Bells Pulls are on the up!

c 1920 Griffin Needlepoint Bell Pull

I have been able to source quite a number of different bell pulls in recent months, mostly in wool needlepoint, and some fine silk cross-stitch, all hand-made with bronze fitments and bells. These are becoming increasingly popular especially in the US - and I think it is because it evokes memories of times past, even though we all know there is not an iota of a chance of anyone coming running when the bell is pulled!

This Griffin rampant design is very classic, with lovely green and gold hues, with its heraldic style it appeals to both men and women, unlike some of the more typical floral designs that are commonly available. Apart from the sheer work it represents in terms of time, it looks perfect just to the side of the chimney breast, as though it was left from earlier days!

If this was a fabric...

We recently went to see the Olympics at the Olympic Park where we had a chance to enjoy the atmosphere and watch the games. It was a great day with a huge amount of things to do and see. 

One of the most wonderful aspects however was the landscaping and I thought I would share this photo of a bank of gorgeous plants all flowering together. The clever and stunning planting of large drifts of prairie and meadow flowers giving huge sweeps of colour which on a smaller scale might be viewed as gaudy. 

 All I kept thinking was, if this was a fabric...

Beautiful Victorian Bead-work

Beautiful Victorian Bead-work panel

Just a quick share of this elegant bead-work panel dating from the 19th C with beautiful leaves entwining lovely lifelike twigs, it really is the most delightful and intricate piece. The work involved is astounding! And a long panel too, with just the last piece at the bottom unfinished.

Beautiful Petit Point Work, c 1900 French - of course!

Beautiful petit point work, French c. 1900

This is a stunning piece of needlepoint, the whole of the centre piece is done in petit point, really close work, and that takes a huge amount of time and patience - as well as good eyesight. The colours are glorious, so summery with the sky blue background setting the flowers at their best almost like tropical butterflies. It is actually a cushion seat at the moment, and being worked in such small stitches it has no signs of wear at all, despite the age.

If you were to cost out the hours taken for a piece of this calibre you would pay hundreds of pounds for it, however that is not the way of the world and it is for sale for a lot less than that! It could be made into a different shaped cushion as there is plenty of background to work with. Gorgeous piece.

Below are roses flowering freely, you can see the old fashioned roses in the needlepoint design

Imagine this in your home!

Variegate di Bologna - inspiring roses!

Heady scent and vibrant colour of Duc de Guiche

Beautiful Birds and Bulrushes

This is one of my favourite fabrics, the detail is incredible, beautiful finches and rushes, insects and flowers all in a soft shell pink and ivory on a moss green background. The fabric is cotton, but a heavy serge cotton like canvas almost, just lovely. The fabric is on a pair of large French pleated curtains with the prettiest tops, rosettes where the pleat is, if only I had a room that needed yet more curtains!!

How Toiles were created...

The Miller, his son and the donkey

This is a charming original Toile, dating from the early 1800s, the subject matter is the miller, his son and the donkey, a fabric which tells a tale, often from Aesop's Fables in illustration. These illustrations were then put onto copper-plate and printed in a single colour onto linen or cotton, the detail being very fine. That is what a toile is and the early dating toiles are very collectable.  By early I mean c. 1770 onwards and some of those fabrics only survive as an original design in a museum.

Often they were part of an eleaborate bed-hanging set and over the years the set would either get separated or parts worn and damaged, so you find pieces and rarely an early complete set, which would be very valuable. This piece is a pelmet, and would have hung from the canopy, hand-quilted and backed in home-spun linen.

Just wonderful when you think every part of the process was hand-made from the illustration being drawn, engraved on the copper-plate, hand-printed onto the fabric which in those days would have been loomed but still 'manned', then the hand-work to back the fabric with hand-spun and loomed linen, and to hand-quilt it, finally the making of the piece to fit the bed for which it was ordered. Really only something that wealthy follk could afford, but because of the naive, pastoral style of the fabric it still endures today.

August 2011: The Liberty Best of British Design Open Call - see Sebastian Cox!

French Inspiration

Extract from French catalogue c 1900

The above picture is a page from a wonderful French shop catalogue dating from the turn of last century, showing the lovely elegant items of furniture and furnishings on offer for the discerning buyer. These sort of catalogues are very useful to people like me because they give the narrative to things I find, which by themselves might be a bit of a mystery. For example, I might come across pelmet roses or patera, which would probably have formed part of a bed or curtain set, but the rest has long since been separated. So these designs give me a clue as to how to complete the look.

Sometimes also the name of an item is lost, either through translation or disuse of an item, for example, I sell hold back hooks, which essentially are anchored to the wall and are composed of brass or bronze 'arms' that hold back the curtain in the way a tassled tie back would, These have a  name, which is 'embrasse' or embrace (in direct translation) and that makes perfect sense! The brass curves 'embrace' the curtain fabric. Even French sellers do not know the name, so this catalogue is keeping a name alive, that would otherwise be lost.

Speaking of keeping names alive, I was astounded to hear that Collins say the words 'aerodrome' and 'charabanc' are now obsolete words and will no longer be in their short dictionaries, although they may be of interest to historians! They are lovely words, which I very much connect with a 1920s Miss Marple type world, and the loss of them from the dictionary will surely consign them to history. Use these words as often as you can please, strike back and support charming language! I use these words regularly and I really never thought the day would come where my language was obsolete!! Ouch!

France once more...

Chatea d'Amboise - Loire Valley

We took a short trip to the wonderful Loire Valley a few weeks ago, and to some extent you become accustomed to the the view of a chateau as they are so plentiful, however, this does not mean that you don't want to stop and stare! This is the Chateau d'Amboise which is so imposing and the town so charming, right on the banks of the River Loire, the longest river in France. Flowing through the Loire Valley it seems wide, with occasional islands in the centre creating sometimes dangerous conditions (quick-sand and hazardous whirlpools so we were told ) that catch out the unsuspecting traveller. The River Loire rises in the Ardeche at Mont Gerbier de Jonc and flows into the Bay of Biscay at St. Nazaire some 1020 kilometers later (that is 629 miles to us Imperialists). All along the Loire Valley there are vineyards, producing the lightest and most delicious of wines, mostly white, some reds, and plenty of 'methode traditionelle' sparkling wines which are every bit as good as champagne.

Known as the garden of France, the area between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes is a World Heritage Site, there being a great concentration of Chateaux, around 300!

Whilst in the Loire Valley we visited an antique fair at Chambord, yet another Chateau ( in fact the hunting lodge for King Francois I of France) where we spent the whole day looking at items of all descriptions, including things such as a copper turbotois, the pan in which you would cook turbot, what Mrs. Beeton would call a turbot-kettle, despite it not looking remotely like a kettle but rather kite-shaped. Surely only the French would have such fascinating things for sale!

We found some antique textiles and will be listing them over the next few weeks, as well as some gorgeous bronze curtain fitments, so keep a look out. But in the meanwhile feast your eyes on the chateau built purely as a hunting lodge of the King of France with 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, 84 staircases - and just marvel!

Chateau de Chambord

Golden Lion Rampant from the Loire Valley

Heraldic Lion Rampant

This is a close-up of a gorgeous French 19th C silkwork panel which is a golden lion rampant, all hand-worked in silk on a vertical piece about 8ft long. These vertical borders were often used along the edge of curtains, sometimes portiere (door curtains), or bed hangings. The work is always very neat and unusually this is entirely in silk so very flat and in near perfect condition, with the colours still vibrant as you would expect from silk. This came from a Chateau in the Loire Valley in France - a stunning area and the location of many famous Chateaux throughout French history and of course, noted for its wonderful vineyards and delicious white wines...

This could be hand-painted velvet

This could be hand-painted velvet - but it isn't! It is the face of a viola, looking for all the world like a wise Chinese Mandarin braving the March winds, and trying to find the watery sun, still weak at the horizon. The good news is, there is enough! And more sun is on its way, slowly rising in the sky, encouraging the birds to find suitable locations for their nests and the leaves to begin to break.

Catkins are flowering (they may look like lamb's tails but they really are flowers) on hazel, the puss-in-willow has shown its soft fur and acid yellow aconites and pure white snowdrops are nearly over, with primroses shyly beginning to show their pure but pale yellow petals. My favourite season is coming and the riot of colour is beginning to build.

The interesting thing about colour is that if it were replicated in exact measures on a textile or fabric we would find it gaudy and unrealistic, but somehow context and scale is all. In our textiles we like subtlety and faded tones, and of course, with the passage of a hundred years or more, that is what happens. The dyes fade, light reacts with materials and we have the equivalent of dried flowers. And we love it.

Our new site, Original Period Interiors

Original Period Interiors

We have recently launched our new web-site, Original Period Interiors where you can find large architectural items for restoration projects as well as a link to our Ebay store for smaller interior pieces to purchase.

We have been wanting to set up this site for a while now, but time always seems to be against us - however we found an excellent photographer,  who has been able to capture the 'magic' of the pieces and that has helped us get started.

The site has some superb original Regency columns and doors, as well as garden pieces and we will be adding to these as time goes on. Do take a look, even if out of curiosity!

www.original-period-interiors.com

Warm and cosy quilts...

Snow Geese at South Walk Farm!

I could not resist this photograph, our stunning pure white geese against the December snow with the wooded valley below, each twig covered in an ice blue hoar frost as beautiful as I've ever seen. The amazing thing is that the geese are impervious to the below zero temperatures, with their thick down beneath the waterproof feathers. I love to bury my fingers into the down when I pick up one of our geese so that I can marvel at the warmth inside. It proves to me why goose down is such a favoured filling for duvets and eiderdowns (although of course the best is the eider feather from the Scandinavian eider duck). Goose-down is light and ultra warm, and perfect for the deep winter we have been having this year.

The French however have another filling for their bed-covers: they use sheep's wool in it's 'just sheared' condition (but obviously washed), and then they hand-quilt the bed-cover to keep the pockets of wool in position. It is also light and speaking from personal experience I would say it might even be a little bit warmer than down. These quilts are often very beautiful and usually hand-worked family heirlooms, increasingly hard to find. There are French cotton quilts too which are just an extra decorative layer to add - however if you want real cosiness look for the French wool quilts!

Antique French Tapestry

Panel from 19th C French Curtains

The photo above shows a detail from some absolutely superb French tapestry curtains dating from about 1870. The Chateau curtains are in wonderful condition, a tiny amount of fading and 2 small holes, so you still get the glorious and original colours, so easy to imagine these 11 ft long (that is 3.2 m to your Euro measurers!) panels hanging in a stone Chateau in somewhere like the Loire Valley! They are totally irresistible but as I already have many fantastic curtains in our house I have resisted them - but only just!

The French tapestry panels always have such interesting subjects, almost always connected with the countryside or country pursuits, surrounded by borders of foliage. They usually are loomed in wool, cotton and a little silk, sometimes linen mixed in for strength. These of course are machine made, but surprisingly there were mechanical looms from very early on in the 1800s, which made these more economic to produce than say the hand-loomed Aubusson tapestries which would take a couple of years to loom just one! That of course is why Aubusson hand-made tapestry is so sought after and expensive! And relatively rare.


These curtains will make a wonderful window dressing and I am a little envious of the person who will eventually have them!

La Dolce Vita

An Italian Village By Lake Bracciano

I now know what they mean by La Dolce Vita. The picture above is of the promontory of rock upon which a pretty little fishing village called Anguillara is built. Lake Bracciano is the large volcanic lake you can see in the photograph, and it is located about 20 miles north of Rome in the region of Lazio.

We have just been to Rome to spend a long weekend with very dear friends and I feel like I must have been there for ages, and I can only think it is the place that makes you feel that way. And what a place!

Roman history is so tangible, everywhere in and around Rome has a column, a temple, maybe a viaduct or perhaps a triumphal arch - it is unbelievable, overwhelming and incredibly mind-boggling.

Rome is so full of architecture and works of art, you would need a very many weeks to even start on seeing the highlights, without the discovery of all the delights hidden down little streets off the beaten track.

So we decided to have a day visiting Lake Bracciano to clear our heads and see the landscape and I am so glad we did, it was peaceful, beautiful and full of charm. We found a fantastic Gelateria and had the best ice cream - pistachio and custard for me! And I have to say I thought it an inspired selection! The next day in the centre of Rome we went to the famous Giolitti's where I had the classic Limone and my other scoop (you get 2) was Champagne, which was so refreshing and completely delicious - and what a shop - the choices were just amazing and imaginative, who would have thought of pine nut gelato?

La Fontana di Trevi - The Trevi Fountain - of course!

We walked around a corner from Giolitti's and I could hear a roaring noise like a waterfall and something that looked like a lump of coarse white rock. Puzzled, I followed everyone round the edge of the rock to be faced with the most fantastical man-made creation, gushing clear blue water over bright white marble, with wonderful statues and such detailed carved flora and fauna. It literally took my breath away.

I had already been saying 'Wow!! I mean really wow!' having just walked into the Pantheon, easily the most perfect Roman building and utterly incomparable, so to see the Trevi fountain just half an hour later, well. it was a memorable day. And yes, I know that there is so much more. That will be for another visit.

View from the Palatine to the Forum

Oh, and I forgot to mention the total experience that is the Forum and Palatine, practically a small city by itself spanning something like 1400 years of Roman civilisation, a representative portion of which is still standing. After a day of bombarding my brain and all my senses, I certainly needed a sit down, a delicious cappucino and a Pizza Napoli! There you are, that is La Dolce Vita.

Gorgeous Butterflies

Gorgeous Butterflies embroidered on silk 19th c

 

 

This is the most delightful work, fine, even embroidery so delicate and colourful, on a 19th c oriental panel. The colours are very good, as you would expect from silk, which holds its colour well if protected from sunlight. I imagine this came from a beautiful costume originally, and I can just picture the butterflies almost fluttering on the costume when the light picks up the luminescence of the silks.

The autumn season is now upon us, today is the official first day, so for me there is a sadness in the falling of the leaves and the gradual closing down of all the plants until the joy of seeing snowdrops and aconites again in January. I cannot say I enjoy the feeling of impending darkness, it just makes me want to migrate South! I mean Mediterranean south not Surrey!

However I just have to manage, and try to plant even more things to encourage our own beautiful aristocratic butterflies, which have been lapping up the nectar on our enormous buddleia trees up until the cold snap a few days ago...

The Emir of Bukhara had a very fine coat

The Emir of Bukhara

 

Let me introduce you to the Emir of Bukhara c. 1910 a fellow highly decorated with medals and sword, but for me, it is the beauty of his silk coat which stands out. The gorgeous peacock blue with the vibrancy of those flowers, all of which would have been hand-embroidered, are just exquisite. The quality of the work would have been of the highest order.

My son sent me a link to a series of photographs showing life in the Russian Empire during the first decade of the 1900s - with all its diversity - and the Emir was one of them, as well as the demure Armenian lady in her national costume below, again very finely embroidered. Being highly interested in history as well as textiles these two photographs really captured my imagination.

How careful people must have been with their clothing when they had to make everything by hand. These photographs are so evocative and capture something of life in the Russian Empire which seems so colourful and almost tribal, a far cry from the drab communist the Russia, of the majority of the 20th century.

Armenian Lady in National Costume c.1910

The link for those who want to see more of these excellent photographs is: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color_a_century_ago.html
- they are from the Prokudin-Gorskii collection bought by the Library of Congress (USA) in 1948 and who have made these accessible. Thank you.

Original Decorator's Label

c. 1910 Interior Decorator's Label 

This is fab! I couldn't resist putting this on the blog. We have a new website launching soon which is for original architectural pieces and this label was on the reverse of a door pediment fitted when the house was refurbished. The door pediment and various other items were marbelised - that special painted marble effect and by dint of the label we know who did it. The website is called www.original-period-interiors.co.uk coming soon!

The French quality...

19th C Lyons Silk Border

This is the most wonderful quality 1890s French Lyons silk and wool woven border, which looks warm and glowing, the bouquets of summer flowers so lifelike in their detail. It is an irresistible piece and there are 6 metres so enough for a project like edging curtains or making many, many cushions.

19th C Woven Silk Seat Cover

Another Lyons Silk piece, a woven seat cover in the most subtle of colour combinations, would make a fantastic cushion if not wanted for its original purpose...the French really are a classy nation, and were even more so in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sometimes I just shake my head in utter awe at the level of quality of fabric, design and workmanship!

Stunning flower design needlepoints, almost better than the real thing!

19th C needlepoint and beadwork piece

This is the most delicious piece of work, the colours are riotous, and the beadwork on the Lily trumpet gives an almost 3-dimensional feel, especially with the deep black background, so typical of the Victorian era.

Then there is the royal red background of this beadwork piece below, adding a touch of class. 

Victorian beadwork on needlepoint

You could be forgiven for thinking that the flowers so beautifully worked by such skilled needlewomen look almost better than the real thing, but then... the bee knows that nature has the edge!

Acanthus flower with bee

And so does the humble hover-fly.

Exotic phormium flower attracting the interest of a hover-fly