Arts and Crafts Period Jewelry Chest by Gustav Stickley
View Similar Items
Arts and Crafts Period Jewelry Chest by Gustav Stickley
About the Item
- Creator:Gustav Stickley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 42 in (106.68 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Arts and Crafts (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Oak,Wood
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2006
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Dallas, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: MD12 - 10131stDibs: LU164623491172
Gustav Stickley
Gustav Stickley was one of the principal figures in the American Arts and Crafts movement and the creator of the Craftsman style. As a furniture designer and publisher of the magazine The Craftsman, he adopted many of the ideals of the British design reform movement and popularized both its philosophy and its aesthetics in the United States.
Born in Wisconsin, Stickley moved with his family to Pennsylvania when he was a teenager and began working in his uncle’s chair factory in the town of Brandt. There, he learned the techniques of late-19th-century furniture making at a time when the vogue was for Victorian revival furniture, which was characterized by extensive ornamentation.
In 1883, Stickley established a furniture company called Stickley Brothers with two of his brothers, Albert and Charles (Gustav’s other siblings, Leopold and John George, would later form L & J.G. Stickley Inc.). When Stickley Brothers foundered, he partnered five years later with salesman Elgin Simonds to form a new firm, Stickley & Simonds, which produced traditional furniture that appealed to the burgeoning American middle class. The success of this venture enabled Stickley to travel to Europe, where he discovered the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris, the two preeminent thinkers of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Stickley also traveled to France, where the Art Nouveau movement impressed him with its imaginative designs and skilled craftsmanship.
Stickley parted ways with Simonds at the turn of the 20th century and decided to focus his creative energies on producing furniture in what became known as the Craftsman style, incorporating some of the elements of the designs and movements he had encountered in Europe.
The pieces Stickley created, which he stamped with the logo of a joiner’s compass, were rectilinear, largely free of ornament, made of oak, and built in such a way that the nature of their construction was plainly visible — all reflections of the tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement. While some people referred to Stickley’s furniture as Mission furniture — a term that references the furnishings of the Spanish missions in California — Gustav commonly called his work “Craftsman” owing to the inspiration he found in the British Arts and Crafts movement.
Stickley benches and rocking chairs were popular, and his leather-upholstered armchairs combine practicality, comfort and an understated silhouette. He also made side tables — an unusual example designed during the early 20th century was adorned with an octagonal Grueby Pottery tile in a cool shade of green, which made it an ideal piece for an art pottery collector.
In 1901, Stickley launched The Craftsman magazine, which contained articles on all manner of domestic topics, from gardening and cooking to art and design, as well as poetry and fiction. In addition to popularizing Stickely’s own designs, the magazine acquainted Americans with the Arts and Crafts style in all its forms through its graphic design and the bungalows, art pottery, and hammered-copper lamps pictured in its pages. It also encouraged readers to practice craft themselves, promoting an early form of the do-it-yourself ethos.
In 1904, Stickley founded the Craftsman Home Builders' Club, which allowed subscribers to his magazine to order architectural plans for the Arts and Crafts–style structures that were featured in its pages; eventually, this became one of its most popular features.
An ill-timed attempt to set up a New York showroom led to Stickley’s filing for bankruptcy in 1915. The outbreak of World War I, waning interest in the Arts and Crafts style, and increased competition all conspired to thwart Stickley's efforts. The Craftsman ceased publication a year later. When he died, in 1942, Arts and Crafts had been replaced by modernism as the favored aesthetic. It enjoyed a resurgence, however, in the 1970s, and Stickley is now regarded as one of the most important American designers in the first half of the 20th century.
Find antique Gustav Stickley tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Gustav Stickley – Craftsman Homes, Gramercy Hardcover Book 1995By Gustav StickleyLocated in Philadelphia, PAGustav Stickley – Craftsman Homes, Gramercy, 1995. Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) was an American furniture manufacturer, design leader, publisher, and a leading voice in the American ...Category
1990s American Arts and Crafts Books
MaterialsPaper
- Broadwood 'Manxman' Oak Piano Arts and Crafts Designed by M. H. Baillie ScottBy Mackay Hugh Baillie ScottLocated in Leeds, GBArts and Crafts, 1904, 'Manxman' Broadwood piano with an oak case. Cabinet resembles a chest on a stand and is reminiscent of an old strong box from th...Category
Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Musical Instruments
MaterialsBrass
- Arts and Crafts Ibach Grand Piano Mahogany Designed by Dutch Architect CuypersLocated in Leeds, GBA 1916, German Arts and Crafts, Ibach grand piano with a mahogany case and carved panel detail. The mahogany cabinet is polished so as to emphas...Category
Early 20th Century German Arts and Crafts Musical Instruments
MaterialsBrass
- Arts and Crafts, Bechstein Upright Piano Rosewood Brass Hinges by Walter CaveBy Walter CaveLocated in Leeds, GBAn 1897, Arts and Crafts Bechstein upright piano with a polished, rosewood case, fretwork panels and ornate brass hinges in a stylised floral design. Unique design by Walter Cave, executed by C. Bechstein and exhibited by Maple & Co. C. Bechstein is inscribed on a square, brass plaque on the piano fall. The front panel features cupboard doors, which open so as to allow the music desk to fall into place. These doors occupy half the width of the front, so that they fold back out of the way of the player. The candle sconces are concealed behind the doors and brought into use when required. The music desk is in an openwork folkloric inspired design of stylised birds, foliage and flowers. The brass candle holders also feature cut-out stylised bird motifs. The front panel is flanked by two circular fretwork panels backed in fabric that act as a sound box...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Arts and Crafts Musical Instruments
MaterialsBrass
- An Arts and Crafts silver and moonstone brooch circa 1900Located in Central England, GBA most beautiful and fine silver arts and crafts brooch, unmarked (tested). This fine bar brooch is set with seven good sized moonstones, it has one single stone at each end with a ...Category
Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsSilver
- Arts and Crafts Oak Xylophone attributed to George WaltonBy George WaltonLocated in London, GBGeorge Walton attributed, an Arts and Crafts oak xylophone, with squashed heart details to each side and with six graduated brass bars with circular resonators. Originally designed f...Category
Early 20th Century Arts and Crafts Musical Instruments
MaterialsOak