18 May 2012

 
  

May 11, 2012 - Filed under: History of Antiques — Richard

Hanging an Impressionist piece of art on the wall is an excellent way of bringing attention to a Victorian oak pedestal desk . However, a portrait being acquired by (more…)

May 4, 2012 - Filed under: History of Antiques — Richard

A portrait given by James I to the owner of Montacute House is once more overlooking the antique chests of (more…)

January 5, 2012 - Filed under: Antiques News,History of Antiques — David

Take a peek in any glass-fronted Lancashire antique cabinet, and the chances are you will find at least one piece of Wedgwood porcelain on display.

However, until recently the Wedgwood Museum collection – worth an (more…)

April 21, 2011 - Filed under: Antiques News,History of Antiques — David

Lancashire and Cumbria residents with an eye for beauty are in for a treat if they visit the V & A museum in London. A new exhibition, “The Cult of Beauty,” has just opened, covering the decorative art and furniture of (more…)

November 17, 2010 - Filed under: Antique Chairs,History of Antiques — Richard

Chinese antiques are very much in the public eye at the moment. However, the emphasis is more on porcelain than furniture such as antique desks and Victorian dining chairs ; Preston collectors can find exquisitely-crafted Imperial-era pieces in showrooms, at a reasonable cost, but why? (more…)

November 4, 2010 - Filed under: Antique Desks,Auctions,History of Antiques — Richard

Preston collectors looking for cheap antique desks will find them rare – especially when they have important historical value; so it was at the Bonhams sale this week, when an 18th century figured walnut bureau went under the hammer for an estimated price of £30,000 to £50,000.

Bonhams Provenance Sale of Fine English Furniture, held on 3rd November at New Bond Street, certainly promised to be exciting – the majority of furniture originated from stately homes and castles. As with most antiques, they had been (more…)

October 19, 2010 - Filed under: Antique Chairs,History of Antiques — David

When purchasing a modern set of dining room chairs, we often don’t realise that the designs used today often come from the workshops of Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779).

Dining room chairs with cabriole legs and a vase shaped back splat with shell motifs on cresting rails dated back to the early 18th century, the best examples made of walnut. By 1720 walnut was becoming very scarce so other hardwoods such as mahogany were being imported from America and Jamaica. Mahogany had a very close grain and was very strong so ideal for carving and piercing and could be polished to a reddish high gloss finish. Early Georgian mahogany dining chairs tended to resemble (more…)

October 18, 2010 - Filed under: Antique Chairs,History of Antiques — Harriet

There is no doubt that one of the most famous names of the Neoclassical period in Britain is that of Robert Adam (1728-1792) who has been responsible for decorating and redesigning many stately homes throughout the country. Much furniture of this Neo-classical period was attributed to or ‘in the style of’ George Hepplewhite (d.1786) and continued to be copied from his Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterers’ Guide of 1788 which was published by his wife after he died.

Without a doubt Robert Adam was the main driver behind Neo-classical styling in Britain and designers like Hepplewhite would have (more…)

October 16, 2010 - Filed under: Antique Desks,History of Antiques — Richard

One of the most successful pieces of commercial antique furniture has been the Partners’ Desk. It is similar in style to the Pedestal Desk except that there are drawers on the front and back of the piece creating a mirror image. The idea was that two partners in business or the professions could work opposite each other.

Thomas Chippendale in his Gentlemen and Cabinet-Maker’s Director from 1750 onwards was targeting these newly emerging professional and commercial classes. Initially the pedestal desk was to be found in aristocratic libraries and estate offices, but now the nouveau riche were also (more…)

October 14, 2010 - Filed under: Antique Chairs,History of Antiques — Harriet

Considering that France and Britain were continuously at war throughout much of the Regency period (1790-1830), furniture design remained heavily influenced by the French. In fact the period has only been referred to as Regency in retrospect. At the time it was called English Empire in deference to French Empire design. The Regency stripe was very much present in French rather than English drawing rooms where brocades were more popular over here.

It was professional architects like Henry Holland and Thomas Hope who introduced the French Empire styling into Britain and furniture tended to be (more…)

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