18 April 2005
Arts & Crafts Movements comes back in vogue
The International Arts & Crafts Movement is well and truly back in vogue this year, thanks to London’s V&A Museum giving it a new lease of life.
It is widely regarded as one of the most influential, profound and far-reaching design movements of modern times, and began in Britain around 1880.
From there it quickly spread across America and the rest of Europe before emerging finally as the Mingei (folk crafts) movement in Japan.
This was a movement unlike any that had gone before. Its pioneering spirit of reform, and the value it placed on the quality of materials and design, as well as life, shaped the world we live in today.
While there have been many exhibitions on Arts & Crafts in both Britain and America, they have only dealt either with one country, a single region, maker or material.
Needless to say, as beautiful as the exhibits at the V&A are, none of them are for sale. However, for those looking to invest in Arts & Crafts there is no shortage of specialist dealers, and the largest in Europe in just outside the mediaeval city of York, a regular stopping off point for anyone visiting the UK.
Tomlinsons antique warehouse holds around 5,000 antiques and more than 2,000 items are brought into the warehouse each month. The company has been established for over 25 years, and is now the leading British supplier of antique furniture to the UK and overseas trade.
Sales Director Sarah Worrall, said: “The movement took its name from the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society, founded in 1887, but it encompassed a very wide range of like-minded societies, workshops and manufacturers. Other countries adapted Arts and Crafts philosophies according to their needs. While the work may be visually very different, it is united by the ideals that lie behind it.
“The two most influential figures of the Arts & Crafts Movement were the theorist and critic John Ruskin and the designer, writer and activist William Morris. While Ruskin examined the relationship between art, society and labour, Morris put Ruskin’s philosophies into practice, placing great value on work, the joy of craftsmanship and the natural beauty of materials.
“By the 1880s Morris had become an internationally renowned and commercially successful designer and manufacturer. New guilds and societies began to take up his ideas, presenting for the first time a unified approach among architects, painters, sculptors and designers. In doing so, they brought Arts & Crafts ideals to a wider public.”
Sarah added: “We have noticed a revival in the Movement and an increase in demand for Arts & Crafts antiques, and our acquisition team has already procured several stunning examples.”
Tomlinsons buyers travel the world for the very best pieces and buy primarily from country house estate clearances. However, they reject 95 per cent of all furniture they see, so customers know they are being offered only the very top five per cent of restored antiques from any period.
Among the items currently available is a 1920’s oak sideboard with handsome features, and its delightfully small proportions would create a stylish statement in any drawing room, study or parlour.
Sarah said: “It has a mirrored back with pierced side supports, a design which is echoed in the lower brackets. This piece was in such fine condition, that it only required minimal repolishing to restore it to its former glory.”
One of the current star attractions is an oak cabinet and chest built around 1900 by renowned London furniture makers Heal & Son.
“Its simple styling and robust design is particularly worthy of note, and since all items produced by the company after 1895 are keenly sought-after, this piece represents a highly attractive investment,” said Sarah.
“The cabinet features inlaid panel doors resting on two short and three long graduated drawers and is raised on a polished oak plinth.”
Personal visitors to Tomlinsons are able to walk into a Victorian parlour, Edwardian dining room, or Georgian bedroom, while experts are on hand to date furniture accurately and identify the finest pieces.
International Arts & Crafts is on at the V&A until 24 July. Further details of Tomlinsons can be found at www.antique-furniture.co.uk
The oak sideboard is available for around £1,295, while the oak cabinet and chest is on the market for around £1,995 (excl VAT). Delivery is extra.
–ENDS–
Issued on behalf of Tomlinsons by Blueprint PR. For further details please contact Stefanie Riese-McCartney on 0113 290 4270 or email stefanier@jdapr.co.uk
Notes for editors
Tomlinsons has been established for over 25 years, and is now the leading British supplier of antique furniture to the UK and overseas trade.
The company offers antique and traditional furnishings to traders and the public. More than 2,000 items are brought into the warehouse each month and 5,000 items are in stock at any one time.
Interviews can be arranged with Sarah Worrall, Sales Director at Tomlinsons – please contact the press office. Images of Tomlinsons fine furniture are also available from the press office.
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