TVADA Bookshelf

ANTIQUE PERIODS & STYLES

2006-03-30T13:13:37Z

DATES	BRITISH PERIOD	BRITISH MONARCH	FRENCH PERIOD
1558-1603	Elizabethan	Elizabeth 1	Renaissance
1603-1625	Jacobean	James 1	Louis X111(1610-1643)
1625-1649	Carolean	Charles 1	Louis X1V (1643-1715)
1649-1660	Cromwellian	Commonwealth	Regence (1715-1723)
1660-1685	Restoration	Charles 11	Louis XV (1723-1774)
1685-1689	Restoration	James 11	Louis XV1 (1774-1793)
1689-1694	William & Mary	William & Mary	Directorie (1793-1799)
1694-1702	William 111	William 111	Empire (1799-1815)
1702-1714	Queen Anne	Anne	Restauration (1815-1830)
1714-1727	Early Georgian	George 1	Louis Philippe (1830-1848)
1727-1760	Early Georgian	George 11	2^nd Empire (1848-1870)
1760-1811	Late Georgian	George 111	3^rd republic (1871-1940)
1812-1820	Regency	George 111
1820-1830	Regency	George 1V
1830-1837	William 1V	William 1V
1837-1901	Victorian	Victoria
1901-1910	Edwardian	Edward V11
1910-1936		George V
1936		Edward V111
1936-1952		George V1
1952-		Elizabeth 11

‘EARLY ISLAMIC TEXTILES' edited by Clive Rogers

2005-10-22T22:30:18Z

The spread of Islam did not produce a sudden revolution in textile
design. Rather, the 600 years after the prophet's death in 632AD saw
the fusion of the great weaving traditions of the Byzantine and
Sassanian Empires with those of their Arab conquerors. From these
beginnings grew the Islamic textile that we know today. The book aims
to provide both a general introduction to the social and historical
context in which these fine weavings and their designs developed, and
for the student of textiles an invaluable source of reference and a
detailed understanding of the techniques through Hero Granger-Taylor's
analysis of each illustrated example.

10 coloured plates
30 monochrome illustrations
Published by Rogers & Podmore
PO BOX 234, Staines TW19 5PE

available in two versions:

softcover £8 inc. UK postage
ISBN 0 950887 0 1
hardcover £15 inc. UK postage
ISBN 0 9508875 1 X

Buying Antique Furniture

2005-09-30T21:12:49Z

A Guide to Buying Antique Furniture
by Edward Reily-Collins
In the thirty years I have been in the antiques trade there has never been a better time to buy antiques than now. Since the dreadful days of 9-11, when the Americans stopped coming over to England, coinciding with the great modern trend for minimalism, the antique market has been in the doldrums. However recently people have begun to wake up to the fact that there is actually very little in the way of quality or style in the modern furniture being wholesaled through national shopping outlets. This mass produced furniture will not last more than 10 years through daily use, and the young 30 something’s who used to buy large quantities of antiques but switched to modern styles, have woken up to the fact that there is no individualism in furnishing your house as tens of thousands others do. I was talking to a prospective client recently

]]> who whilst house hunting in a large block of flats in London saw four different properties. Each one was decorated in the same style using the same furniture and she realised then how dreadfully boring it all was and that she wanted to be more individual and stamp her own style on the house she bought. As a result of this, the market is beginning to stir and I think that possibly within a year, it will take off again. More people are waking up to the fact that pieces such as a good 19th century chest of drawers that has been around for 150 plus years and will be around for at least another 150 years, are attractive, individual, practical, stylish, and above all, good value for money.

But how to buy these items without over paying? There are many “antiques guides” on the market but unfortunately the price ranges they give are very varied and do not give the first time buyer an indication of the price to pay. What they do however, is help the buyer decide what style they want. Having decided this, my first recommendation is to trawl around your local antiques dealers. They don’t usually bite, so talk to them and find one who will look after you and is prepared to spend time with you explaining the ins and outs of different items.

Set a budget Obviously it is important to set a budget but if you find a piece that you fall in love with that is slightly over your budget, my advice is always to go for it. There is a well-known saying in this trade, you never regret paying too much for something, you only regret your bargains. One has to realise that there are hundreds of dealers on the road daily searching for antiques and if anything is a real bargain that is “right”, we are going to snap it up. I can assure you that the majority of the so-called bargains clients tell me that they have bought turn out to be fake or “wrong”.

The age of an item does not always determine the price. A 400 year old item is not necessarily going to cost more money than a good early 20th century piece. For example, there is a lot of mid 19th century “Victorian” furniture on the market that was mass produced to fill the demand from the rich merchants furnishing their houses. Because the market was so hungry for furniture at this time a lot of it was made quickly and rather badly. However, at the end of the century and during the Edwardian era people were once again demanding quality and individuality, as a result some of the wonderful mahogany and walnut Edwardian pieces on the market today were beautifully made and represent excellent value.

Look out for breaks and hidden restoration When buying furniture always check for, especially in chairs, breaks to the legs or back. In the right light, these will normally show up. You will find an antique dealer always carries a torch in his pocket to check for these breaks which are sometimes hard to see if they have been well restored.

Also be aware that, particularly on dining tables and chest of drawers, there is a tendency to “skim” the surface. This is where the piece in question has suffered water damage, scratching or other severe damage and a bad restorer has literally taken a sanding disc to the piece and sanded down any imperfections. This skimming takes with it all the original patination and polish to take the surface right back to the base wood. When the piece is then re-polished, you never get back the glorious patination and depth of polish that had been built up over time and looking at the piece, you can see all the grain and a very dull lustre appearance. It will take many years (and much elbow grease) to get this wonderful waxed patination back again.

If buying anything with two parts, such as a secretaire, bureau bookcase or chest on chest, stand at the side and check that the veneers on the top and bottom halves run all the way up the whole piece. This shows that the veneer is from the same section of timber and indicates that the piece is not two unrelated parts put together or a “marriage”. If it is a piece with drawers, open the drawers in the top and bottom section to see if the dovetails are the same. If there is any stringing and inlay around the cupboard doors or drawers to the top, make quite sure that they are identical to the detailing around the bottom section.

Check the provenance. Most of us have heard the term provenance. Provenance is a very difficult thing to prove and generally speaking it is only the better, more expensive pieces that come with a provenance. The provenance is the history of the piece, for example an original invoice showing who it was made for, and who by, or house inventory records detailing it. Some pieces on the market today are signed or stamped by various cabinet makers, a notable one is Gillows but you cannot always rely on these stamps to be genuine. An unscrupulous dealer might make a stamp up to mark a piece of furniture and so raise its value. What is important is if it is in the style of a well-known cabinetmaker and the quality is good.

Finally, a very good tip is to stand back and look at a piece from a distance. If it looks wrong to you and out of proportion, trust your instinct, it quite possibly is. The great cabinetmakers of the past always had well balanced furniture designs.

The rule of thumb is to buy from a good antiques dealer, many of who are members of associations such at LAPADA, BADA, TVADA etc. Why not come along to Hallidays magnificent historic 15,000 square foot of showrooms in Dorchester on Thames where there will be over 1000 lots to view at their forthcoming auction on November 21st and 22nd, encompassing everything from Fine Art and Antiques to textiles and curios. Viewing will take place from the 18th November through to the morning of the sale days.
Contact them on 01865 340028 to order a catalogue.

W.A.S.Benson 1854 – 1924

2005-06-07T14:41:30Z

The Metalwork Lighting of W.A.S.Benson 1854 – 1924
by William Clegg

The Influences
William Arthur Smith Benson was born in 1854 the son of a stockbroker. He was educated at Winchester College. His maternal grandfather, William Arthur Smith, was a talented Victorian amateur engineer and metal turner; he and Benson were very close from early days spending hours in the metal shop together. After Winchester, Benson studied Politics and Philosophy at New College, Oxford. He came into contact with John Ruskin hearing the importance of naturalistic and Gothick ornament in the Arts. Benson had been observant and curious from an early age. The failure of his subject to inspire him made him restless to become self-employed making artefacts; he left Oxford prematurely to live in London, eventually graduating many years later.

]]> From 1877 he worked in the office of the pre-eminent London architect of the “Queen Anne style” Basil Champneys whose influence can clearly be seen in his turned metalwork. Oxford proved a wonderful introduction to London society, especially the Ruskinian Art World! Through his future brother-in-law Heywood Sumner he met Edward Burne-Jones who in turn introduced him to William Morris.

Thus started a long association where Benson exchanged ideas and enthusiasm, initially. Then he designed furniture for Morris from 1878 and Morris, encouraging him to start his metalwork business in 1880, stocked his wares in his Oxford Street shop and encouraged Philip Webb, his architect, to use both his lighting and metalwork in his houses. Morris, the decorator, also recommended his clients to use Benson lighting in their newly appointed interior. Benson was adept at networking, soon joining the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society as a founder member in 1887; at a meeting, if bored, he would jot down designs on a scrap of paper! His energy is frightening for us to contemplate as he expanded quickly from Chiswick to a large works in Hammersmith by 1890, at 82-83 New Bond Street with a retail outlet and a trade warehouse in Dering St [opened in 1887]. He also exhibited throughout Europe.

Benson’s enthusiasm and drive cannot be overestimated and his interest was sincere, especially his belief in the Arts & Crafts as a solid philosophy with discussion between like minds becoming the flint-stone of inspiration. He married Venetia the daughter of the artist Alfred William Hunt in 1886, who was an excellent consort.

Benson Lighting
When it comes to lighting, Benson was without peer; this was partly his technical prowess but also his understanding of the properties of light, reflection, refraction and, lastly, balance of illumination of which he was the foremost master and innovator; whether in the domestic home or the sepulchral spaces of a church or hall. An illustration of the esteem Benson was held internationally was his commission to light Samuel Bing’s Maison L’Art Nouveau in Paris from the outside entrance to room-sets by architects of the status of Van de Velde.

Part of his success in lighting was being in the right place [London] at the right time. His working career spanned the turn of the century [1880-1914], a period of constant innovation. In 1880 light was provided by paraffin lamps, which Benson designed in plenty of forms, [see plate 1], using the superior “Hinks” burner, and gas for bracket and hanging lamps; here the quality of Benson’s engineering must have proved crucial [for warming kettles and hotplates he used methylated spirits].

Very soon electricity was available in the form of generators and Benson was quick to realise its huge potential in providing superior light and an adaptability and convenience previously undreamt of. This extended the range considerably with wall, table, standard and reflecting lamps to name but a few.

His writing on electric lighting, a) Notes on electrical wiring and b) On the Lighting of Churches and other Public Buildings, reveals a total confidence in his ability to exploit the medium with its firm advice to builders on the positioning of lights and plugs or sources. However, electricity, being relatively expensive initially, was slower to penetrate the market than we can realise, allowing oil and gas appliances to sell well at the same time!

His lighting features cast brass of an austere nature juxtaposed with sinuous naturalistic decorative details in copper and brass which contrast with and complement the form. Some of the copper was repousse leaf work whilst the reflectors used plain leaves. For shades he sometimes used finest pleated silk in brass frames, but more often opaline glass, which was usually made by his friend Harry Powell at Whitefriars Glass, London. Powell understood the technical and decorative possibilities of glass as Benson did metalwork, and apart from there being a meeting of minds, it also benefited both to collaborate, as each were innovators who believed in the highest quality in all they did. This combination suited both for support and reliability Powell blowing opaline and cut frosted shades for special Benson lamps and Benson designing bronze stands for glass amphora that Powell exhibited.

Having met through Morris, they shared stands at exhibitions like 1901 Glasgow and 1902 Turin; they both sold through Morris and Bing as well as having their own showrooms. The combination of their products is unsurpassable as decoration and has a period feeling, whose quality gives it a place in our houses today, [see plate 4]. Benson applied for lighting patents in 1880 for the distribution and reflection of light [see plate 5] in 1886 for a lantern for electric arc lamps, in 1888 for a grip for adjusting slides to standard lamps and also lamp shades in 1901 and 1908. In 1889 for roses for electric lamps, in 1892 for electric switches – his lamp switch is distinctive [see plate 2]. 1903-4 gas burners, pendant gas and lamps. No patent was applied for his counter weight which was so much part of his “ouvres” [see plate 3]. From the above list we can see Benson was at the cutting edge of the new revolution. This allowed his manufacturing work force to expand to around 100 by 1895.

The Style
So what was the style that W.A.S.Benson worked in? His quality was akin to Arts & Crafts and many of his colleagues were exponents of that movement. The style relied on top quality metalwork to show the crisp lines and contrasting materials, even silver plated, originally sealed with lacquer [articles with old lacquer are particularly sought after]. It is interesting that Benson lamps sold for two – three times the price of his rivals poorer products with 300-400 different models. He was an officer of the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society and a keen participator. He also used lighting as a decoration, which also qualifies as honest construction and decoration. At its most flamboyant his style can border on Art Nouveau with sinuous whiplash and tendril designs; a good example of this is a chandelier in the board room of the V & A Museum!

But his manners of design are in general too well ordered to pin him to either movement.

Perhaps the closest influence is the Queen Anne revival style whose pinciples he learnt from the pioneering architect, Basil Champneys; certainly there is usually an infallible and consistent restraint and good proportion to all he did. There is also the inspiration of nature and the Japanese movement initially, but hardly ever any unnecessary surface decoration.

In short, his designs have stood the test of time as has his quality, and in both he remains the benchmark of the period – a truly idiosyncratic Englishman, who still defies stylistic definition!

The Marks
Benson stamped nine varying marks on his metalwork and lighting, however, after much comparison of marks our conclusion is the marks, along with the components themselves, were to a degree interchangeable, with the earliest being the Shield of 3 Hammers punctuated by W.A.S.B. and the latest W.A.S.Benson Ltd after 1901; the subsidiary letter marks remain a mystery alas, especially as they occur randomly.

The Epilogue
When he moved to Sussex he designed his own house in the Queen Anne style. Between 1914-1918 he and his works were used because of their quality of production and manufacturing for the war effort. Benson continued to invent and improvise for the general good of his country!

Although he may not have made a fortune, he lived well, gave noble employment and survived when many London furnishing businesses failed or merged. He kept his integrity and standards throughout. All his designs apart from looking very good, actually work, and still have a place in a functional world!

by
William Clegg
http://www.thecountryseat.com

The Antique Collectors Club book, “W.A.S.Benson” edited by Dr Ian Hamerton is now available at £40 [plus postage] from The Country Seat

tel 01491 641349 or
benson@thecountryseat.com