George II Period c. 1727-1760
The George II period saw the introduction of mahogany as THE favoured wood for fashionable English furniture. The earliest mahogany was imported from Cuba and the Bay of Honduras and is remarkably dense and straight grained. George II furniture is typically quite masculine in proportion and its decoration is usually carved rather than inlaid. The best George II furniture is beautifully carved with claw and ball or lion paw feet, lion masks or acanthus leaves on the knee of the leg. Well known cabinet-makers from the George II period are William Hallett, Benjamin Goodison and William Vile.
