An Interesting Piece of Arts and Crafts Furniture

Dave Richards

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I was poking around on one of the used furniture sites I have listed in my favorites and came across this piece. I thought you folks might find it worth a look. It's certainly not a usual piece.

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manufactured by Shapland & Petter from around 1895 in Devon, UK.
More images and info here.
 
Larry, I don't know but I can imagine a large plate with the pattern raised like a cutting stamp that would be pressed into the wood. Then perhaps the craftsman would clean out the waste inside the lines with a small router plane. Of course a piece like this might take a week or more to make even in a manufacturing operation and they probably didn't turn out hundreds of them a year.
 
There's an interesting article about Shapland & Petter here.

They were innovative with machinery, but employed craftsmen who were talented in carving, marquetry, etc. Looking at some of the detail of the designs in the desk, there appear to be some very slight irregularities that would be attributed to hand work.
 
To my American eye it looks like a combination of A&C, Gothic, Mission and Frank Lloyd Wright :). I wonder if this was a specific style in the UK for that period or if it was just a maker's vision? Whatever it is, it is interesting and thanks for posting it Dave.
 
Bill, thanks for that link.

Glenn, I don't think it is all that unusual for English Arts $ Crafts period furniture. The Brits were a bit more willing to accept some ornament in that period than the Americans seemed to have been. Look at the designs of Rennie Mackintosh for example.
 
Bill, thanks for that link.

Glenn, I don't think it is all that unusual for English Arts $ Crafts period furniture. The Brits were a bit more willing to accept some ornament in that period than the Americans seemed to have been. Look at the designs of Rennie Mackintosh for example.

I was going to say the same thing, but without all the facts and references to back it up. :rofl: The A&C movement in the UK was substantially more ornate than the US version. This is a very interesting piece, though, as others have said, not to my taste.
 
Interesting peice. I'd guess it's from the 1920's (just a guess), and maybe something that was made for a store to hold one of those old hand crank Victrolas.

It sure is archetecturaly well balanced. The stringing and marquestry look very well done. Everything on it looks in balance together.
 
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