Many appreciate the clean, simple lines of traditional Shaker furniture, yet few know the people behind the designs or the spiritual beliefs that play such an integral part in both their work and daily lives. In his book,
The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style, author Christian Becksvoort, a contributing editor of
Fine Woodworking Magazine and an experienced custom furniture maker and restorer who's worked for the last remaining Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, examines the Shakers' faith in relation to their furniture. Becksvoort believes that "understanding Shaker furniture requires understanding the faith of the people who created it." Their religious practices--the constant striving for spiritual perfection in everything they did, the desire to emulate Christ and to live practically, "purely, free of vanity, greed, and pride"--permeate Becksvoort's insightful discussions of the Shaker culture, their recognized inventiveness (inventions include the circular saw, apple peeler, wash mill, and chimney cap), their influence on other furniture styles, and finally the furniture itself, which is the focal point of the book. Highly perfected, free of vain ornamentation, and utterly utilitarian, the furniture is indeed the Shaker faith in physical form. In addition to covering the classics--including the ladder-back chair, trestle table, and the built-in--Becksvoort points out subtle variations in design that existed from community to community: the curved, cutout base of a case of drawers was typical for the communities in Ohio, while bevel-edged drawer lips and straight, tapered feet on a blanket box point to the Mount Lebanon community. Becksvoort's intelligent account of the Shakers and their furniture, combined with hundreds of full-color photographs, taken on location at various communities and pulled from archives, make
The Shaker Legacy a beautiful tribute to these talented craftsmen and their enduring design.
--Stefanie Hargreaves
Reader Reviews
The Shaker Legacy does several things beautifully. First there is the history of the Shakers which looks at the sect as a part of the history of our country and of the expansion of the European culture westward. Next there is the comprehension of the intense feelings which attended the creation of furnishings used by this unusual group. Further there is a delightful section which compares the influences of what we think of as Shaker Style with other spare and pristine styles from Norway to Japan and back to America. Finally there are the photos of familiar and of never before photographed pieces which bespeak the dedication of the creators. From these photos a competent woodworker could design his or her own tribute to the Shaker Legacy. Truly a pleasure to read and to return to time and time again.
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