Chippendale Drawer Pulls / Batwing Pulls

Am curious to what these are actually styled after. I call them batwing pulls, but I am guessing that they may not have been actually styled to look like bats.

Its just such a common pull to see it would be interesting to know why they are styled the way they are.

Any links on a good sites to research curiosities like this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advanced

 

Here is a link to a catalog in the Winterthur Museum Library of brasses, published in 1789 France. It doesn't say what any are styled after.

https://archive.org/details/albumdeserrureri00unse

 

Yeah, I found some information like that. Showing when they started to use the style and such.

Was just curious if anyone knew what the actual influence in the design was. If it had any kind of nod to antiquity maybe.

 

"Batwing" pulls usually refer to Queen Anne period 1730-1760 in america because they look like batwings, lol
Chippendale Pulls 1770-1800 have many different names but probably the widest known & used is "Christmas Tree", ditto for these, they look like Xmas trees, just a more developed/larger than batwing

 

Ah I see.

Was there any significance to the styling? Was it really designed after a bat?

Am I overthinking it lol?

 

QA "Batwing"


Chippendale christmas tree

 

Most of your high end cabinetmakers in USA go here for authentic cast brass hardware, they make it just like in the old days. Not sure if they have any history on these furniture pulls but if you download their catalogue, it shows all the period hardware from William & Mary to Victorian.
They will cast any pull you bring them which makes an exact replica of whatever pull you need, nice if you happen to have antique furniture with missing pulls
https://optimumbrasses.co.uk/

 

Very cool, those are the ACTUAL 18th century catalogues, not many of those around I bet!
I would note that in America, the colonists were prohibited from engaging in the brass foundry business, it was a BIG NO NO! Virtually all the brass furniture hardware in USA in the 18th century was imported from england.