Margaret G
Powling
introduces
CLOISONNE, an
ancient
metalworking and
enamelling
technique.
'When I was 12
years old my
mother bought me
a pedestal desk.
I now believe it
to be the lower
half of an
Edwardian
dressing table,
sans mirror, but
at 12 I was
simply delighted
to have my own
desk at which to
write letters
and do my
homework. As
well as the desk
my mother also
bought me a
William Morris
country chair
(which, whilst
delicate by
today’s
standards, was
ideal for my 12
year old
derriere) and a
vase to place on
top of the desk.
The vase was the
very antithesis
of what one
would expect an
adult to give a
child...What I
didn’t know then
was that the
vase was an
example of
cloisonné
ware...'
Clare Blake takes a close look at VIENNA
BRONZES; This magnificent cockerel was produced
by Franz Bergman – one of the most sought after
makers.
'Feathered and
furred, web-toed
and hoofed, long
tailed and snub
muzzled, the
multitude of
animal figures
that poured out
in an exuberance
of creativity
from the
Austrian bronze
workshops from
the 1850s
onwards would
have had Noah
scratching his
head as he
puzzled how to
fit them all
into his ark...'
Established in 1890 in Cornwall and now greatly
valued by collectors, NEWLYN COPPER is the
subject of a new study which intends to bring
the quality and beauty of the work to the
attention of a wider public.
'A project is
currently being
conducted to
study the
history of
Newlyn copper
and to bring
together
pictures,
documents and
oral history of
this important
Arts and Crafts
venture. The two
people
developing the
project are
Daryl Bennett,
an amateur
historian
interested in
the Arts and
Crafts Movement,
and Colin Pill,
an enthusiast
and amateur
copper worker,
who has spent
much time
studying the
Newlyn technique
and historical
background...'
A ‘hot spot’ for home decor both old and new,
Karyn Sparks explores HONITON, the ‘gateway to
Devon’.
'Wherever
possible,
Antiquexplorer
likes to
showcase the
current trends
of designer sand
their innovative
ideas in home
furnishing.
Being an
antiques
publication our
biggest
influence is
obviously the
18th and 19th
centuries,
clearly
illustrated by
our own passion
for antiques,
but what we
really love is
to combine them
with a
contemporary
vision...'
