Thomas Johnson (1714–1778) was an English wood carver and furniture maker.

Work

Johnson worked in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and is particularly known for bold or extreme use and mixture of

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 ...

, Chinese, and rustic motifs. He was said to be one of the most successful exponents of the rococo style, giving it a vitality not seen in the work of other designers. Among other works, he adapted scenes from Francis Barlow's illustrations of

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...

. Of excellent repute as a craftsman and an artist in wood, Johnson's original conceptions and his adaptations of other's ideas were remarkable for their extreme flamboyance, and for the merciless manner in which he overloaded them with thin and meretricious ornament. He participated in the Antigallican Association, an informal group opposed to French fashion and influence. Some of his designs, however, were taken from French works. Many of his pieces were also more fanciful expression 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 ...

's design ideas. The three leading "motives" of the time—Chinese, Gothic and Louis Quatorze—were mixed up in his work in the most amazing manner; and he was exceedingly fond of introducing human figures, animals, birds and fishes in highly incongruous places. He appears to have defended his enormities on the ground that "all men vary in opinion, and a fault in the eye of one may be a beauty in that of another; 'tis a duty incumbent on an author to endeavour at pleasing every taste."

Books

In the 1750s he published several books of designs which were widely used for things like ceiling moulding. These books include ''Twelve Girandoles'' in 1755, ''The Book of the Carver'' in 1758, a folio volume of ''Designs for Picture Frames'', ''Candelabra'', ''Ceilings'', ''&c''. also in 1758 and monthly between 1755 and 1758, ''One hundred and fifty New Designs''. He also had a great influence on Ince and Mayhew's book, ''The Universal System of Household Furniture''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Thomas 1714 births 1799 deaths British furniture designers