When Cabinet-Makers Unite: A Love Story

We may not know a great deal about the day to day lives of 18th century cabinet-makers, but there is one (romantic!) story that deserves attention. The renowned cabinet-maker Giles Grendey (who we have discussed here and here), had seven children: Mary, Elizabeth, Mary (another one), another daughter, Sukey, and Sam. Sukey went on to …

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Blair Castle: A Scottish Masterpiece

If you have read our blog before, you are probably familiar with our banner image in the heading of the blog. The picture shows the magnificent Drawing Room at Blair Castle, the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. The ceiling is decorated with magnificent plasterwork, and the room features exceptional torcheres by …

William Gomm: A Master of 18th Century Furniture

Detail of the top of a George III serpentine secretaire dressing chest attributed to William GommMackinnon Fine Furniture Collection There are several 'superstars' of Georgian furniture, including artisans like Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton, and Giles Grendey.  But there are other lesser known makers that have only recently been brought to light.  William Gomm is one such …

The Age of Walnut: A History (cont.)

A George I Burr Walnut Bureau from the collection of Duke of Chandos for Shaw House, Berkshire Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection Earlier in the week we shared a bit of history about the walnut tree for our Age of Walnut exhibition. We continue this history today looking at the emergence of walnut furniture in England …

The Age of Walnut Exhibition Spotlight: A George I Burr Walnut Bureau Cabinet

A George I Burr Walnut Bureau Cabinet attributed to the Master of the Royal Portuguese CabinetsMackinnon Fine Furniture Today we are sharing another spotlight from our summer exhibition, The Age of Walnut. This superb George I burr walnut bureau cabinet is attributed to the Master of the Portuguese Royal Cabinets. The cabinet is veneered in …

Friday Finds: A Look Back at the Archives

Detail from the George I scarlet japanned mule chest, Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection We are continuing our tradition of Friday Finds with a look back at the archives - today, we are exploring the history of the George I scarlet japanned mule chest in our collection. Antique furniture is not only defined by its age--it is also reflective of …

A Moment in Local Espionage History: MI6 & Ryder Street

The aim of this blog is to highlight antique furniture and historic interiors... but we couldn't resist sharing this fascinating bit of history from our very own Ryder Street, where we have had a gallery since 2009. In 1943, MI6 established Section V's headquarters at 14 Ryder Street.  Section V was the central foreign counter-espionage …

Duties & Customs: Thomas Chippendale & His Wily Tricks

Paying duties and customs are part of any modern shipping process: but it certainly isn't anything new.  Back in the eighteenth century, customs and international trade agreements had a significant impact on the way art and furniture arrived in England.  For example, the Seven Years War greatly decreased trade between England and France, but it …

Friday Finds: A Look Back at the Archives

A few weeks ago we started a new series called Friday Finds where we take a look back at the archives to learn more about the pieces in our collection.  It is a great way to put a piece in context by showing how it has been represented historically in other print sources. Today we …

A Peek at the Past: Japanning as Craft

In the course of doing research on pieces in our collection, we came across this wonderful record of a letter that Edmund Verney wrote to his daughter Molly in 1689.  Molly was at school at 'Great Chelsey' when she received the following encouragement from her father: I find you have a desire to learn to …