CHIPPENDALE

Furniture of the 18th century is considered the pinnacle of design and craftsmanship. The style named for Thomas Chippendale had Gothic, Rococo, and Chinese influences. The English cabinetmaker wrote a design book—filled with drawings of elaborate carving, finials, fretwork, and fluting—that influenced furniture makers around the world.

Eric Jacobsen is making this furniture today. “I work alone,” he says. For the future heirlooms, he chooses beautiful woods kept in his shop inventory in Lancaster County, Penn. Jacobsen works in all styles and periods. Carving is his specialty.

Shown: an authentic replica Pennsylvania Chippendale tall-case clock in mahogany with a shellac finish, 9'2" tall, with a silvered dial hand-engraved by Valdemar Skov. Just as with the original clock, the girl’s eyes move in sequence with the pendulum. E. Jacobsen Furniture Maker, (610) 547-4983, ejfm.com