Posts Tagged ‘classical column’

Pembroke and sofa tables
The elegant dropleaf table known as the Pembroke table, so called, according to Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) in his pattern-book The Cabinet Dictionary (1803), “from the name of the lady who first gave orders for one of them”, was part of the evolution of the breakfast table. The Pembroke table was eventually replaced in the fashionable drawing-room by the sofa table, an extended version of the type, v developed in the last years of the 18th and the first decade of the 19th century.
Pembroke table
This English mahogany serpentine Pembroke table is an elegant example of its type. It has square-tapered legs, brass feet, and casters, which are all typical features of Pembroke tables of this period.
PEMBROKE TABLES
Recorded in accounts from the 1750s, Pembroke tables were placed in the drawing-room and the boudoir where they were used for taking meals, playing cards, writing, and needlework. By the 1770s this elegant, useful form was well established, and was often a vehicle for the finest cabinet-making of the Neo-classical period. The basic structure, with its two side flaps supported on hinged brackets, lent itself to almost limitless variations. The opened table may form a rectangle or a square, an oval or an octagon; it can be straight or bow-fronted, with rounded, serpentine, or D-shaped flaps; the wood can be plain or crossbanded, with marquetry, painting, or carved decoration; and the legs may be of cabriole or straight-tapered shape, of round or square section.
A drawer in the frieze is usual, but some examples have sliding sections concealing compartments, while the rare “harlequin” type includes a mechanism to raise and lower compartments of drawers and pigeon holes within the centre. Most 18th-century Pembroke tables are Supported on their four legs without understretchers, while others have decorated base supports or small platforms. Appropriately for a highly mobile piece of furniture, nearly every example is fitted with casters.
While examples are known in the Gothic and Chinese tastes of the 1760s, those produced between 1770 and 1800 reflect the Neo-classical taste at its most refined.
Veneers are of mahogany, satinwood,
or other luxurious woods; lines
are simple, proportions carefully
considered, and ornament is of the greatest delicacy. The examples illustrated by George Hepplewhite (4.1786) in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (1788-94) are typical of those available to the gentry during the last quarter of the 18th century. Pembroke tables with tapering legs of attenuated cabriole form, ending in the thinnest of scroll feet, were the result of French influence toward the end of the 18th century. Some had finely chiselled gilt-brass mounts.
Decoration took the form of plain stringing or crossbanding, or marquetry borders of anthemion, husks, guilloche, or scrolling acanthus, with such
embellishments as shells, medallions, or florets. These could also he painted, although garlands, beribboned swags, or tapering trails were the most usual.
The proportions of late 18th-century Pembroke tables are crucial; the side flaps are usually (but not always) equal to half the width of the central section, and should be one-third of the table height in their fall postion. There should be a frieze drawer at one end with a dummy drawer oil the opposite end. An oval table usually also displays bow-fronted end friezes to match the curve of the top. Each flap should have one or two fly-bracket Supports, opening sideways on wooden hinges. The legs should be tapered and the tops of the legs should continue upward to form the side frame of the drawer.
Pembroke tables continued to be made in the 19th century, the most advanced design having a central column with splayed legs (called a pillar and claw), which Sheraton illustrated in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book (1791-1802). A slightly later variant was the platform base. Pembroke tables of the 1820s and 1830s are of characteristically squat proportions, with turned tapered legs, and often have two frieze drawers, one above the other.
A Pembroke table
The top of this British oval Pembroke table is set with segmented satinwood veneers and decorated with marquetry The large oval paten medallion in the centre of the top is surrounded by a band of sycamore set with scrolling plants and flowerheads, with similar decoration on the outer moulded border. Its delicate construction and graceful appearance give it especially feminine associations. As with many tables of this type, this sofa table has a real and an opposing dummy drawer; the legs are decorated with pendent husks typical of late 13th-century Neo-classical ornament.
SOFA TABLES
The sofa table was as varied as the Pembroke table in the details of its design and decoration and, like its predecessor, it followed a defining form. According to Sheraton in The Cabinet Dictionary (1803), the sofa table was specifically for use “before a sofa” where “the Ladies chiefly occupy them to draw, write or read upon
Sofa tables are usually between 1.52m (5ft) and 1.83m (6ft) long, when fully extended, and 61cm (24m) wide. The flaps, supported on fly brackets, are each about one-quarter of the width of the central section. Some examples have sliding-topped compartments in the middle for games, or rising desks for writing and drawing, but the majority have one long or two short drawers on one side of the frieze, with corresponding dummy drawers on the opposite side.
The edges of sofa-table tops are always straight, and the corners of the flaps rounded, or chamfered to form “octagon corners”, but the bases are hugely varied and closely reflect the evolving design styles of the Regency period. The top may be set on end supports, with or
without stretchers across the middle, or central supports rising from a platform base. The legs are so designed that the feet can fit a little way under a sofa, allowing the table to be pulled close to the sitter. They arc nearly always on casters.
The plainest sofa tables have plank-shaped supports dividing into splayed tapered or sabre legs with brass cappings and casters. Alternatively after c.1810, rectangular plinths were set at right angles to the uprights, often with scrolls in the angles and with scrolled feet. For more luxurious sofa tables lyre-shaped end supports or patterns of decorative spindles were favoured, and while the lion monopodia that were advocated by George Smith (active c.1786-1828) in A Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1808) were rarely executed, the lion mask often appears on the decorative brass drawer handles. “Hipped” sabre or cabriole legs were also popular; they appear often on sofa tables with central supports. All of these shapes could be embellished with reeding, lines of inlaid wood or brass, or strategically placed carved paterae or leaves. Cross-stretchers provided many, opportunities for decorative turnings. Inlaid brass decoration on the table top and frieze was sometimes matched on the legs, and/or on the fronts of the fly brackets.
The timbers used for sofa tables range from plain mahogany or more fashionable timbers such as rosewood to exotic woods including calamander; lightly coloured woods such as satinwood for veneering were now no longer in vogue in the 19th century, except for crossbandings as a foil to the dark woods now in favour; common timbers such as beech could be stained or ebonized to simulate these. By c.1815 brass inlays in the manner advocated by George Bullock (c.1777-1818) were generally used to create decorative contrasts; the most lavish examples have ormolu mounts as well as inlaid brass. A rare but significant form of surface decoration on sofa tables was black and white penwork, painted by ladies to imitate inlaid ivory decoration.
Because they have been highly desirable for a long time many sofa tables have been “improved” or even fabricated beyond acceptable levels of repair and restoration. As well as “marriages” between tops and associated bases, decoration such as crossbandings or brass inlays may have been added to tops to enhance the commercial value. Bases may have been legitimately repaired, but many sofa tables have been “made up” with the trestle supports from old (and much less expensive) cheval mirrors. These arc liable to look somewhat flimsy in proportion to the table tops. Wood grain running the length of a sofa-table top, rather than across it, may indicate a top made up from another larger piece of old furniture.
• PEMBROKE TABLES beside the genuine repairs that may be necessary in the course of time, collectors should beware of later restorations and alterations to Pembroke tables: these include substituting an oval top for a (less valuable) square or rectangular one; inserting decorative veneers or crossbandings into a plain surface to increase the value, or later painting, on a previously undecorated table – usually identifiable by the quality
• SOFA TABLES those tables that have low stretchers are generally less popular than those with higher stretchers, which allow more leg room; sometimes lower stretchers have been moved, and the scars that are left should be visible, although often these areas have been re-veneered to hide them; satinwood or rosewood tables are more desirable than mahogany, and end-support tables more sought after than those with central pedestals; the best sofa tables have cedar-lined drawers
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Candlesticks are among today’s most popular and collectable silver items. The earliest-surviving domestic examples date from the mid-17th century, but most found today were made from the 18th century onward. A great variety of styles is available, from the Classical column shape of the late 18th century to the inventive figural and telescopic forms of the 19th century.
Early candlesticks were cast in solid silver, but huge numbers of less expensive examples stamped from rolled silver sheet were being produced in Birmingham and Sheffield by the 1770s – these were among the first-ever items mass-produced by industrial methods. It is important to remember when buying candlesticks and candelabra that most were made as pairs.
Candlesticks Before 1800
Until the age of mass production, silver candlesticks were used mostly by the Church and the wealthy; others tended to be made of less expensive pewter. Examples made before the mid-17th century are rare. Medieval candlesticks, made largely for church altars, featured tripod feet and a pricker (metal spike) to hold the candle: sockets or sconces for the candle were not introduced until the 15th century. Candlesticks were usually made as pairs and are generally sold as such today; single candlesticksmay sometimes be worth as little as a quarter of the value of a pair.
BAROQUE AND QUEEN ANNE STYLES Silver Candlesticks
Although many candlesticks are recorded from before the 17th century, few survive; they were often melted down because they were damaged, or for conversion into coin. In particular, there are very few English candlesticks dating front before the 1650s, as much silver was melted down during the Civil War (1642-9).
In the 17th century most silver candlesticks were raised from thin, hammered sheet metal. The earliest candlesticks found on the market today, dating from the 167()s and 1680s, have stems of fluted Classical columns, or clusters of columns, and octagonal or square bases. Some rare examples have scalloped, richly embossed bases – a speciality of Dutch silversmiths. American candlesticks made before c.1760 are rare; the earliest-known pair, made in Boston, dates from 1675.
In the 1690s immigrant Huguenot silversmiths revolutionized the production of English candlesticks by casting them in solid silver rather than raising them from sheet. The base, stem, and sconce were cast separately and soldered together. The earliest pattern of cast candlesticks, •generally 15 to 18chn (6-7in) high, had a plain baluster stem with a series of knops (bulbous rings) on a square, round, or angled base. During the 17105 and 1720s octagonal and hexagonal faceted stems and bases, typical of the Queen Anne style, became fashionable. These elegant candlesticks, made in the higher-standard (”Britannia”) silver, were plain except for an engraved coat of arms at the bottom of the stem.
ROCOCO AND NEO-CLASSICAL STYLES Silver Candlesticks
The baluster shape remained the most popular design in the early and mid-18th century, but IT, the early 1730s candlesticks were slightly taller (19-23Cro/7e’2_9jlj high), with richer ornament of pleated, lobed forms on the base and stern. The influence of the Rococo style is evident in the chased shell motifs and flared, flower-like nozzles
of examples from the 17305 to the 17605. Some exceptionally fine candlesticks of this period have ornately cast and chased steins of figures holding the candle sconce above their heads. In the 1740s detachable nozzles were added to the spool-shaped sconces for saving dripping wax and for easier removal of candle stabs; some candlesticks found today have replacement nozzles because the originals were damaged or lost. Throughout this period some silversmiths specialized in the production of candlesticks; in England, the best known were the Gould and the Cafe families.
In the 1750 and 1760s simpler forms returned under the influence of the Neo-classical style. Candlesticks of this period, averaging 24 to 28.5cm (9f —I Ist) high, have plain, circular nozzles, square bases, and plain or faceted stems decorated with typically Classical gadrooning around the base, knici and sconce. By c.1765 Corinthian column
candlesticks had become fashionable, and by he 1770S and 1780s the French style of plain or fluted tapering baluster stein on a circular base, decorated with Neo-classical ornament such as reeding, beading, swags, and ram’s heads, was popular. Noted architects such as Robert Adam, James Wyatt, and Sir William Chambers also produced designs for Neo-classical candlesticks as part of their overall schemes for interior decoration.
Simple Neo-classical forms with restrained decoration were particularly v suited to new methods of manufacture. Silversmiths in the growing industrial centres of Birmingham and Sheffield used rolled sheet silver, made in flatting mills, to manufacture candlesticks on a large scale. As this silver was often of very thin gauge, the base of the candlestick was weighted, or “loaded”, with wood, pitch, or plaster of parts for stability. Mass production of loaded candlesticks in Birmingham and Sheffield increased after the opening of assay offices in those two cities in 1773; the candlesticks proved SO popular that London silversmiths often bought in provincially made pieces and overstani them with London marks. Loaded candlesticks were significantly less expensive than cast ones because much less silver was used, and they still fetch lower prices today.
SILVER TAPERSTICKS, CHAMBERSTICKS AND SNUFFERS
From the late 17th century silversmiths made taperstick, — smaller versions of candlesticks (10-13crr/4—Sin) —for holding a taper, or thin candle, with which to melt sealing wax and light tobacco pipes. Since the designs of taperstick, copy almost exactly those of candlesticks, many such pieces were probably supplied as a set, although taperstick, were usually made singly rather than as a pair. Front the irricl century the taperstick was replaced by the waxjack, featuring a central rod, around which the taper was coiled, on a circular foot.
chambersticks were used to light the way at night. Because each member of a household would need one, they were made fit large sets, but pairs were common after c.1800. They usually have a saucer-like base, decorated with reeding, beading, or gadrooning, with a central socket on a short stem, and detachable nozzles from the mid-18th century. Rare, early 17th-centUry chambersticks have long, flat handles, but ring- or scroll-shaped handles were introduced front the 1720s, with a thumb-piece and socket fora conical extinguisher. Some chambersticks also have a pierced slot under the sconce for snuffer scissors, but matching snuffer scissors and chambersticks are rarely found today.
Snuffers (scissor-like implements for trimming and collecting wicks) were an essential accessory for candles before the self-consuming wick was invented c.1800. They were produced by specialist makers. The earliest sets, from the late 17th to early 18th century, have vertical stands with faceted baluster stems and bases similar to contemporary candlesticks, sometimes with a conical extinguisher attached. Later sets have oblong or hourglass-shaped stands, like trays, with feet or handlts. Snuffer trays are sometimes sold today as pen trays.
Silver Candlesticks after 1800
By the late 18th century huge numbers of loaded sheet-silver candlesticks were being made using mechanized production in the English industrial centres of Sheffield and Buirraigham, primarily to meet demand from the newly prosperous middle classes. The Ire, mechanized techniques of rolling sheet silver, die-stamping, and die-sinking gradually began to replace laborious casting methods (although the best-quality candlesticks were still cast). Candlesticks were also among the earliest items made in Sheffield plate. As the 19th century progressed, elaborate surface ornament, in keeping with Victorian taste, and revivals of 17th- and 18th-century styles characterized the production of candlesticks. They remained popular as decorative items even after the invention of gas and oil lighting and, later, electricity.
LATE NEO-CLASSICAL CANDLESTICKS
At the end of the 18th century candlesticks of all kinds —cast, loaded sheet silver, or Sheffield plate — were made either in the Corinthian column style on a square foot, or in the plain or fluted tapering baluster form on a circular foot: both types are decorated with ornament derived from Classical architecture, such as swags, ram’s heads, vreaths, urns, and formal leaves. Thee are generally 25.5 to 31cm ( 10-12m) tall. Sheet-silver and Sheffield-plate candlesticks have Visible seaming lines where the separate sheet or plate parts have been joined. They may also have small holes in the silver (or patches Of visible copper on plate pieces), especially on areas of high relief, caused by overstretching the sheet or plate. Any die-stamped ornament should be sharply defined.
The telescopic adjustable candlestick, a speciality of Sheffield makers, was popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Made in loaded sheet silver and Sheffield plate, it featured a cylindrical stem fitted with telescopic slides rising from the base. Although telescopic candlesticks occasionally appear in auctions today, most do not worl, properly; their restoration can be costly.
THE 19TH-CENTURY REVIVAL STYLES Silver Candlesticks
In the 19th century silver items were produced in an unprecedented range of historical styles, mainly as a result of developments in mechanized production, which meant that manufacturers could reproduce almost any form or type of ornament. The widespread dispersal of aristocratic collections of historic plate also provided inspiration for designers. Motifs such as trefoils and arches derived from Gothic art, while the Rococo — more ornate and bulbous than the original 18th-CCutUry version — remained one of the most popular revival styles throughout the Venture.
REGENCY AND VICTORIAN CANDLESTICKS
In the Regency period (late ISth—cariv :19th centres candlesticks became more ornate, with richer foliate and scroll decoration on the base, at the top of the stem, and around the socket. From about the 1820, and 1830, candlestick-makers concentrated on imitating 17th-and 18th-cenrur.% styles, beginning with the Rococo. Candlesticks in the Rococo Revival taste arc richly chased all over with scrolls and flowers and have undulating baluster stems, but the curves are heavier, the proportions less balanced, and the sconces more bulbous than on 18th-century originals; most were also made of loaded sheet silver, rather than cast as they would have been in the first half of the 18th century. Since mechanized manufacture resulted in less expensive products, large sets of matching candlesticks were more popular in this period than
Candlesticks in revival styles were produced in both larger and smaller versions of the originals; man, were also made as exact copies of originals to replace those that were damaged or lost, although there are although a number of fakes. Figural candlesticks were particularly popular during the 19th century, reflecting contemporary taste for novelty pieces. Subjects for figural candlesticks included caryatids, knights in armour, and rustic figures of shepherds and shepherdesses; pairs usually consist of male and female figures.
In the 1890s there was a revival of the fashion for column candlesticks, this time with stepped square bases and with inam, variations in the patterns of the borders and the capital. These are generally smaller than late 18th-centurN versions — about 14can 15′ 2111) high. Afam candlesticks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were wired for electrical lighting as dressing-table of desklights — in such cases there mac be holes in the base for the electrical cord. During the Vogue for the Queen Anne stele in the early 20th century, sonic silversmiths produced copies of early 18th-century styles; these can be distinguished from originals by their use of sterling silver instead of the Britannia standard and by their detachable no,zlcs, which did not appear before c.1740.
With the invention of the self-consuming candle wit: in the early 19th century, snuffers became obsolete, although some were made in revival stales.
THE NEW INDUSTRIAL CENTRES
Candlesticks were among the first items mass-produced in the English cities of Birmingham and Sheffield, using newly developed mechanized methods of manufacture. With the expansion of industry in those cities in the mid-19th century, candlestick manufacture became a specialized trade. The rolling, mill, invented c.1740, enabled a silver ingot to be flattened into a sheet of uniform gauge, while the fly press, developed in the 1760, and 1770x, made accurate and repetitive piercing possil-il, Both these inventions reduced labour and manufacturing costs, since they replaced laborious hammering and hand-piercing. Decorative components were also mass-produced by die-stamping. The sheet of metal was placed oil a block with a sunken die in the form of the pattern to lie reproduced; this was struck with a hammer with a relief pattern in the sart, shape as the dic. This method was used for items in both silver and Sheffield plate, and a vast range of styles and forms was made possible by interchanging the decorative stamped components. As complete sets of dies were highly expensive, then were often used by several manufacturers, resulting in the production of identical patterns by a Nall of silversmiths. These new industrialized methods were especially well exploited by the Birmingham makers Matthew Boutton ( 1728-1809) and John Fothergill (ti. 1782), who pioneered the use of the steam-powered rolling mill in the late 18th century.

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