All Photos By Gail

Chinese fretwork first appeared in Britain in the early eighteenth century on garden fences, but it was not until midcentury that the vogue for fretwork on furniture erupted.

Here, the three-dimensional angular pattern seems to float in midair to support a small, six-sided tray. The exact design for these candlestands comes from the first edition (1754) of Thomas Chippendale’s Gentlemen and Cabinet-Maker’s Director.

This Pair of Mahogany Candlestands (Circa 1755 – 60) was Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.