Object Type
Houses designed by C. F. A. Voysey (1857-1941) were like large, idealised country cottages. Their unornamented furniture (generally made of oak like this table) reflected the informality of the rooms. This table was made by the London firm of F. C. Nielsen, which also made other furniture designed by Voysey.
Design & Designing
Voysey's contemporary, the architect M. H. Baillie Scott (1865-1945), wrote, 'If one were to sum up in a few words the scope and purposes of Mr Voysey's work, one might say that it consists mainly in the application of serenely sane, practical and rational ideas to homemaking'. Here, Voysey has eliminated all metal fixtures: the components are simply wedged together. The original design for this table, dated 1903, is in the Royal Institute of British Architects' Drawings Collection, London. An inscription on the drawing refers to a house in Buckinghamshire called Hollymount, built by Voysey in 1905-1906.
Places
Where did this table come from? A photograph of the living room at Hollymount shows a similar table. However, around the same time Voysey remodelled a house in Chelsea, London, for the politician E. J. Horniman. Photographs of rooms in this house also include tables of this design. We cannot be sure whether this table is one of those included in these photos.
Physical description
Circular oak table. The top rests on four curved supports, the ends of these slot into a cylinder which is wedged between two hemispheres; the cylinder is supported by four more curved supports, which are also slotted into it.
Place of Origin
London, England (made)
Date
1903 (designed)
1905-1906 (made)
Artist/maker
voysey, born 1857 - died 1941 (designer)
F.C. Nielsen (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Oak, originally unpolished and unstained; present dark varnish is a later addition
Dimensions
Height: 69.5 cm, Diameter: 75 cm
Object history note
The table was designed as part of the furnishings of Knotty Green (subsequently called Hollymount), the house Voysey designed for C.T. Burke near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The design drawing of the table is dated by Voysey 1903, although the table was probably made in1905-6 when the house was completed. Two tables of the same design appear in photographs of Garden Corner, Chelsea, an interior conversion completed by Voysey for E.J. Horniman in 1906-7.
At the time of acquisition the vendor suggested the table (which was one of a pair on offer) may have been one from Corner Green, Chelsea.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Baillie Scott, M.H. On the characteristics of Mr C.F.A. Voysey's Architecture. The Studio. 1907-1908, vol XLii, pp.19-24
Description of Garden Corner, Chelsea, and illsutrations of the library showing a table of this model.
Betjeman, John. Charles Francis Annesley Voysey, The Architect of Individualism. Architectural Review. 1931. Vol. LXX, pp.93-95.
Illustration of table of this model p.95, alongside related folding table. The caption reads: "A folding table in oak left without stain or polish."
Symonds, Joanna. Catalogue of the Drawings Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects: C.F.A. Voysey. London: RIBA / Gregg International, 19XX cat. 364
Design for an oak table, 1903. Half plans, half-elevation, half-section & details. Inscribed "No nails or screws to be used in construction". INscribed "Nielsen £3.15.0" Dated "...Decr 30 1903."
Caption:
The top is circular and rests on four curved supports; the ends of these slot into a cylinder which is wedged between two hemispheres; the cylinder is supported by four more curved supports, which are also slotted into it. A table like this can be seen in published photographs of Hollymount, Knotty Green, near Beaconsfield.
Antiques Trade Gazette, 14 March 1981
Photograph of pair of these tables (one of which is V&A example), captioned "The two occasional tables made by F.C. Nielsen and designed by C.F.A. Voysey which were bought by Jeremy Cooper for £2400 and £3100 at Sotheby's Belgravia on February 25.
Karen Livingstone and Linda Parry, eds., International Arts & Crafts (V&A: V&A Publications, 2005), p.19.
Exhibition History
Life and Art: Arts and Crafts from Morris to Mingei (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya 12/06/2009-16/08/2009)
Life and Art: Arts and Crafts from Morris to Mingei (Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo 21/01/2009-05/04/2009)
Life and Art: Arts and Crafts from Morris to Mingei (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto 13/09/2008-09/11/2008)
International Arts & Crafts (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 18/06/2006-18/08/2006)
International Arts & Crafts (Indianapolis Museum of Art 27/09/2005-22/01/2006)
International Arts & Crafts (Victoria and Albert Museum 17/03/2005-24/07/2005)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
Voysey's table shows the Arts and Crafts style at its simplest yet most sophisticated level. It was made in London for a house he designed in Buckinghamshire and cost £3.15s (£3.75p). In line with traditional manufacture, Voysey's original design states that 'No nails or screws [to] be used in construction'. [27/03/2003]
International Arts & Crafts
Voysey's furniture was both simple and sophisticated. The design relies on the quality of the wood and the method of construction. In line with traditional methods, his drawing for the table states 'No nails or screws [to] be used'. The lack of ornament in a piece like this reflected the informality of Arts & Crafts homes. [17/03/2005]
Production Note
Reason For Production: commission
Materials
Oak
Categories
Household objects; Furniture; Woodwork
Production Type
Limited edition
Collection code
FWK
