On the Continent

It was probably Buddhist figures such as these that inspired the earliest European porcelain figures — `magots’ or models of humorous little Chinese Buddhas produced on the Continent — at Meissen, Saint-Cloud, Chantilly and Mennecy — from the 1720s to 40s, and in Britain from about 1780.

The Meissen Contribution

The European porcelain figure as we know it today, however, developed not from burial goods or religious models but as centrepieces for the banqueting tables of the aristocracy. (more…)

From plain Edwardian school clocks to cartel clocks mounted in elaborate ormolu, clocks to hang on the wall come in many shapes and sizes.

The ubiquitous wall dial of the Victorian and Edwardian periods is familiar from countless schools, kitchens and waiting rooms. In fact, wall clocks come in many forms, the fundamental distinction being between spring-driven clocks (which mostly run for eight days) and weight- driven clocks (mostly running for 3o hours). (more…)

The creation of the easy chair was an inevitable development in the search for comfortable seating. Today, the upholstery can be just as important as the frame in determining the value of these chairs.

It was a natural progression from the simple padded chair to one with arms and an upholstered back, and then to the fully upholstered easy armchair: This was first seen towards the end of the 17th century, and has remained popular ever since.

Most 20th-century easy chairs are mass- produced and consequently of little or no interest to collectors. However, there are some exceptions, including chairs by the Modernist architect-designers of the 1920s and 3os, such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe, and by the new generation of 1950s and 60s designers such as Ernest Race and Charles Eames, whose tubular steel and leather chairs already fetch £800-£ 1500. (more…)

Modern design’s first public impact was made by the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Indus- Erie’s Modernes, held in Paris. Britain’s mainly Arts-and-Crafts exhibit drew little interest. People had tired of the hand-crafted look and Medieval imitation. The hit of the show was France’s exhibit in the brash new Style Modern — soon called Art Deco, from the title of the Exposition. (more…)

Mark of Craftsman

The style was essentially nostalgic, much of its detail and ornament inspired by the Medieval -for example, the large metal hinges fitted on the outside of cabinet doors. The products looked handmade: wood was often left unpolished; beaten metal showed hammer marks; dowels were often left conspicuously visible. Glass was simply blown - cutting was disparaged as an industrial technique - so that the natural beauty of the material itself could be seen, unobscured by ornament. (more…)

The famous Hunt and Roskell firm was descended from the firm of Storr and Mortimer of which the eminent Regency silversmith Paul Storr became a partner in 1822. Some 14 years later Paul Storr’s nephew, John Samuel Hunt, became a third partner and when Storr retired in 1838 the firm became known as Mortimer and Hunt. Upon the retirement of Mortimer, Robert Roskell became a partner and the firm changed its name again to Hunt and Roskell. During the Great Exhibition of 1851 Hunt and Roskell exhibited, among other impressive naturalistic pieces of plate, two candelabra with their stems and branches consisting of a vine on a base of Indian architecture, dessert stands of flowering naturalistic form with Indian figures and ice-pails inspired by the lotus and enlivened with Indian plants. These pieces were part of a service made as a testimonial to the Earl of Ellenborough in recognition of his work in India and, although not within the reach of the ordinary man, were the sort of examples which were important since they influenced the design of future silver and plated goods in general. (more…)

The use of mustard for culinary purposes goes back into antiquity, but it was a Mrs Clements who started mustard-making on a truly commercial scale in about 1720. She had the idea of producing a fine mustard flour which she made at 73 Saddler Street, Durham. Her method was simply to grind the seed in a mill and then to subject it to the various processes used in flour-making. Mrs Clements, who took good care to keep her secret to herself, met with instant success. George I liked it and the court followed him, establishing the preference for paste mustard which still exists today. Mrs Clements not only supplied outlets in London, travelling there twice yearly, but also the more important towns throughout England. Since she travelled from Durham, the fine new mustard flour became known as Durham Mustard. (more…)

Few basic changes have been made to the salt cellar since the eighteenth century, and even those produced today in sterling silver or electro-plate are usually exact, or very close, copies of their predecessors. From time to time, of course, designers have endeavoured to break away from

established forms, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, has a superb Art Nouveau specimen in parcel-gilt by C. R. Ashbee which incorporates amber and a small figure, the latter being characteristic of Ashbee’s work, but this ‘salt‘ would be considered too ornate for general use. An interesting example of 1866 by Stephen Smith was of frosted silver with figures of sowers and men carrying baskets of seeds upon their backs. (more…)

Typical of the types of ornament which appeared on small nineteenth century boxes is the decoration which embellished card cases, made mostly in Birmingham in great numbers during that century, for the carrying of personal visiting cards. The general measurements of these slender cases were approximately four inches long by three inches wide, and their covers were usually of the hinged slip-over variety. Hallmarks will generally be found on the exterior side of the rim at the top of the body which is concealed when the cover is closed. (more…)

Silver frames for mirrors or photographs

The decorative silver frame, used mostly nowadays for photographs, appeared for mirrors after the Restoration, late seventeenth century oblong examples being heavily ornamented with naturalistic decoration between gadrooning or complex beading, and surmounted by a coat-of-arms in a complex setting. Such fine examples might be among gifts to the royal family or court. Other types of decorative frames were also popular in the eighteenth century, perhaps being made of wood or gesso which was gilded and carved. Nineteenth century silver examples became more numerous not only for mirrors but, in later years and into the Edwardian era, for photographs. (more…)