Lot 263
MACKAY HUGH BAILLIE SCOTT (1865-1945) FOR JOHN P. WHITE, THE PYGHTLE WORKS, BEDFORD
ARTS & CRAFTS 'DAFFODIL' DRESSER, CIRCA 1901
Estimate: £8,000 - £12,000
Auction: Lots 1 to 336 | 16th October at 10am
Description
oak, painted wood, with beech inlay, bronze, bears label to reverse, G. H. MORTON & SON LTD, BOLD STREET, LIVERPOOL, retains original keys
Dimensions
170cm wide, 168cm high, 59cm deep
Provenance
Provenance: Sotheby's London The Fine Art Society; 142 Years on New Bond Street, 5th February 2019, Lot 272
Footnote
Exhibited: London, Fischer Fine Art ‚ Truth, Beauty and Design: Victorian, Edwardian and later Decorative Art, May-June, 1986
Cambridge, Kettle's Yard, Baillie Scott, Sept-Oct 1995
Cumbria, Blackwell Arts and Crafts House, The Lake District and beyond: Arts and Crafts Designs and Interiors by MH Baillie Scott and CFA Voysey, July-October, 2011
Literature: Furniture made at the Pyghtle Works, Bedford by John P. White designed by M.H. Baillie Scott, Pyghtle Works sales catalogue, 1901, fig. 18
Gotch J.A. ‘Modern Furniture', The Art Journal, January 1904, p. 133
Adrian J. Tilbrook and Fischer Fine Art Limited, Truth, Beauty and Design: Victorian, Edwardian and Later Decorative Art, exhibition catalogue, Fischer Fine Art Limited, London, 1986, p. 66, fig. 163
The Fine Art Society Spring 1990, exhibition catalogue, The Fine Art Society, London, 1990, illustrated p. 51, fig. 50
Note: The son of a wealthy Scottish landowner, Baillie Scott was born at Beards Hill, near Broadstairs in Kent. the second of ten children. His rural upbringing and deep love for nature profoundly influenced his later work. Initially, Baillie Scott pursued agricultural studies at Cirencester Agricultural College, but soon shifted his focus to architecture.
In 1893, Baillie Scott moved to the Isle of Man, where he lived for several formative years. This period was crucial in shaping his architectural and design philosophy. While on the island, Baillie Scott established his architectural practice and began to gain recognition for his innovative designs. The Isle of Man, with its rugged landscapes and natural beauty, further deepened his connection to nature, a recurring theme in his work. It was during this time that he began to publish his ideas on domestic architecture, advocating for homes that were both functional and aesthetically in harmony with their surroundings. His designs from this period often incorporated local materials and reflected the Arts and Crafts ethos of simplicity and craftsmanship. His work on the Isle of Man helped establish his reputation.
Baillie Scott began his professional relationship with John P. White, head of the Pyghtle Works in Bedford, in 1898. White’s workshop was known for producing high-quality Arts and Crafts furniture, and Baillie Scott’s designs were perfectly suited to this ethos. The two men formed a close friendship, and in 1901, Baillie Scott moved with his family to Bedford, where White's workshop was located. This collaboration marked one of the most fruitful periods of Baillie Scott’s career.
The present lot, crafted in John White’s workshop, is a prime example of Baillie Scott’s furniture design from this era, around the time he was completing his architectural masterpiece, Blackwell, a country house near Windermere. Completed in 1900, Blackwell remains one of the finest examples of Arts and Crafts architecture, and the present furniture piece echoes the same focus on craftsmanship, nature-inspired motifs, and functionality.
