Dressing Table
post 1894 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The London department store of Liberty & Co. produced this table as part of a bedroom suite. Liberty's were quick to make commercial versions of the sort of designs that architects such as M. H. Baillie Scott and Charles Voysey produced for special commissions. The piece is simple in construction. There is a suggestion of the Gothic Revival in the arched cut-outs. It also reminds us of early cabinets made by the well-known decorating firm of Morris & Co.
The number stamped in the drawer indicates that Liberty's registered the design at the Patent Office in 1894. This protected it from being copied by other cabinetmakers. Liberty's offered this romantic interpretation of an old English vernacular style as an alternative to their furniture in the Art Nouveau style. It was widely promoted in catalogues of the time.
The number stamped in the drawer indicates that Liberty's registered the design at the Patent Office in 1894. This protected it from being copied by other cabinetmakers. Liberty's offered this romantic interpretation of an old English vernacular style as an alternative to their furniture in the Art Nouveau style. It was widely promoted in catalogues of the time.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Oak, with iron fittings and mirror glass |
| Brief description | A dressing table of oak, with integral mirror, fitted with two drawers. The dressing table is of A-shape in elevation, the side supports with trefoil cut-outs, and with three similar cut-outs below the mirror. The two drawers are fitted with triangular iron drop handles. |
| Physical description | A dressing table of oak, with integral mirror, fitted with two drawers. The dressing table is of A-shape in elevation, the side supports with trefoil cut-outs, and with three similar cut-outs below the mirror. The two drawers are fitted with triangular iron drop handles. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Reg. No. 232372 (in top drawer; stamping) |
| Credit line | Given by Mr. J. E. H. Simon |
| Production | Attribution note: Part of a bedroom suite, this dressing table represents the commercial interpretation of specially commissioned designs by Voysey and Baillie-Scott. It is an interpretation based on Old- English vernacular with some Gothic revival suggested in the arched cut-outs. |
| Summary | The London department store of Liberty & Co. produced this table as part of a bedroom suite. Liberty's were quick to make commercial versions of the sort of designs that architects such as M. H. Baillie Scott and Charles Voysey produced for special commissions. The piece is simple in construction. There is a suggestion of the Gothic Revival in the arched cut-outs. It also reminds us of early cabinets made by the well-known decorating firm of Morris & Co. The number stamped in the drawer indicates that Liberty's registered the design at the Patent Office in 1894. This protected it from being copied by other cabinetmakers. Liberty's offered this romantic interpretation of an old English vernacular style as an alternative to their furniture in the Art Nouveau style. It was widely promoted in catalogues of the time. |
| Bibliographic reference | Bennett, Daryl, LIberty's Furiture 1875-1915. The Birth of Modern Interior Design. Woodbridge, Antique Collectors' Club, 2012 (ISBN 978-1-85149-689-1), p. 139, fig. 4.106. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.18:1 to 4-1984 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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