furniture described as being "by Sheraton" refers to the design
and not to the maker of the piece.
In 1803 he published "The Cabinet Dictionary", a compendium of instructions on the techniques of cabinet and chair making. Then a year before his death, in 1805 he published the first volume of "Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and General Artist's Encyclopaedia".
Sheraton's name is associated with the styles of furniture fashionable in the 1790s and early 19th century. Many of the designs are based on classical architecture, knowledge of which was an essential part of a designer's technical education. Not all of the drawings are of his own design; he acknowledges that some of them came from works in progress in the workshops of practicing cabinet makers. But he was a superb draughtsman and he set his name on the style of the era.
English furniture
English furniture has developed largely in line with styles in the rest of northern Europe, but has been interpreted in a distinctive fashion. Regional styles are significant, for example between the North Country and the West Country....
makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
and George Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite was a cabinetmaker. He is regarded as having been one of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale...
.
Biography
Sheraton was born in Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
, England. He was apprenticed to a local cabinet
Cabinet (furniture)
A cabinet is usually a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built into a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood or, now increasingly, of synthetic...
maker and continued working as a journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
cabinet maker until he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1790, aged 39. There he set up as professional consultant and teacher, teaching perspective
Perspective (visual)
Perspective, in context of vision and visual perception, is the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial attributes; or their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to the objects...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, and cabinet design for craftsmen. It is not known how he gained either the knowledge or the reputation which enabled him to do this but he appears to have been moderately successful.
Starting in 1791 he published in four volumes "The Cabinet Maker's and Upholsterer's Drawing Book". At least six hundred cabinet makers and joiners subscribed to his book and it was immediately widely influential over a large part of the country. During this period he did not have a workshop of his own and it is believed that Sheraton himself never made any of the pieces shown in his books. No pieces of furniture have ever been traced to him directly. So a piece of furniture described as being "by Sheraton" refers to the design
Sheraton Style
Sheraton is a late 18th century neoclassical English furniture style, in vogue ca 1785 - 1820, that was coined by 19th century collectors and dealers to credit furniture designer Thomas Sheraton, born in Stockton-on-Tees, England in 1751 and whose books, "The Cabinet Dictionary" of engraved...
and not to the maker of the piece.
In 1803 he published "The Cabinet Dictionary", a compendium of instructions on the techniques of cabinet and chair making. Then a year before his death, in 1805 he published the first volume of "Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and General Artist's Encyclopaedia".
Sheraton's name is associated with the styles of furniture fashionable in the 1790s and early 19th century. Many of the designs are based on classical architecture, knowledge of which was an essential part of a designer's technical education. Not all of the drawings are of his own design; he acknowledges that some of them came from works in progress in the workshops of practicing cabinet makers. But he was a superb draughtsman and he set his name on the style of the era.