A Moment in Local Literary History: St. James’s Revisited

A while ago we wrote about the history of St. James's and Ryder Street, where our gallery is located.  You can read about the history here. Today we thought we would revisit the subject and focus on a particular historical figure who has a connection to Ryder Street: Jonathan Swift.  Swift was an Anglo-Irish author …

It’s All Greek (or Latin, or Celtic) to Me: The Origin of Furniture Vocabulary

We use basic furniture vocabulary every day without thinking twice: chair, table, mirror... the list goes on.  But when you pause for a minute and think about the origins of these words, you have to go back several thousand years.  Today we will look at just a few of them. Chair The word chair dates …

Make a Good First Impression: Georgian Hall Chairs

The antique hall chair is the epitome of the first impression.  These chairs were often one of the first pieces one would see when entering the house.  These chairs were placed in the main hall or entryway and served as a seat for guests who were waiting to enter the rest of the house. Hall chairs …

Anatomy of an Exhibition: Preparing a Catalogue

With our exhibition only days away, we are continuing our series about the Anatomy of an Exhibition by discussing one of the most important parts of the exhibition: the catalogue.  Exhibition catalogues provide an invaluable resource during the exhibition and once it has finished, as a record of the pieces brought together for the show. …

The ABCs of Decorative Arts: Dovetailing

Back to the ABCs with our journey through the decorative arts, with today's topic focusing on dovetailing.  This technique is startlingly simple yet so fundamental to cabinetmaking that it can be found on almost every piece of case furniture in our gallery.     Dovetailing is a technique in joinery that secures two pieces of …

Right in the Heart of London: Our Gallery in St James’s

We like to keep an active presence online to reach clients worldwide, but the heart of our operation is in our London gallery.  Being in St James's is ideal, as it is a central hub for art dealers and auction houses.  In fact, Christie's is on our doorstep, and leading dealers in Old Master paintings, …