Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/493

 a?id Sejittjnejits. 473 houfehold implements, during the greater part of that century, were imported from Flanders and the Netherlands. Hence, in the abfence of engravings at home, we are led to look at the works of the Flemifli and German artifts for illuftrations of domeftic manners at this period. The feats of the defcription juft mentioned were termed joint (or joined) llools or chairs. A rather fine example of a chair of this work, which is, as was often the cafe, three-cornered, is preferved in the Alhmolean Mufeum at Oxford, where it is reported to have been the chair of Henry VKL, on what authority I know not. It is reprefented in our cut No. 296. Thele "joined" chairs and ftools were laid afide for furniture of a more elegant form, which was ufed during the reign of Elizabeth and her immediate fuccelTors, and of which examples are fo common that it is hardly necelTary to give one here. This falliion appears to have been brought from France. An example of rather peculiar fiyle is given in our cut No. 297, taken from a pifture executed in 1587, repre- fenting Louis de Gonzagues, duke of Nivernois. Hitherto the cufliions were merely adjunfts to the chairs, but by another advance in convenience the culhion was foon made as a part of the chair or ftool, which at the lame time be- came Ampler in form again. Our cut No. 298, taken from one of the prints of Abraham BofTe, dated in 1633, reprefents the general charafter of the chairs and ftools ufed in France at that date, as they are drawn in the works of this artill:, and alfo the manner in which they were arranged round a room ^hen not in ufe. On the left appears the end of a culliioncd bench, which was generally of the length of two or three ftools, and appears as a common article of furniture. Among other articles of furniture now 3 p introduced ^^ 197. Chair of duke de Nk'C