Described by its vendor as ‘an early nineteenth-century solid oak Scottish desk with original finish’, this is one of the most horrendous carve-ups I have encountered to date.
Fig. 1. George II later-carved oak bureau, circa 1740.
Fig. 2. Noice!
Jack Plane
The Gibson chair (lot 65) mentioned in Woolley and Wallis’ recent auction in Salisbury, Wiltshire, realised GBP800 (AUD1,515; USD1,054).
Jack Plane
Woolley and Wallis are conducting their Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks auction in Salisbury, Wiltshire, tomorrow, Wednesday the 8th of January 2020.
Amongst the many interesting items for sale is lot 65, an Irish ash and sycamore Gibson chair with an estimate of GBP800 – GBP1,200 (AUD1,515 – AUD2,279; USD1,054 – USD1,580).
Mid-nineteenth-century Irish ash and sycamore Gibson chair. (Woolley and Wallis)
Jack Plane
It is estimated that more than 906,000 hectares (2,238,775 acres) of forest in the Amazon biome were burned in 2019.
By Christmas, the Australian bush fires razed over 3,000,000 hectares (7,413,161 acres) and in the past week, countless thousands more have gone up.
The fires have destroyed over 700 houses and killed ten people to date.
Thanks to all who emailed their concerns and well wishes. For the moment, I am safe and unlikely to need to evacuate.
Cheers to everyone who took the time to read my posts over the past year, and a special thank you to those who commented on them.
Wishing everyone happiness and prosperity in 2020.
Jack Plane
Whatever your persuasion and situation, I wish you all well during the festive season.
Thomas Rowlandson, The Glutton, circa 1812.
Jack Plane
A friend dropped in to see me this week with a horrific story of near disaster. She had been carrying out some maintenance around the home and had given her wooden veranda its annual oiling.
One morning, before the breeze got up, Helen went out and brushed a generous coat of decking oil onto the exposed boards of her stoep and followed up by wiping the surplus off with rags per the instructions on the tin. However, what she omitted to read were the safety instructions pertaining to the safe disposal of oily rags. She discarded the rags near the kitchen door.
Helen then made a sandwich for her lunch and took it to a room at the other end of the house. The breeze was blowing steadily by this stage and she began hearing odd noises from outside. Thinking the long-handled oil applicator had simply blown over, Helen continued with her lunch. Further unusual noises ensued so Helen decided to investigate and as she walked down the corridor towards the kitchen, there were several loud bangs.
Helen walked into the kitchen to see broken glass all over the floor, the fly wires melted and the curtains on fire! Then another glass door shattered.
The rags Helen had discarded in a pile on the stoep were saturated with linseed (or some other polymerising oil) and no doubt, fanned by the rising breeze, dried rapidly; causing an exothermic reaction to the point they ignited.
The burning rags further ignited the stoep, a coir doormat and several pairs of shoes and wellington boots, all of which produced sufficient heat to shatter the safety glass doors.
I’m quite sure everyone reading this is long-aware of the dangers of casting aside rags containing drying oils, however, let this serve as a reminder.
Oily rags should be disposed of safely, preferably by submersion in water, or by careful incineration.
Jack Plane
I previously mentioned Hepplewhite’s (circa 1787) design for full extension wooden drawer slides. Tomorrow, November the 13th, Christies are auctioning a circa 1765 dressing commode with full extension wooden drawer slides in their London rooms. The commode, lot 217, is attributed to the London cabinetmaker William Gomm and carries a pre-sale estimate of GBP 50,000 – GBP 80,000 (AUD 93,844 – AUD 150,150; USD 64,000 – USD 102,400).
George III mahogany serpentine dressing commode, circa 1765. (Christie’s)
Jack Plane
The Bristol blue-dash charger, lot 153 featured in Picture This CXXXVIII realised £2,200 (AUD $4.043, USD $2,745)) against a pre-auction estimate of £800 – £1200 (AUD $1,475 -$2,205, USD $998 – $1,497).
Lot 153. (Woolley and Wallis)
Jack Plane
Ten years ago today – and feeling somewhat despondent – I began writing this blog. It has since elevated my spirits and the combination of making furniture and writing about it continues as one of my favourite pastimes.
Today I will be celebrating with a flagon of home brewed cider and a glass or two of Plane’s Milk of Amnesia.
Tomorrow is another day.
Jack Plane
I first mentioned a Bristol blue-dash delft charger that I own in this post and in the comments following this post. As it happens, Woolley and Wallis are conducting The Warner Collection of British Delftware auction at their rooms in Salisbury on Tuesday the 17th September 2019.
Amongst the superlative lots on offer is lot 153 (figure 1), a Bristol blue-dash charger depicting ‘The Temptation’, which bears some similarities to the one in my possession (figure 2).
Fig. 1. Lot 153 (estimate: £800 – £1,200), a Bristol blue-dash charger, circa 170-40. (Woolley and Wallis)
Fig. 2. A Bristol or Southwark blue-dash charger, circa 1730.
Another similar charger, lot 154, is also up for sale.
Jack Plane
