Cupboard
1928 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Peter van der Waals was born in Holland in 1870 and worked as a foreman for Ernest Grimson at his workshop in Daneway House near Sapperton, Gloucestershire, England. The workshops had been started by Gimson and Sidney and Ernest Barnsleyto produce furniture in the tradition of the Arts and Crafts Movement. This cabinet was inspired by British furniture of the 17th century and demonstrates the continuing strength of the Arts and Crafts tradition in Britain even after World War I. After Gimson’s death in 1919, van der Waals started his own workshop in Chalford, Gloucestershire, producing domestic furniture.
The honest construction of the cabinet, which uses solid wood and has revealed joints, connects Waals to the traditions of the 19th century designers William Morris and A W. N. Pugin. Frank Pick, who commissioned the cabinet, was a life-long admirer of Morris and deeply committed to real links between art and industry. As Commercial Manager, and later Chief Executive of London Transport he was a major patron of modern artists and designers.
The honest construction of the cabinet, which uses solid wood and has revealed joints, connects Waals to the traditions of the 19th century designers William Morris and A W. N. Pugin. Frank Pick, who commissioned the cabinet, was a life-long admirer of Morris and deeply committed to real links between art and industry. As Commercial Manager, and later Chief Executive of London Transport he was a major patron of modern artists and designers.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 6 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Figured walnut, with copper handles and steel locks |
| Brief description | Cupboard, designed and made by Peter Waals, 1928 |
| Physical description | Cupboard, on a stand which has two legs at each side, attatched by struts, and another curved bridging strut. Cupboard itself has two central opening doors above 3 drawers, 2 short and one long. The front of the carcass is figured with lozenge motifs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Miss C. Jackson |
| Object history | Object sampling carried out by Jo Darrah, V&A Science; drawer/slide reference 6/14. |
| Historical context | Waals, a Dutchman, had worked as a furniture maker at the Daneway Workshops of Ernest Gimson and Sidney and Ernest Barnsley. This monumental cabinet was inspired by furniture of the seventeenth century and demonstrates the continuing strength of the Arts and Crafts tradition in Britain even after the 1914-18 war. The honest construction of the cabinet, which has revealed joints and uses solid wood, connects Waals to the traditions of Morris and Pugin. Frank Pick, who commissioned the cabinet, was a life-long admirer of William Morris, and deeply committed to real links between art and industry. As Commercial Manager, and later Chief Executive of London Transport he was a major patron of modern artists and designers. Craft furniture of this type represents the purest cabinet-making tradition. Commercial furniture design, however, also looked to the past as confirmation of national identity at a time of great social upheaval and international crisis. [Gareth Williams, 'British Design at Home', p.110] |
| Summary | Peter van der Waals was born in Holland in 1870 and worked as a foreman for Ernest Grimson at his workshop in Daneway House near Sapperton, Gloucestershire, England. The workshops had been started by Gimson and Sidney and Ernest Barnsleyto produce furniture in the tradition of the Arts and Crafts Movement. This cabinet was inspired by British furniture of the 17th century and demonstrates the continuing strength of the Arts and Crafts tradition in Britain even after World War I. After Gimson’s death in 1919, van der Waals started his own workshop in Chalford, Gloucestershire, producing domestic furniture. The honest construction of the cabinet, which uses solid wood and has revealed joints, connects Waals to the traditions of the 19th century designers William Morris and A W. N. Pugin. Frank Pick, who commissioned the cabinet, was a life-long admirer of Morris and deeply committed to real links between art and industry. As Commercial Manager, and later Chief Executive of London Transport he was a major patron of modern artists and designers. |
| Bibliographic reference | Hawkins, Jennifer & Levey, Michael F., Teaspoons to trains : the work of Frank Pick 1878-1941, London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1978
G2b |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.1:1 to 4-1942 |
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| Record created | February 8, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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