Liberty & Co Arts & Crafts Cotswold School English Oak ‘Drayton’ Bureau

ARTS & CRAFTS FURNITURE

Fitness for Purpose and Pleasure in Use

Features An Arts & Crafts Cotswold School English Oak ‘Drayton’, Bureau by Liberty & Co c. 1920. An attractive and compact bureau from the iconic Arts and Crafts maker and retailer, Liberty, which provides the prefect decorative way of organising stationary and correspondance. Featuring: Solid English Oak. Very well figured quarter-sawn English Oak (quarter-sawing is a way of sawing oak to produce boards with superior strength which also reveals decorative 'medullary rays' in its grain). Single drawer (made with single plank fronts solid drawer carcasses joined with hand-cut lap and through dovetails). One lower cupboard with single plank fielded panels surrounded by rails and stiles joined by blind tenons. One upper cupboard with leaded glazed arts and craft motif window. Fall front revealing pigeon holes. Handmade wrought brass fittings. Open upper and lower shelves. Size Approximate dimensions are: Overall Height 1500mm (4 feet 11 inches). Overall Width 770mm (2 feet 6 1/4 inches). Overall Length 450mm (1 foot 5 1/2 inches). If you need a very exact dimension, or one we haven't included, feel free to contact us and we will measure it for you. Date c. 1920. Identification A classic and well known Liberty design which is illustrated in Liberty’s ‘Inexpensive Furniture’ catalogue for 1907 and shown in 'Liberty's Furniture 1875 - 1915: The Birth of Modern Interior Design' by Daryl Bennett, Antique Collector's Club 2012. in figure 7.52. The handles match the designs shown in figures 8.39 and 8.42. Condition Good overall condition with excellent rich colour and grain, cleanly sliding drawers, snugly closing doors and tight joints. The locks and escutcheons are no longer present. Some marks and dints discoverable upon close inspection, although less than expected with an item that has been in use for almost a century. If you wish to have further specific photographs or talk to us for a more detailed condition report then please do not hesitate to contact us. About Liberty & Co A Prestigious Company in the Design and Marketing of Arts and Crafts Furniture. Renowned for its imaginative design, high quality craftsmanship and famous London based retail location, it has produced some of the most desirable furniture of modern times. About English Oak The most British of woods, that can produce really special results. English oak has been used for hundreds of years to construct everything from sea-going vessels to fine furniture. Although oak grows widely across Europe and North America, craftsmen continue to cherish English oak which grows more slowly than its foreign counterparts giving it strength, durability. Quarter sawn boards are very straight grained and have distinctive growth rings and medullary rays that give a very beautiful effect as well as being renowned for their superior stability and strength. About Arts & Crafts Cotswold School The Cotswold School was a development of the Arts and Craft Movement started largely by Ernest Gimson and the brothers Sidney and Ernest Barnsley. The furniture is instantly recognisable with its simple lines, attention to the finest of details, and use of beautiful materials. Cotswold School designs were crafted from local materials using traditional tools and techniques and with decorative details derived largely from utilitarian elements: exposed joinery, unusual panels, interesting pulls and latches crafted either from wood or from metal using traditional smithing techniques, and close attention to form as well as to wood grain and pattern. Where decorative details were added they generally took the form of traditional embellishment such as exposed joints, chamfered edges and chip carved edge details. The style was embraced and developed by other designers and craftsmen including Gordon Russell, Stanley Webb Davies in Cumbria, Sid Barnsley's son Edward, Arthur Romney Green in Hampshire, Robin Nance in St Ives and Ambrose Heal are a handful of such men out of many. The best developed their own style within the established tradition. Summary An Arts & Crafts Cotswold School English Oak ‘Drayton’, Bureau by Liberty & Co c. 1920. An attractive and compact bureau from the iconic Arts and Crafts maker and retailer, Liberty, which provides the prefect decorative way of organising stationary and correspondance. Good overall condition with excellent rich colour and grain, cleanly sliding drawers, snugly closing doors and tight joints. The locks and escutcheons are no longer present. Some marks and dints discoverable upon close inspection, although less than expected with an item that has been in use for almost a century. . Liberty & Co Arts & Crafts Cotswold School English Oak ‘Drayton’ Bureau

About Us

Handicraft Antiques specialises in high quality Arts & Crafts Movement and Yorkshire School furniture from about 1900 onwards. Central to our philosophy is to sell furniture and furnishings that exhibit great design, outstanding quality of workmanship, are made with beautiful materials and are functionally useful and useable. Many of our items will be of a similar cost to a modern mass produced equivalent, yet are likely to hold their financial value, or even appreciate over time, whereas inferior mass produced new items are very likely to quickly lose value. Our stock typically reflects some of the best designers and makers of their period including, Ernest Gimson, Peter Waals, Arthur Simpson, Stanley Webb Davies, Gordon Russell, Edward Barnsley, Liberty, Ambrose Heal, Robert Mouseman Thompson, Alan Grainger, Peter Hall of Staveley and numerous other craftsmen from the Arts and Crafts Movement, but also selected other items by less well known makers that are just beautifully designed and made.

Viewing

You are very welcome to view items at our showroom which is just 5 minutes scenic drive from Junction 40 of the M6, and is open by appointment, though please note that ebay blocks any exchange of contact details or addresses through its messaging service prior to purchase so you will need to use the seller legal/business information page links in the listing. We won't try and hard sell you anything, and its fine to just browse, so if you don't find anything to buy, that's fine. If you do find something you love enough to buy, that's a bonus.

Payment

You can pay by Paypal (just follow the ebay checkout process), credit card (you will need to call us with your details) or cash on collection.

Delivery

We are happy to arrange delivery, or you can collect items in person. Delivery typically takes about 2 weeks, but may take up to 4 weeks, and the price quoted in the listing is for a 'one man' service so assistance may be required at your end. Contact us for faster delivery options or a two man service. You are welcome to collect or make your own arrangements for collection via a carrier such as Mailboxes, Alban Shipping or Silversprint, if you prefer, but we would not then provide a packing service for the items.

Descriptions

We aim to be as accurate and honest as possible with our descriptions so that you know exactly what you are buying and ensure there are no nasty surprises. There is of course a subjective element to describing the condition of items, so if something is not as clear as it should, be please ask for clarification. It's not normally possible or desirable to restore items to perfect as new condition, so unless otherwise stated you should expect items to have some character - small amounts of age related wear and tear, such as light scratches, tiny chips/dings, minor marks and slight colour variations. These won't detract from the overall appearance and are generally only noticeable on close inspection.

ARTS AND CRAFTS FURNITURE