RENAISSANCE REVIVAL: MECHELEN STYLE

As the middle class rose in status and wealth with the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, more people were able to afford furniture. This flattening of society in combination with technological advancements created a surge of furniture production. Improved transportation meant a greater variety of wood was available at lower costs. For the first time, furniture became accessible and affordable to the common man. From the 1830s to the end of the 19th century, furniture makers reached back to earlier historical styles, and reinterpreted them with a great deal of creativity and experimentation. Although machines were used to increase speed and productivity, most of the carvings were still done by hand. Consumers were hungry for large, ornate and heavily carved furniture that would impress their friends and family and show off their newly found wealth. The Renaissance Revival style is marked by massive proportions and heavy, ornate carvings. Most furniture was produced in dark oak and walnut. There are actually several sub-styles that fall under the broader Renaissance Revival style and include the Henry II (Henri II) style, Hunting style, Mechelen style, and Louis XIII style.

The city of Mechelen, Belgium, just north of Brussels, was the capital of the Low Countries, roughly the geographic area today consisting of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, in the first half of the 16th century. The city was quite wealthy due to the highly lucrative cloth trade. However, in 1572 the city was sacked and burned and political influence was lost as the capital was moved to Brussels. The city was eventually rebuilt and it was at this time at the end of the 16th century that the tradition of furniture production in Mechelen began. The prevailing style, which is known as the Mechelen (or Mechels) style, was heavily carved with stylized foliage including leaves, berries and fruit, and typically shows carved lion’s heads. Mechelen style was the Belgian interpretation of the French Henry II and Hunting styles.

Mechelen played a prominent role in Belgium during the Industrial Age in the 19th century. The first railroad system on the European continent linked Mechelen to Brussels, making Mechelen the hub of the Belgian railway network. Due to the ease of transportation, a great demand for the heavily carved furniture, often with ornate stained glass doors, spread among 19th century consumers.