Welsh Furniture 1250-1950: A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design [Hardcover]

Richard J. Bebb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2007

The long-awaited study of this renowned tradition by the recognized authority, this definitive book explains furniture history to those who have an interest in all things Welsh, and Welsh culture and history to those interested in furniture. The medium of furniture is used to illuminate not only how people at all social levels lived, but how they thought about themselves and their surroundings. The subject is dealt with chronologically, and uses numerous detailed case studies. The accepted view, which sees 'country' or 'provincial' furniture as essentially derivative, is challenged; an alternative approach is recommended, which recognizes the central part played by craftsmen and suggests that development and innovation can take place in areas far removed from metropolitan centres.The text is fully illustrated in colour with over 1500 plates (including some showing fixed woodwork, contemporary interior paintings and craftsmen's inscriptions). Principally of pieces which have not previously been published, most were taken especially for this project. In recognition of the importance of this work, many were provided by National Museum Wales as well as other national and local bodies. Private owners were also generous in allowing the use of their collections. The 2 volumes (each of approx 400 pages 290 mm by 240 mm) are casebound in cloth with colour dust jackets, contained in a colour slipcase. It includes map, glossary, index, and bibliographical endnotes.Excerpt from the Foreword, by Dr Eurwyn Wiliam Director of Collections & Research and Deputy Director General Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales: 'Richard Bebb's work is a tour de force, and its breadth is astonishing. The statistics alone are impressive: 825 pages and over 1,500 illustrations - mostly commissioned specifically - and sixteen years of study. The time-scale studied is wider than the norm; by 450 years, and the story is brought up to 1950. But all this would have been meaningless if the author did not have a tale to tell. Rest assured, he does, for not only has he examined personally thousands of pieces of furniture and hundreds of documents, but he has created from it all a record worthy of his labours. This is not just the history of furniture, but of society in the round, and Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales is delighted to be associated with it.'

Editorial Reviews

Review

Cambria Magazine, July 2007"... profusely and superbly illustrated and written in a clear, accessible style that both the connoisseur and layman will find pleasing. These books are richly informed about the society of Wales down the centuries and relate the furniture to the times in which it was produced."LAPADA News & Views, Summer 2007"... Welsh Furniture 1250 is a final triumphant result of 16 years of research and travel by the respected Welsh antiques dealer Richard Bebb who is the acknowledged authority on the subject. ... Bebb challenges the view that country or provincial furniture is essentially derivative by suggesting that through the central part played by craftsmen, innovation can take place far away from metropolitan centres. This book is certain to become a classic reference book, providing essential reading not only for antiques dealers but also for historians in many fields, craftsmen, furniture designers, owners and collectors and all who are interested in Welsh culture..."Western Mail, September 9th 2007"Possibly the only guide to Welsh Furniture down the ages you will ever need ... it took 16 years of research, but Richard Bebb has at last published the definitive guide."Antiques Trade Gazette, July 2007"Although there have been a few other books on the theme, Welsh Furniture 1250-1950: A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design is the only serious work of this stature on the subject."Daily Post June 23, 2007"... The publication this month of Welsh Furniture 1250-1950 A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design is a cause for great celebration.I only wish it had been available when we were filling our two-houses-ago home with the stuff. We might not have made the mistakes we did - like the "Welsh dresser", the plate rack and base of which were complete strangers to each other.The new, massive two-volume book is the work of Richard Bebb, a Carmarthenshire antiques dealer, who has devoted 16 years of his life to its authorship... The result is a beautifully designed and illustrated pair of volumes with 825 pages containing more than 1,500 illustrations, most commissioned specially.The period covered by the two volumes, some 700 years, is ambitious to say the least, but the work is incredibly thorough. Bebb examined personally thousands of pieces of furniture and hundreds of documents, both in people's homes and museum reference departments.He has produced not just a book about the history of furniture but also, with the generous use of contemporary photographs, a study of Welsh homes and Welsh people living proudly with it.Thus, the two volumes become vital not just for the collector and dealer but also the antiquarian, the architect, the social historian, and for the countless number of people eager to trace their Welsh ancestry..."

About the Author

A native of the Rhondda Valley, Glamorgan, Richard Bebb graduated in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics. In 1970 he settled in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, and began his career as an antiques dealer creating Country Antiques (Wales) Ltd which specialises in furniture from Wales.Always absorbed in its social and domestic context, he commenced his close study of these distinctive artefacts around 1990, travelling extensively throughout Wales (as well as England and the United States) to examine both furniture and archival material in private houses and public institutions. 'Welsh Furniture 1250 - 1950' is the result of this 16 years of fresh research.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 825 pages
• Publisher: Saer Books (June 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0955377315
• ISBN-13: 978-0955377310
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 10.1 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,222,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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