Ancient History: The Origin of Dogs of Foo

Dogs of Foo are guardian animals that originated in China and can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-211 CE).  These lion-like creatures were often placed at the entrances of palaces, temples, and homes to guard and protect.  Foo dogs are almost always shown in pairs, with one male and one female, to …

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Frozen in Time: Fossilized Marble

We looked at the use of marble in art, furniture, and design in a previous post, but today we want to focus on a specific type of marble: fossilised marble.  The concept of using marble as tabletops in England came from the Italian precedent and became popular in the 18th century.  Although many slabs of …

Presenting Flora & Fauna: The Natural World in Antique Furniture & the Decorative Arts

We are delighted to announce the launch of our holiday catalogue, Flora & Fauna: The National World in Antique Furniture & the Decorative Arts.  Since the earliest cave paintings from 25,000 BCE, men chose animals as their first subjects for cave paintings.  From then on, the world of flora and fauna has often dominated artistic depictions …

The Seat of Power: The Curule Form & Its Origin

You may not be familiar with the term curule, but you will no doubt be familiar with the furniture made in the curule form.  The history behind this furniture is fascinating, and the way that the furniture has evolved throughout time provides an interesting timeline that is still evolving. Curule is defined as a something …

Spotting the Shells: Georgian Furniture with a Shell Motif

At first glance, the following selection of furniture may appear to have little in common, besides the shared country of origin and eighteenth century creation date. However, upon closer inspection, you will see each piece incorporates a carved shell.  Today we will look at why the shell appears so frequently on eighteenth century English antiques …

The ABCs of Decorative Arts: Acanthus

When writing descriptions of antique furniture, we often describe in detail the decoration and ornamentation on the piece.  One of the features that appears again and again is the acanthus leaf.  But what actually is an acanthus, and why is it so popular? The acanthus ornament is a stylised version of a Mediterranean plant with jagged leaves …

Unearthing an Etruscan Mystery: A Penwork Pembroke Table Attributed to Henry Clay

Today's post focuses on the above Pembroke table, which is a highly unusual and rare survival of a specific type of furniture made in England in the late eighteenth century. Goethe, a poet and philosopher, once wrote, 'Naples is a paradise' (Italian Journey, 1787).  During the second half of the eighteenth century, when Goethe was …