£13,750
Auction: Design Since 1860
oak
Provenance: From The Millinery Works Collection.
Literature: Design & Industries Association Year Book, 1923 - 1924, p.15, pl.1
Note: An experienced Dutch cabinet-maker, Waals moved to London in 1901, and after responding to an advertisement in The Times, was employed as a foreman by Ernest Gimson and Ernest Barnsley, shortly after the two had established a workshop in Sapperton. Under their leadership, Waals was able to hone his skills as a craftsman, and developed a good eye for timber, as he was often tasked with selecting fine specimen woods and exotic veneers for the workshop. Gimson often involved Waals in discussions about his designs and methods of construction, and he acknowledged the great debt he owed to Waals for his assistance. Together, the two were considered amongst some of the pioneering figures of the ‘Cotswold Tradition’. After Gimson’s death in 1919, Waals established his own workshop in Chalford and continued many of the traditional working methods he had learnt at Sapperton. Conscious to protect the reputation and legacy of his friend and mentor, Waals agreed with Gimson’s family that he would not reproduce designs and inlaid patterns, and instead he focused on the construction of more domestic pieces which often illustrated his skilful execution of marquetry. Latterly, Waals received significant commissions for work from Leicester University and Eton College, as well as high-profile locals such as the Goddard Family in Leicester.