Wardrobe thumbnail 1
Wardrobe thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Wardrobe

1902 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This wardrobe is a good example of furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. Designers working in this style were committed to honesty and simplicity in design, construction and materials. The solid form, restrained decoration and clearly visible joints of this piece reflect these values. They are also embodied in the oak from which the wardrobe is made. Oak was expensive wood at the time, but Arts and Crafts designers preferred it because it evoked an idealised England of long ago.
This piece was made at the Daneway House Workshops, Gloucestershire. Ernest Barnsley and Ernest Gimson set up the workshops in 1893 to make furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. This piece is an excellent example of the simpler furniture, constructed using clearly visible joints, which Barnsley designed. These pieces often used traditional country methods and materials rather than more refined historical techniques.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Wardrobe
  • Keys
Brief description
Oak wardrobe, British, 1902, designed by Ernest Barnsley and probably made at the Daneway House Workshops
Physical description
Arts and Crafts style oak wardrobe with chip-carving and latch closing
Dimensions
  • Height: 177cm
  • Width: 114cm
  • Depth: 66cm
Style
Summary
This wardrobe is a good example of furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. Designers working in this style were committed to honesty and simplicity in design, construction and materials. The solid form, restrained decoration and clearly visible joints of this piece reflect these values. They are also embodied in the oak from which the wardrobe is made. Oak was expensive wood at the time, but Arts and Crafts designers preferred it because it evoked an idealised England of long ago.
This piece was made at the Daneway House Workshops, Gloucestershire. Ernest Barnsley and Ernest Gimson set up the workshops in 1893 to make furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. This piece is an excellent example of the simpler furniture, constructed using clearly visible joints, which Barnsley designed. These pieces often used traditional country methods and materials rather than more refined historical techniques.
Bibliographic reference
Wilk, Christopher, ed. . Western Furniture 1350 to the Present Day. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. 230p., pp.190-191. Thornton, Peter. ‘A Very Special Year: The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Furniture Acquisitions in 1977’. Connoisseur, vol 198, no 196, June 1978.
Collection
Accession number
W.39:1, 2-1977

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Record createdNovember 27, 2002
Record URL
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