Matthias Lock was an
English 18th century
furniture
Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...
designer and cabinet-maker. The dates of his birth and death are unknown; but he was a disciple of
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale (June 1718 – 1779) was an English woodworker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs in a trade catalogue titled ''The Gen ...
, and subsequently of the Adams, and was possibly in partnership with
Henry Copeland.
During the greater part of his life he belonged to that
flamboyant school which derived its inspiration from
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
models; but when he fell under the influence of
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...
he absorbed his manner so completely that it is often difficult to distinguish between them, just as it is sometimes easy to confound Locks work with the weaker efforts of Chippendale. Thus from being extravagantly
rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
he progressed to a simple ordered classicism. His published designs are not equal to his original drawings, many of which are preserved in the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
,
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...
, while the pieces themselves are often bolder and more solid than is suggested by the authors representations of them. He was a clever craftsman and holds a distinct place among the minor furniture designers of the second half of the 18th century.
Among his works, some of which were issued in conjunction with Copeland, are: ''A New Drawing Book of Ornaments''; ''A New Book of Ornaments'' (1768); ''A New Book of Pier Frames, Ovals, Girandoles, Tables, etc''. (1769); and ''A New Book of Foliage'' (1769).
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lock, Matthias
English furniture designers
18th-century English people