Tag Archives: mahogany
Auction Result – Woolley and Wallis, 20th April, 2021
Following the conclusion of Woolley and Wallis’ recent auction, the William and Mary oyster veneered and marquetry chest (lot 23) – which I predicted might be a sleeper – rose well above its estimate of GBP4,000 – GBP6,000 (AUD7,266 – … Continue reading
Fine English Furniture at Woolley and Wallis
Woolley and Wallis are conducting a two-day Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks auction in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on Tuesday 20th April, and Wednesday 21st April 2021. Amongst many of the superb items on offer is lot 23, a William and … Continue reading
Picture This CXXXV
Here’s another one for the sleuths: This is described as a “quality solid mahogany dressing table, circa 1770”. Can I have your opinions please? Jack Plane
A Pair of George II Irish Walnut Side Chairs – Part One
In the late 1980s I restored four elegant mid-eighteenth-century Irish ‘red’ walnut side chairs with stuffover seats. If I did take any photos of them, I can’t locate them now; however, I did take the time to make patterns of … Continue reading
Three Species of Mahogany
There are three species of mahogany: — Common mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), Swietenia febrifuga, and Swietenia chloroxylon: the first being a native of the West India Islands and the central parts of America, and the second and third natives of the … Continue reading
The Butler did it.
Wood has been used since time immemorial for making such things as rudimentary sticks for whacking animate and inanimate things with, to shelters and furniture etc. But wood really came into its own in the mid-nineteenth-century for creating the most … Continue reading
A George II Walnut Serpentine Chest – Part One
Towards the close of the seventeenth-century, rather heavy, solid wainscot (oak) furniture gave way to refined European walnut chairs, tables, mirrors and walnut-veneered wainscot and deal (pine) casework etc. Joined oak furniture was attractive enough, but somewhat workman-like and couldn’t … Continue reading
Picture This C
“All craftsmen make blunders, but what separates the truly great ones is the ability to redress their mistakes.” Regular reader, Burbidge, emailed me about an aspect of the mahogany linen press in figure 1. It conforms closely to the drawing … Continue reading
Chairs and Shelves at Christie’s
Christie’s are conducting The English Collector: English Furniture, Clocks and Portrait Miniatures at their King Street, London rooms on the 17th of November 2016. Amongst the furniture on offer is lot 152, a set of six George II fruitwood Windsor … Continue reading
Art and Industry in Early America: Rhode Island Furniture, 1650–1830
For my North American reader: Art and Industry in Early America: Rhode Island Furniture, 1650–1830 – an exhibition, August 19, 2016–January 8, 2017. Mahogany ‘desk and bookcase’ by Christopher Townsend, circa 1745–50. (Yale University) This groundbreaking exhibition presents a comprehensive survey … Continue reading
