[Early English trade catalogue of brass furniture hardware designs]
by [BRASS FOUNDRY PATTERN BOOK, English 18th century]
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
[Birmingham, England, late 18th century]. Oblong quarto. (7 1/2 x 11 inches). 113 engraved plates, on laid paper, priced throughout in manuscript. Later calf backed marbled paper covered boards, flat spine ruled and lettered in gilt.
A rarely encountered pattern book or trade catalogue of 18th century English furniture hardware, including drawer pulls, keyholes, hinges, locks, castors, bolts and more.
By 1770, over thirty different brass foundries operated in Birmingham, England, making it the epicenter of furniture hardware design in the last quarter of the 18th century. At roughly the same period, trade catalogues, like the present, began to be issued by both furniture and hardware makers alike. In all, over 500 designs are shown on the 113 consecutively numbered plates, from rather simple hinges to incredibly ornate pulls. Although no engravers' names are identified, it has been suggested that the foundries themselves produced such plates, utilizing the talents of their own craftsmen, who by their very occupation would have been highly skilled at etching on metal. Such pattern books "illustrate the beginning of what was then a new movement in the conditions of the crafts, namely, the growth of the organised factory as a means of production and distribution, as compared with the earlier limitation of these functions to the efforts of individuals" (Young).
Cf. Hummel, Charles F. "Samuel Rowland Fishers Catalogue of English Hardware." Winterthur Portfolio, Vol 1 (1964): 188-197; cf. Symonds, R. W. "An Eighteenth-Century English Brassfounders Catalogue." Magazine Antiques (Feb. 1931): 102-105; Young, W. A., comp. Old English pattern books of the metal trades: a descriptive catalogue of the collection in the V&A Museum. London: HMSO, 1913.
A rarely encountered pattern book or trade catalogue of 18th century English furniture hardware, including drawer pulls, keyholes, hinges, locks, castors, bolts and more.
By 1770, over thirty different brass foundries operated in Birmingham, England, making it the epicenter of furniture hardware design in the last quarter of the 18th century. At roughly the same period, trade catalogues, like the present, began to be issued by both furniture and hardware makers alike. In all, over 500 designs are shown on the 113 consecutively numbered plates, from rather simple hinges to incredibly ornate pulls. Although no engravers' names are identified, it has been suggested that the foundries themselves produced such plates, utilizing the talents of their own craftsmen, who by their very occupation would have been highly skilled at etching on metal. Such pattern books "illustrate the beginning of what was then a new movement in the conditions of the crafts, namely, the growth of the organised factory as a means of production and distribution, as compared with the earlier limitation of these functions to the efforts of individuals" (Young).
Cf. Hummel, Charles F. "Samuel Rowland Fishers Catalogue of English Hardware." Winterthur Portfolio, Vol 1 (1964): 188-197; cf. Symonds, R. W. "An Eighteenth-Century English Brassfounders Catalogue." Magazine Antiques (Feb. 1931): 102-105; Young, W. A., comp. Old English pattern books of the metal trades: a descriptive catalogue of the collection in the V&A Museum. London: HMSO, 1913.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Donald Heald Rare Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 36596
- Title
- [Early English trade catalogue of brass furniture hardware designs]
- Author
- [BRASS FOUNDRY PATTERN BOOK, English 18th century]
- Format/Binding
- Oblong quarto
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Place of Publication
- [Birmingham, England
- Date Published
- late 18th century]
Terms of Sale
Donald Heald Rare Books
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About the Seller
Donald Heald Rare Books
Biblio member since 2006
New York, New York
About Donald Heald Rare Books
Donald Heald Rare Books, Prints, and Maps offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of botany, ornithology, natural history, Americana and Canadiana, Native American, voyage and travel, maps and atlases, photography, and more. We are open by appointment only.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Quarto
- The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Marbled Paper
- Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or...