Despite a short reign (1702-1714), Queen Anne bestowed her name to a fairly exquisite style of architecture and applied arts. Strictly speaking, the style started taking shape during the reign of Queen Mary and her husband, William III of Orange, and persisted for some time after Anna’s successor, George I, took the throne. Overall, its influence is noticeable throughout the first half of the 18th century.
The Queen Anne style flew across the ocean and had been a dominant force in the American colonies until the beginning of the 1800s. Overall, Queen Anne antiques display a transition from baroque to rococo. While early examples of furniture boast massive shapes, dramatic curves, and decorative details, later designs, especially those of American origin, became lighter, simpler, and more sophisticated.
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