This English work table, circa 1815, is a curious fusion of the refined neoclassicism of Robert Adam and the exotic eclecticism which emerged during the Regency period. The finely carved tri-form giltwood stand, based on a Roman form, is typical of Adam’s adaptation of the antique.
The use of composition was also favoured by Adam since, as with the present piece, it lends itself perfectly to the delicate decoration of this inventive version of the neoclassical. In contrast, the use of faux bronze decoration applied to the composition, and the decorative use of rosewood in conjunction with gilt ornament are more typical features of Regency furniture. Furthermore, it was also a Regency characteristic to employ finely tooled scarlet leather, such as that fitted to the interior of this piece.
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The design on which these remarkable mirrors are based was officially registered by the cabinet maker George Sims of 50-152 Aldersgate Street, London, in March 1878 and survives in the National Archives at Kew. Standing at just over 7 feet tall, the mirrors follow the design very closely, although they are given a stricter architectural quality by the decision to leave out the ornamental crest and swag on the drawing.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) is perhaps the most distinguished English potter, whose work spread throughout Europe and to the United States and Canada. Wedgwood was the youngest son in a family of potters of Burslem, Staffordshire. By 1749 he completed his apprenticeship with the family pottery works and went on to form partnerships with John Harrison and Thomas Alders at Cliff Bank, Stoke, between 1752 to 1754, and with Thomas Whieldon, another notable Staffordshire potter, from 1754-1759. In 1759, Wedgwood terminated this partnership in order to found his own pottery works, making this year the 250th anniversary of the celebrated factory! Read more... (548 words, 4 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)
Robert Adam, attributed to George Willison, c. 1770-1775. National Portrait Gallery.
Born July 3, 1728, Scottish architect, decorator and furniture designer Robert Adam was one of the most influential craftsmen of the 18th century, and so it is to him we dedicate today’s blog on what would be his 281st birthday!
Adam’s career began in 1748 when he and his elder brother John took over the family construction business upon the death of their father. After several lucrative years, Adam left for Rome to embark on the fashionable Grand Tour. He traveled throughout Italy and France between 1754 and 1758 under the tutelage of French architect Charles-Louis Clérisseau and Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi and, with these two gentlemen as mentors and companions, began to develop what would become a new style based on classical antiquity observed in these formative years abroad. Read more... (377 words, 3 images, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)
