Furnishings in eighteenth-century burgher inventories from Tallin

Abstract

The article discusses the furnishings found in the houses of the upper class of burghers — the ruling elite, the intelligentsia (Literati, Gelehrte) and merchants — on the basis of c. 100 probate inventories. The author presents various groups of furnishings classifi ed according to the function: furniture used for storage, for eating and for resting, mirrors, lamps and clocks. The first group comprises case furniture (chests, trunks, caskets), chests of drawers and wardrobes. Chests of drawers were all the rage in Tallin; in the 2nd half of the 18th c. they were indispensable in a fashionable house. The 18th c. also brought the increasing use of wardrobes and the decline of chests. Among tables, which varied greatly in form and function, tea and coffee tables were a novelty. The 18th c. also witnessed the growing popularity of mirrors and clocks — wall clocks, tall-case clocks and table clocks. In the 17th c. such expensive items were much less frequently listed in inventories. After the economic crisis of the 1710s and 1720s, due to wars and epidemics, Tallin burghers were regaining their previous affl uence. Even though they became Russian subjects, they were still open to Western trends. Their aspirations concerning housing, including fashionable furniture (e.g. chests of drawers), were similar to those evident in other European cities (especially of Central and Eastern Europe). They imported ready-made furniture from Western Europe. Fashionable furnishings were also supplied from St Petersburg; trade contacts with this dynamically developing city were facilitated not only by its closeness but also by a large Estonian diaspora in the Russian capital.