EXPERT COMMENT David Harvey
Waxing lyrical English antique furniture specialist David
Harvey serves up another magnificent design from makers Gillows in the shape of a Regency sideboard
I
have been collecting pieces stamped by the renowned furniture maker Gillows for years. As regular readers are aware, there is a very definite quality associated with its name and I cannot recall ever having been disappointed with pieces from its workshops.
Not only that, one of the joys for the collectors is that Gillows maintained detailed Estimate Sketch Books (from 1784 to 1905) which are kept at the City of Westminster Archives, with detailed illustrations and descriptions of custom-made furniture. This record not only helped standardise its designs but also provides modern historians with a valuable insight into the furnituremaking process of the time. What a joy!
Gillows had a strong influence on the development of Regency and Victorian furniture styles. As can be seen on this fine Regency sideboard, Gillows combined classical influences with the fashionable designs of the day, resulting in pieces that were both stylish and functional.
Above Above The Regency The Regency
Above The Regency sideboard dated 1800 is a magnificent example of Gillows’ craftsmanship
Right Brass moulding on three sides of the sideboard echo the brightness of the polished splash rail
1803, and in the same year a pair of rosewood sofa tables as illustrated in Susan E. Stuart’s Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730–1840, highlighting their significance and design.
Splash rail The splash rail on this piece is designed to have a curtain hung from it to stop any splashes of fat or food in general from staining the silk wall hangings when a joint is being carved and food served. Another explanation suggests it also prevented damage to the wall from the hinged tops to cutlery or knife boxes.
Brass was chosen because it was highly resistant to tarnishing from food or liquids, relatively easy to polish, and it complemented the mahogany, rosewood, or oak finishes typically used in 19th-century sideboards.
As with many embellishments essential for the wellto-do Regency home, the splash rail was also a subtle indicator of wealth and refinement.
The polished brass gleaming in the candlelight or gaslight, would have enhanced the beauty of the furniture and the dining room itself. Sideboards like this one were made not only to satisfy the demands of the customer but to impress visitors.
One example of just how important they were can be seen in the dining room furniture supplied by Gillows for Lord Bolton at Hackwood Park in 1813. Among the many items supplied by Gillows are “24 Handsome Dining Chairs” and “A Sett of Dining Tables to accommodate 30 persons” as well as a sideboard described as a “Capital Social Table”.
In the detail Another interesting feature can be seen on the brass moulding around three sides of the sideboard under the drawers (below), which tied the brass above the board to the body of the piece.
The ebony banding around the top is echoed not only on the outside reeds of the reeded panels but also by the ebony cockbeading around the drawers.
Both have recesses for napery beneath the central main drawer, the one as a separate drawer and this piece with a tambour slide to access it.
with a tambour slide to access it.
Regency piece There are so many nice touches on this piece, including the brass splash rail with urn finials which is identical to the sideboard at Broughton Hall in North Yorkshire made by Gillows for its then owner Stephen Tempest (c.1759– 1824). Tempest commissioned several pieces from Gillows including a set of chairs from its Oxford Street shop in one might hesitate to serve one’s
‘While one might hesitate to serve one’s Sunday lunch from such a gorgeous piece, it is wonderful to imagine the dining experience over the years it has been privy to’
16 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
