Lot 483
ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN EDNIE (1876-1934) FOR SCOTTISH GUILD OF HANDICRAFTS
TABLE AND CHAIRS FOR MILLER AND LANGS, GLASGOW, CIRCA 1900
Auction: Day Two inc FL Griggs : A Cotswold Legacy | Lots 334 to 654 | Thursday 16th October from 10am
Description
oak, and close-nailed upholstery, comprising; a CENTRE TABLE, 114.5cm diameter, 76cm high; together with FOUR MATCHING CHAIRS, 50.5cm wide, 106cm high, 49cm deep (5)
Footnote
Literature: Kendrick H. Glasgow Interiors, Birlinn 2014, pp. 52-57
Although little known today, the former Millar and Lang premises on Darnley Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow, designed in 1901 by D.B. Dobson of Gordon and Dobson, contains one of the most significant examples of Art Nouveau interior decoration in Scotland. The building was commissioned by a printing firm that worked for, among others, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Jessie M. King. While the exterior displays Glasgow Style with Mackintosh-influenced details, the interiors and fittings are remarkable.
The Scottish Guild of Handicrafts was responsible for the light fittings, door furniture, and associated office furnishings, with James Craig & Co., cabinetmakers and neighbours of the Guild, producing much of the furniture. The designs suggest the hand of John Ednie, a Guild member, and demonstrate many characteristic features of his practice. The furniture, which is no longer in the building but clearly seen in contemporary photographs, included an oak refectory table, a large oak stationery cabinet, an upholstered sofa, and an octagonal oak table with four chairs.
Additional interior features include a stained-glass screen by W.G. Morton depicting nautical motifs, mosaics of nymphs and mermaids, and brass door furniture richly detailed in Art Nouveau style. These objects exemplify the integration of decorative arts within Glasgow’s Art Nouveau architecture.