by John Andrews

In using the term 'Regency' as a description we have become accustomed to something that usually covers more than its historical duration. Constitutionally the Regency lasted for the nine years between 1811 and 1820 but in style and accepted antique trade terms, it is often employed to describe things made between 1800 and even up to 1830, thus including the time before the Prince Regent became Regent and, afterwards, that in which he became George IV. The Regency description distinguishes the characteristics of early 19th century designs from those of the preceding George III and the subsequent William IV and Victoria. The Regency style is one that imaginatively conjures up an exuberance and extravagance intended to rival the French Empire, even if the reality is not always quite as flamboyant as the accepted nomenclature implies.

An Egyptian design of chair from George Smith's 1808 book, painted and parcel gilt with lion terminals, with a Medusa mask flanked by scrolls in the back and gilded lion feet.

There was a time when an antique trade trained to think of Georgian and earlier furniture as the summit of good taste shuddered at newcomers cheerfully revelling in Regency furniture. They were regarded as parvenu exhibitionists resulting from contemporary excesses and the fading of serious 'gentry' from the social scene. There was an excitement about liking, buying, selling and collecting Regency pieces that had a whiff of iconoclasm about it. Now, subsumed into an appreciation and acceptance of the period that has been comprehensively researched, the Regency is an established and important sector of the antique furniture world, not just a reaction against the sobriety of earlier times. Besides, good furniture should stimulate the eye and the Regency's best pieces certainly do that.
The period is distinguished by the number of pattern books produced to tempt the new middle classes into furnishing their homes in styles that were fashionable, thus endearing it to modern researchers. The Prince Regent set a tone for artistic taste even though it was not necessarily the same as his contemporaries.
Variants of French, Greek, Rococo, Chinese, Egyptian, Gothic and other styles were in evidence, so that confusion is all too possible. What is important is that interiors became less formal and more convenient, so that a less ponderous approach to furnishing evolved. It is this lightness that appeals to modern taste, particularly in the pieces developed for use in rooms that were smaller and more adaptable than the grand country houses and formal rectitude of Georgian times. There was also an elegance about many of the designs that has proved enduring.
The styles used during the Regency did not suddenly burst upon the scene ready-made. They can be traced back to the late 18th century and to the designs pro-duced by Hepplewhite and Sheraton, the latter being very influential in trade terms. It was, for example, in 1783 that Henry Holland was given the commission to remodel Carlton House as the residence of the Prince Regent and did so in a French taste of neo-classical inspiration.