The term ‘Boulle’ was taken from the surname of it’s most skilled artisan André Charles Boulle (1642–1732). Boulle was a cabinetmaker, sculptor and gilder to King Louis XIV of France, and from 1672 he was granted the royal privilege of living in the Palais du Louvre. ‘Boulle’ work refers to the practice of overlaying furniture …
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Established in 1807 by Edinburgh businessman Richard Whytock, the furniture-making firm became ‘Whytock and Reid’ when he formed a partnership with John Reid in 1876. If you’ve lived in Edinburgh, you might have seen their workshop based in Sunbury House, Belford Mews (near Dean Village). Whytock earned his first warrant from Queen Victoria in 1838 …
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Antique mirrors can be one of the most interesting features of any modern home – and they are also incredibly diverse!The mirror is not a modern invention but has instead been used since ancient times, from Egyptian mirrors in polished bronze (2900BC), to Chinese bronze mirrors dating as early as 2000BCE. The complete history of …
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We’re excited to announce that as a big thank you for all of your support over the past 40 years we are having a sale! All stock will be 20% off (excluding sale stock) for only 40 days. It will run from 2 April to the 12 May 2018 and the discount will be on …
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It Began With Gillows… The term ‘davenport’ is first noted in Gillows’ Cost Books in the 1790s. Gillows were a prosperous cabinetmaking firm operating out of Lancaster and London from the 1730s to the 1840s. The term appeared in the phrase ‘Captain Davenport, a desk’ next to a design of it. This became one of …
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From the 15th century onwards public clocks had been erected in the squares and local spaces of larger towns around Scotland, from Peebles to Dundee. The mechanisms of these early clocks were produced overseas, and it wasn’t until the late 15th century to early 16th century that British clockmakers became competent in making and repairing …
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We have a large and interesting collection of mahogany and brass furniture in stock at the moment. This type of furniture possibly derived from cabinetmakers fitting out carriages, ships and trains in the last century. Wood and brass was used for various fittings, such as door handles, luggage racks, and coat stands. Some of this …
Continue reading…Black Forest carvings usually depict forest animals, particularly bears, and also trees and foliage. A common misconception is that they originate from the Bavarian Black Forest of southwestern Germany, but it has in fact been established that they are the creation of Swiss carvers, originating in the town of Brienz. From humble beginnings of a …
Continue reading…John Dixon, owner of Georgian Antiques for over 30 years, will offer his expert views on antiques ‘Made in Scotland’ as part of the Curator’s Choice Tours at Dumfries House. Thursday 28th January 14.00-16.00.
Continue reading…Antique bookcases come in a wide variety of sizes, styles and woods and remain a functional as well as an attractive piece of furniture to grace any home or office.
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The Orkney chair is probably one of the most iconic pieces of Scottish vernacular furniture. Now highly collectable (with examples at the Victoria & Albert Museum) Orkney chairs were originally made with a very practical design. The chair style that we know today was standardised in the mid-19th century by David Kirkness of Kirkwall. It …
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(Robert Lorimer at work in the office of Sir Robert Rowand Anderson. Painted by his elder brother John Henry Lorimer, 1886) Sir Robert Lorimer is to Edinburgh what Charles Rennie Mackintosh is to Glasgow. Lorimer’s impressively vast body of work covered the length and breadth of Great Britain, as well as venturing into Europe. Here …
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The chest of the drawers is one of the most iconic pieces of Georgian furniture. It superseded the previous custom of storage in trunks, colloquially called ‘kists’ in Scotland. Most early Georgian chests were made of oak or oak veneered with native woods such as walnut, and rarely more exotic examples were veneered with laburnum. …
Continue reading…William Trotter was one of Scotland’s finest and certainly one of Edinburgh’s greatest cabinet makers, whose distinctive furniture is recognisable by its style and excellent quality.
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