Posts Tagged ‘late pembroke breakfast table value’

CAMPAIGN FURNITURE
SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO BE ERECTED AND DISASSEMBLED IN A FEW MOMENTS, THE FURNITURE PRODUCED FOR OFFICERS TO TAKE ON CAMPAIGN WAS AS FASHIONABLE AS THAT MADE FOR THE HOME.
AS STARTLINGLY INCONGRUOUS as
the idea seems today, the military gentleman of the Victorian period would not countenance the idea of a foreign posting without taking his drawing room suite. Indeed, it appears that the 19th-century mindset detected nothing even faintly risible when Thomas Sheraton boasted in his 1803 Cabinet Directory that the addition of his stylish, collapsible furniture to one’s kit bag-”should not retard rapid movement, either after or from the enemy”. Among the -absolutely necessary” articles he produced for use on campaign were elegant dining tables that would seat as many as 20 guests.
A LONG TRADITION OF COMFORT Campaign furniture, or “knockdown” furniture
as it was often called, has its roots in the campaigns of the Napoleonic wars (1800-15). Among the most popular examples from this initial period of production was the Wellington chest, named after the legendary Duke. Available in a variety of sizes, it featured a
hinged, lockable bar that extended from the frame to secure the drawers.
During the reign of King George III (1760-1820), campaign furniture was commissioned almost exclusively by the wealthiest officers from the upper classes and was luxurious. Fine upholstery, leather lining, and intricate hidden compartments combined to make this furniture just as comfortable and elaborate as that produced for use in the home. Soon it was not just merchant officials and military officers who bought such furniture but also seafarers and families emigrating to start a new life abroad.
GOOD BUSINESS SENSE
By the mid-Victorian period, campaign furniture was a well-established and sophisticated feature of the best cabinet-makers’ repertoires. Of course, the most important feature of campaign furniture was that it should be easily transportable. Whereas most ordinary furniture was held together with dovetail or mortise-and-tenon joints, it was crucial that
knockdown furniture could be quickly erected and taken apart with the minimum of fuss.
REGENCY CAMPAIGN BED
This mahogany campaign bed, made by join] Durham of
London, has a rectangular headboard, downswept half-sides,
reeded baluster-turned posts, an arched tester; slatted base,
and six ring-turned legs. C.1810.
WILLIAM IV CAMPAIGN CHAIR
This dining chair, one of a set of Jour, has hinges at the front and back rail, which allow it to be folded neatly once the upholstered seat and two long bolts have been removed.
Most examples used screws, which did away with the need for specialist tools. Brass mounts, placed strategically in areas that were subject to bumps and knocks, especially the corners, helped to protect the furniture while it was in transit. A Victorian brassbound chest of drawers succeeded the Wellington chest as a campaign furniture staple. Composed of two parts, it was a simple matter to separate the top and bottom sections, which could then easily be carried with the aid of brass handles sunk into the body of the wood. Much campaign furniture was meant for use in the tropics and cabinetmakers used materials that were suited to extremes of heat and humidity. Canvas seats
were more comfortable in these conditions than wooden or upholstered examples, and cane furniture was far lighter and better suited to tropical climates than solid wood.
FASHION ON THE FRONT
Although campaign furniture was generally less fussy than that used in the home, expats and those on overseas assignments strove to keep up with the latest London fashions. The insular and competitive nature of life on camp was such that people would attempt to trump the efforts of the next man by acquiring the most extensive suite of furniture in the most up-to-date design. Furthermore, it was important for the colonialists to establish their perceived superiority over their charges. By displaying the wealth and sophisticated fashions of the seat of empire, an unspoken message might be conveyed to the “barbarous” natives. Asa result, a typical officer’s domicile might be furnished with a sofa, a dining table complete with six chairs, and two library or armchairs, all specifically designed for an itinerant lifestyle. Styles tended to lag slightly behind fashions at home, and pieces were often made in the country in which they were intended for use.

TRAVELLING GAMES TABLE
This early Victorian mahogany table has a top formed from its storage box. The top is marked with rosewood and boxwood veneers for chess and is
supported by a telescopic column on tripod legs. c.1840

The cotton canopy is white to reflect the sunlight.
The column supports are reeded and baluster -turned.
The slatted base is lightweight and can be folded.
The turned legs are on casters so that the bed is easy to move.
CAMPAIGN SECRETAIRE CHEST
Two drawers side-by-side sit below a career,
three-quarter gallery and above the secretaire di v( - of this camphonvood chest, which features brass-bound corners and contains a further lourshort drawers and three long drawers, all with sunk handles. 1835-40.

Yuan and early Ming
During the Mongol occupation and the early reigns of the Ming Dynasty, momentous changes occurred at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province. The kilns came under imperial patronage, and fine porcelain with underglaze decoration supplanted the glazed stonewares of the Song period as the most desirable form of ceramic. Exported Longquan celadons remained a vital source of revenue for the government.
PORCELAIN
Although porcellaneous wares had been made from the late 6th century, it was at Jingdezhen that porcelain developed to its full potential. The addition of kaolin (china clay) to the batch made it possible to make much larger pieces than before. Shu fu wares, which take their name from the two moulded Chinese characters shit and fu (”Privy Council”) found on their interiors, arc of thickly potted white porcelain with an opaque, greyish-white glaze; these were made during the Yuan period for the Ministry of Military and Civil Affairs.
UNDERGLAZE BLUE-AND-RED DECORATION
The use of underglaze decoration probably dates
from c.1330. Cobalt imported from Persia was applied directly onto the unfired body, which was then glazed and fired. Copper oxide, which fires red, was often used in combination with underglaze blue in the earliest painted wares of Jingdezhen, and by the late 14th century it was used on its own. Copper is much more volatile than cobalt and many of these pieces are flawed, the red being greyish and dull.
In 1368, after the Mongols were finally expelled from China, the Ming Emperor Hongwu (1368-98) imposed a strict trade embargo, and foreign cobalt became very rare. The use of copper oxide therefore became more widespread, and copper monochromes were introduced, reaching their peak in the reign of Xuande (1426-35). The Yongle (1403-24) and Xuande reign periods are also regarded as belonging to the classical era of blue and white, when foreign cobalt was once again in plentiful supply. The blue tended to filter through the glaze, creating an effect known as “heaped and piled”, much imitated during the Qing period.
Longquan
• FORMS abandonment of archaic forms in favour of large platters and forms dictated by the export market
• GLAZE thinner and more olive than on Song wares
• DECORATION very little space left undecorated
Qinghai
• FORMS large pieces made possible by the addition of kaolin to the paste
• DECORATION increasingly ornate, with little space left undecorated; beading and Buddhist figures common
Shu fu
• BODY thickly potted porcelain
• GLAZE opaque, greyish-white and waxy
• DECORATION may have moulded Chinese characters
shu and it scarcely visible under the glaze; moulded floral decoration on the inside and incised decoration on the outside
Blue-and-white wares
• FORMS bottles, bulbous wine jars, and large platters
(many with bracketed rims) for the export market
• GLAZE viscous in the Yuan period and inclined to
the pitted “orange-peel” effect in the early Ming
• BLUE dark speckled blue, known as “heaped and piled”, on some Xuande and Yongle pieces
• DECORATION themes include fish among aquatic plants, flower motifs, grapes, and vine tendrils (specifically for the export market)
• STYLE crowded arrangements in the Yuan, but elegant, harmonious spacing in the Yongle and Xuande periods