Monthly Archives: September 2014
Getting a Handle on Proportion
Chests with equal length drawers can be so easily let down by inconsiderately placed handles. At first glance, one could be forgiven for thinking the chest in figure 1 was ‘cut-and-shut’ to fit within the confines of an alcove or … Continue reading
Could Somebody Please Bail Me Out?
I have some rococo backplates from a late eighteenth-century mahogany chest of drawers. The backplates incorporate an unusual blend of Gothik/Chinese strapwork with coquillage and florid elements (fig. 1). Fig. 1. Brass backplate, circa 1770. While attached to the chest, … Continue reading
The 2014 LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair
‘The LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London is this Autumn’s must-visit event for sourcing and buying fine art and antiques. Among the exceptional works on offer are furniture, jewellery, carpets, tapestries, antiquities, clocks, ceramics, silver and … Continue reading
Ceramic Patterns
A couple of years ago, a reader enquired about the origins of the porcelain teawares I pictured in When Life Gives You Lemons…. It’s the Malay House pattern produced by the New Hall factory in Staffordshire in the late eighteenth-century (fig. … Continue reading
Picture This XXXIII
So popular was Admiral Nelson – in England, at least – that all manner of souvenirs and toys[i] were produced to commemorate his Naval victories and ultimately, his death. The Staffordshire potteries churned out fairings, jugs, mugs and tea wares … Continue reading
Pegs and 'Tails 