Furniture Terminology: The Gainsborough Chair

In this, the second part of our new series of posts looking at common terminology used in the furniture world and attempting to find the reasons for the names, we are looking at the Gainsborough chair.  Unlike the story of the Pembroke table in our previous post where some amount of debate exists as to …

Furniture Terminology: The Pembroke Table

In this new series of blog posts for 2024 we are taking various examples of furniture terminology, whether the name of a particular piece, or a reference to the decorative treatment used on a series of pieces, and doing our best to explain the origins of the term with references to examples in our current …

A Masterpiece in Satinwood: A Bookcase or Secretaire Cabinet Attributed to Mayhew and Ince or Thomas Chippendale, circa 1770

The recent publication of Sir Hugh Roberts' and Charles Cator's Ingenuity and Industry: The Partnership of William Ince and John Mayhew has seen the firm of Mayhew and Ince and its output given due academic scrutiny at last. Monographs on Chippendale and Linnell have long since revived debate around those two firms and now we can …

The Furniture of John Cobb

One of the most famous of all the 18th century cabinetmakers, John Cobb is believed to have been born in Norfolk in c.1715 and was apprenticed as an upholder in Norwich. The 18th century term upholder refers to someone who executed upholstered furniture but also took care of what we might today term decorative roles in an …

Seating in Silhouettte: Chairs in Profile

A George II walnut side chair attributed to Giles Grendey shown in profile Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection Back by popular demand... we are looking at chairs from a different angle today. A George II walnut Gainsborough chair attributed to Giles Grendey Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection You would always expect to see a chair front on, or perhaps at a …

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 …

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 …

Friday Finds: A Look Back at the Archives

A Pair of George III Marquetry Card Tables attributed to John Cobb from Stowe, Buckinghamshire Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection We are continuing our series 'Friday Finds' looking at some archival material related to the exceptional pair of Stowe card tables in our collection. This very fine pair of George III kingwood and brass-inlaid card tables …

The Age of Walnut Exhibition Spotlight: A Pair of George II Green Japanned Bureau Bookcases

A Pair of George II Green Japanned Bureau Bookcases attributed to Giles Grendey Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection Our Age of Walnut exhibition continues in the gallery this week, and today we are highlighting a magnificent piece from the exhibition. We are always on the search for the rare, the unique, and the magnificent.  We are delighted …

A Triumph of English Design: The Bachelors Chest

English antique furniture has long been admired by collectors for its exceptional craftsmanship and design.  In addition to this general admiration, there are specific pieces of English furniture that have become iconic, and one of them is the bachelors chest.  Bachelors chests first appeared in the latter half of the 17th century.  These chests are …