Arts and Crafts Furniture

Under-appreciated but exceptionally made Antique New Williams Company treadle sewing machine with leather belt and working mechanism. Inside it ...

Stunning and elegant Arts & Crafts mantel clock. Design by Sneltjes Haarlem. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Patinated brass case with Arts & Crafts numerals on the dial. This ...

Fabulous carved and paint decorated in the Arts & Crafts manner. Copper bottom with cutouts on all four sides. This item can be parcel posted. Feet to keep it elevated. In excellent ...

Wonderful oak chest or box. This is a very special piece. The best quality of cabinet making and the finest choice of timber. Probably made in the Cotswolds, England The hinges ar...

An exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table By L. & J.G. Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Gorgeous quarter sawn oak, with original hammered copper hardwa...

A gorgeous antique Mission or Arts & Crafts period double bookcase cabinet By Lifetime Furniture USA, Circa 1900 Quarter sawn oak, with mullioned glass front doors, and original ...

Magnificent and rare Arts & Crafts Mission rocking chair. Striking American design from the 1900s. Quarter-sawn oak frame with two hand-carved monks in the back rest. The rocking cha...

Antique Shaw Walker Quarter Sawn Oak 4 Drawer Arts & Crafts Office File Cabinet. Circa Early 1900s. Measurements: 52" H x 17.75" W x 27.5" D.

Manner of E Gimson. A set of three lovely quality Arts and Crafts oak ladderback dining or side chairs with hand sculptured ladders to the back and retaining the original rush seats....

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Arts & Crafts Shapland & Petter Hall stand with hand hammered Copper panels over a Walnut frame with inset sheild mirror Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price A very good looking well made and decorative hat glove coat and scarf rack, this one is rare as it has the central mirror and its an earlier than usual example circa 1900 Made by Shapland & Petter, a full blub on their life and works can be found below In terms of the condition it is straight and solid, the piece sits well in any setting and looks decorative and very English country house, we have cleaned waxed and polished the timber, there is one hook slightly bent, otherwise its in fine order Dimensions Height:- 205cm Width:- 113cm Depth:- 40cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple Introduction This Barnstaple based company manufactured some of the finest pieces of furniture in Arts and Crafts style but very little has been written about the company or the pieces they produced. It a great shame that whilst Shapland and Petter pieces have been illustrated in books and auction catalogues they are invariably attributed to other makers such as Liberty and Co in London or Wylie and Lochhead in Glasgow. With this feature, we intend to inspire a more thorough appreciation of the work of the company; readers are invited to help with the task by sending photographs and information. Collectors and auction houses are now showing significantly more interest in Shapland and Petter pieces. The company, based in Barnstaple, England produced a very wide range of furniture in several different styles including many pieces in period reproduction and municipal style for town halls and commercial premises alongside their superb Arts and Crafts range Distinctive features of their superb Arts and Crafts style are the use of heart shaped piercing, geometric shapes with angled arches and the application of repousse copper panels. Decoration with marquetry, metal inlay, mounting of ceramic and enamel cabochons were techniques which they mastered with a combination of state of the art technology and traditional craftsmanship. Most distinctively, the pieces were extremely well made, with care and very best quality materials The growing interest in Shapland and Petter has raised many questions about the origins of the firm, and the sources of influence on their designs, some of which resemble designs by Ashbee, Ballie Scott, Voysey and Talwin Morris. Links have been assumed with Liberty and Co with the supposition Shapland and Petter worked on commissions for Liberty. There appears to be little evidence to support many of the assumptions which have developed around the company and this article is intended to help to start the discussion and to stimulate research The History of Shapland and Petter The Museum of North Devon in Barnstaple have an archive of Shapland and Petter which includes some company records and a small display of furniture and related items. The following text gives history of the company and is reproduced from the display boards in the museum with kind permission of North Devon Museums For over 100 years the Shapland and Petter factory has stood at the end of Barnstaple Long Bridge. Manufacturers of doors, door sets, and custom wood interiors, NT Shapland and Petter Ltd are still one of the towns largest employers. The company was established by Henry Shapland (b. 1823), a cabinet maker by trade. He embarked on a voyage to America in 1848, where he was inspired by an invention for a wave-moulding machine. He was only allowed to see it if he left the country immediately. Returning home with only rough notes, he reproduced the machine and in 1854 began a cabinet making business in one room at the Raleigh woolen mill in Pilton. Later the firm moved to Bear Street in Barnstaple. Henry Petter was an accountant who entered into partnership with Mr Shapland. The business progressed and in 1864 they bought the Raleigh Factory where Shapland first began his work. Success was rapid, but in 1888 the building burnt down. Immediately work began on a bigger and better factory - their present site by the Long Bridge - which included many modern inventions The two Henrys died within two years of each other - Petter in 1907 and Shapland in 1909. In 1924 Shapland and Petter merged with the Barnstaple Cabinet Company, producing North Devon's biggest industry. During the First World War Shapland and Petter's skilled craftsmen turned their hands to wooden propellers for the aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps. After the war, public tastes changed, and hand carved furniture was too expensive for many. Shapland and Petter's output now included elegant veneered pieces with smooth Art Deco lines. The company fitted out Pullman carriages and ocean liners and made hand-carved church furniture. The famous England Rugby Captain W. W. Wakefield was appointed Company Director in 1927. Throughout the depression of the late 1920's and early 1930's the company still managed to produce high quality work Furniture manufacturing continued until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Many workers left to fight, while the factory worked on Air Ministry contracts for ammunition boxes. After the war came radio cabinets and laboratory and contract furniture, until eventually large quantities of doors were being produced for hospitals, hotels, schools, offices and other buildings. Examples of Shapland and Petter's work can be seen all over North Devon. In Barnstaple, the shop front at 109 High Street is a good example, and the interior of the old Lloyd's Bank, now Chamber's Brasserie, was also Shapland's work. Examples of carving by Shapland's men can be seen in two chairs and a reading desk in Barnstaple Parish Church As cabinet makers, Shapland and Petter employed up to 350 people at a time. There were designers, carvers, cabinet makers, machinists, polishers, and labourers. The company was one of the first to install American labour-saving devices and was keen to adopt the most up-to-date machinery The fire of 1888 at the Raleigh Cabinet Works was a huge loss for the company. However, it resulted in a new factory which was altogether more modern and better equipped. The new building by the river was arranged into blocks. The production line began with the saw mills and ended with the finishing rooms. There was modern machinery in every department - one of their saws was the first of its kind in Britain. Water sprinklers and electric lights were a necessity - this factory would not burn down As well as the furniture production, Shapland and Petter imported timber by sea and rail. The new factory 's facilities were exceptional Shapland and Petter were renowned for excellent design and workmanship. The carvers were highly skilled, serving seven year apprenticeships and attending classes at the Barnstaple School of Art. Ornately carved furniture required up to a hundred tools The factory produced made to order woodwork for banks, hotels, and shops; mantelpieces, paneling and staircases. They fitted out Pullman railway carriages, the London Guildhall, and Edgar Wallace 's dining room as well as houses like Tapeley Park in North Devon Much of the work involved intricate leaded glass panels, or inlaid fruitwood designs, like the white bedroom suite shown in the exhibition here. This type of work is typical of Art Nouveau 1895 to 1910, inspired by the fluid shapes of plants and flowers Many pieces were made from standard designs. There were hundreds to choose from, and a selection could be seen in local and London showrooms and in catalogues. Although mass-produced, this furniture was well-made by skilled technicians and modern machinery Arts and Crafts designs of Shapland and Petter The development of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the South West of England has not been written up in any detail though we do know of the Art Potters of Barnstaple from the excellent book of this name by Audrey Edgeler. Less is known of the Barnstaple Guild of Metal Workers. We know of the Bath Cabinet Makers and the Newlyn School of Industrial Art in Cornwall but very little has been written about the furniture makers of Barnstaple in Devon The establishment of a large cabinet making firm in Barnstaple is not remarkable in itself; there were several cabinet makers in the area. What is interesting is that this particular Barnstaple firm should become a leading maker of Arts and Crafts furniture, copying the styles of the leading Architect designers and creating their own unique style Critics may point out that as their work was commercially driven and reliant upon machines it therefore does not really qualify as Arts and Crafts. Whilst the company was highly innovative in machine technology, they also employed many craftsmen who worked with their hands in woodcarving, marquetry work, design and application of decorative copperwork and other artistic embellishment in the true Arts and Crafts tradition. Anyone who has experience of Shapland and Petter workmanship knows the level of craftsmanship invested in each piece Sources of inspiration There appears to be no evidence to link any known architect, artist or designer to the Shapland and Petter company. Their designs appear to have been created solely by their own internal design staff none of whom appear to have published or registered their work in any other context C. R. Ashbee who established the Guild of Handicrafts visited Barnstaple in 1893 and provided a twelve week course on the design and decoration of furniture. It is presumed that this visit was hosted by Shapland and Petter, and that their own staff and those from other local furniture makers attended the course. Ashbee appears to have been unimpressed by the commercial attitudes he encountered and apparently disappointed at the lack of interest in his (high minded) lectures. What is interesting however is the similarity between some of his designs and those used by Shapland and Petter, particularly in respect to inlaid floral design. Perhaps he left a lasting influence which has not yet been verified There has been some speculation on the influence of Scottish designers, particularly because of the use of Glasgow rose designs which are typical of the Glasgow School, and particularly of Talwin Morris. There are also several designs which use similar motifs to those used by Baillie Scott, the use of two doves in flight for example. More research is needed to trace possible links here. One thing that is clear is that there was a great deal of copying and selling designs in the furniture industry at the time and a nineteenth century survey on the furniture trade recorded that '' Barnstaple pays the best prices for designs ..'' Collaboration with other companies There is evidence that Shapland and Petter organised a wide network of companies to retail their products and hence many pieces have the labels of retail furnishers added. Little is known of their marketing in Europe and America but it may be that many Arts and Crafts pieces were sold abroad. Shapland and Petter had excellent access to rail and shipping lines for importing timber and presumably for exporting their finished products The extent of their collaboration with other companies is yet to be ascertained but there is evidence that their suppliers included the Della Robbia Pottery, Pilkingtons Tile...

Leather Upholstered Brass Club Fender This is a stylish piece, it is made in brass the seats are upholstered in Golden tan leather, it has a low curved rail at the centre front The...

Early 20th Century Irish Donegal Arts & Crafts Carpet 13'3" x 14' - 404 x 427

A very rare antique American carved Savanarola dragon chair, by Robert Mitchell, circa 1900. This most unusual chair by Robert Mitchell (formerly Mitchell...

Liberty and Co attributed. An Arts & Crafts oak sideboard in the Glasgow style with a generous flat display area to the very top, dentil moulded cornice below with central upper angl...

Antique English Arts & Crafts Stick Back Windsor Chair, Heals Of London Oak construction circa 1900 Very good condition commensurate of age.

Liberty and Co, a pair of Arts & Crafts ladder back side chairs with the original finely laid rushed seats and stylish simple upright details to the fronts, uniting the front stretch...

Solid oak Arts & Crafts Barrister cabinet with a unique combination of narrow drawers, larger filings drawers and a cabinet. Excellent patina through...

Liberty and Co. attributed. A tall Arts and Crafts Walnut torchère. The square top with organic style supports below, the fine tapering legs united by a cross stretcher with little ...

Stunning and elegant Arts & Crafts Art Nouveau coffee table. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak base with hand-crafted elements and original solid top. This wonderful Ar...

Liberty & Co. an Arts & Crafts 'A' framed hand-hammered copper wall mirror. With the original bevelled glass plate mirror.

A rare set of four solid oak chairs, designed by Martin Nyrop for Copenhagen City Hall around 1905 and crafted by the esteemed Rud. Rasmussen cabinetmakers. These chairs feature pier...

Shapland and Petter. A quality suite of ten Arts & Crafts oak dining chairs with a rare three seat model with carved roundel to the head rests. These have all been gently knocked ap...

An exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with original hammered copper hardware. M...

Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple. England. An Arts and Crafts oak double piano stool, window, or duet seat with stylized details throughout. Las...

An Arts and Crafts walnut Hall stand by Shapland and Petter with a copper panel depicting a mythical creature to the top, leaf cut-outs to the centre with circular ball uprights to e...

Magnificent and rare Arts & Crafts Art Nouveau wall cabinet. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak with wonderful hand carved calla lilies. In very good condition with m...

Shapland and Petter. A rare Arts and Crafts two tier Walnut three leg plant stand, the upper apron with a row of incised turnings with the original good quality copper flower pot. Th...

The Barrel chair form the Taliesin Group, emblematic design by Frank Lloyd Wright, drawed in 1904 for the Martin House is influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement. This model edited ...

Pilkington's Tile Works. An Arts and Crafts large single tile with a tube line painted galleon in full sail on a turquoise sea.

Art Deco Dressoir Model "Opus 880" designed by Jac Van Den Bosch for 't Binnenhuis, Amsterdam. Arts and Crafts furniture made of solid wood and inlay coromandel top and a top with sh...

Donegal Carpet Ireland 10’4” x 13”6” - 315 x 411 Early 20th century; c. 1910 Wool pile of symmetric knots on a wool foundation Designed by Gavin Morton The Donegal factory in Killybe...

A top quality Arts and Crafts oak Hallstand by Shapland and Petter with bevelled mirror flanked by a circular copper disc with hat and coat hooks, stylised cut-outs and stylised flor...

Grueby Faience St George and the Dragon Tile circa 1905. Vibrantly colored glazed earthenware circa 1905. Lovely period example.

This is an antique Gustav Stickley Two-Door Bookcase. Good original finish in excellent condition with real thru tenon construction twice on each side. Has original glass. The case...

Liberty & Co., attributed to John Pearson or John Williams. An Arts & Crafts copper and wrought iron fire-screen, with cold rivetted construction to the edges and a hand-hammered ga...

This is an antique One-Door Arts & Crafts Bookcase made by "Lifetime." Made in the early 1900s from quarter-sawn oak. The color on this item is beautiful! Sturdy & Strong and ready ...

Arts and Crafts era oak bookcase. Original leaded glass door, 4 adjustable shelves, nice figured oak, wonderful warm old surface. Original brass knob and ball feet.

Archibald Knox, made by Carter & Co, at the East Quay Works in Poole in Dorset for Liberty and Co. A rare and completely original pair of Arts and Crafts terracotta 'Olaf' planters ...

Liberty and Co. An Arts and Crafts wall cabinet with gold stencilled lion and a motto ''THE MAN WHO SMOKES THINKS LIKE A SAGE AND ACTS LIKE A SAMARITAN", BY Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st...

A birch and white fabric lounge chair designed and produced in Sweden, c. 1900s. Reupholstered in brand new fabric. Overall Dimensions: 43.375"H x 26"W x 33.5"D  Seat Height: 18.5 ...

Harris Lebus. A Pair of English Arts and Crafts oak reclining armchairs with floral upholstery and large flat extended arms, ideal for a mug ...

Faraday & Sons London. A near pair of Arts and Crafts Pullman Coach brass table or wall lights.Both stamp marked Registered F&SOne is 35 cm high, the other...

The front displays three hand worked flowers with electric blue Ruskin ceramic jewels inset behind the flower heads. Each flower panel is riveted into arched frames and separated by ...

19th Century Carpenters Pine Tool Chest and Tools The chest is in pine with metal banding, it is set on wheels and has layers of trays We have left the contents of the chest with i...

An Arts & Crafts quarter sawn oak extending dining table with wonderful figuring to the grain. An unusual sliding top that you can easily slide open to allow for one or for the two...

Wylie Lochhead attributed. An Arts and Crafts oak desk with central shelf, galleried sides, stylised copper handles, laid with a new leather w...

Iconic and rare Arts & Crafts pewter clock With enamel face and stylised ‘Celtic’ metalwork ‘Tudric’ No 0609 Designed by Archibald Knox For Liberty & Co Circa 1900 Height 20cm....

WAS Benson. An Arts and Crafts cast iron four leg table oil lamp.

Antique Craftsman couch for sale. Over 100 years ago, and in excellent condition. Has a solid quarter sawn oak frame in a dark oak finish, and a vintag...

G M Ellwood for J S Henry. A rare set of eight Arts and Crafts oak dining chairs. Inlaid to the headrest with a single pewter heart inset into a copper background within a circular i...

Liberty and Co. An Arts and Crafts copper mirror with a cloudy blue Ruskin Jewel to the top and Glasgow rose decoration to each side.

Johan Rohde sideboard, birchwood, Denmark, 1909 This exquisite sideboard, designed by Johan Rohde in 1909, is a rare piece of furniture and a distinguished example of his creativity...

Liberty & Co. attributed. An Arts & Crafts oak double wardrobe with stylized cut-outs to the shaped top and an unusual open display area above, retaining the original beveled mirror ...

Henry Van De Velde, in the style of, An impressive Arts & Crafts oak armchair finely made with the original leather. Measurements: Height at b...

This is an antique Gustav Stickley drop front desk from the early 1900s in good condition with a great selection of quarter-sawn oak. This des...

A gorgeous antique Mission or Arts & Crafts period bench, settee, or love seat By Charles P. Limbert USA, Circa 1900 Quarter sawn oak frame, with leather upholstery. Measures: 74...

A rare and exceptional pair of Mission or Arts & Crafts period club chairs or armchairs By Stickley Brothers USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak frames, with leather upholstere...

A rare and exceptional Mission oak Arts & Crafts extension dining table By Gustav Stickley (signed with paper label) USA, Circa 1900 Measures: 54"W x 54"D x 30.25"H. Extends up to...

Liberty and Co. An Arts and Crafts copper mirror with floral details to the sides inset with a colourful semi-precious stone. Original Lib...

E A Taylor attributed, probably made by Wylie & Lochhead. A set of eight Scottish Arts & Crafts Glasgow school tall back oak dining chairs, with subtle tulip detail...