William Vile

William Vile (c. 1700 – September 1767) was an English cabinetmaker.

Library table by William Vile, Cuban mahogany, veneered on oak, ca. 1760, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Biography

Vile was one of the best English cabinetmakers of the Early Georgian Period (1745 – 1780) only overshadowed by Thomas Chippendale of the Late Georgian Period (1750 – 1830).[1][2] Vilé was amongst a handful of London based cabinetmakers such as William Bradshaw, John Cobb, and John Gumley. Their standard of craftsmanship has been virtually unchallenged until the late 20th Century British Craft Revival with makers such as John Makepeace and his lesser known apprentice Andrew Whateley demonstrating unrivalled craftsmanship.

William Vile went into partnership with John Cobb in 1750 until he retired in 1765, operating from premises at the corner of St Martin's Lane (No. 72) and Long Acre, London. They were Cabinet-makers and Upholsterers to His Majesty (George III) from 1761 to April 1764,[3] based mainly on the superb quality of Vile's cabinet work and the individuality of his designs.[4] The partners were not known as great innovators, but their standard of craftsmanship was seldom equalled. One outstanding piece was a jewel cabinet of mahogany, inlaid with ivory and various woods and exquisitely carved, made for Queen Charlotte in 1761.[5]

Following Vile's retirement, the Royal Warrant was awarded to two of their employees William France and John Bradburne.

gollark: Easy.
gollark: Just have it not break.
gollark: Try submersion in mineral oil.
gollark: I'd actually not mind it as a server system if it was not for the bad cooling and lack of room for any HDDs.
gollark: It's smaller than my laptop, does not appear to have room for good fans, and has twice the CPU cores at higher clocks.

References
  1. Georgian Period Furniture
  2. Georgian Cabinet Makers. Edwards & Jourdain, 1945.
  3. The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660–1840 by Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert. Furniture History Society, 1986. (ISBN 0901286 184)
  4. The London Furniture Makers, 1660–1840 by Sir Ambrose Heal. Dover Publications. (ISBN 0 486 22903 3)
  5. William Vile, Britannica Online

Further reading
  • Geoffrey Castle. The France Family of Upholsterers and Cabinet-Makers, Furniture History Society Journal, 2005, Vol XLI, pp. 25–43.
  • Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert. The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660–1840, Furniture History Society, 1986. ISBN 0901286184
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