Gothic Revival Furniture and selected pieces by Bruce Talbert
Bruce James Talbert originally trained as a carver then an architect, he became an influential and very successful furniture designer. He
served an apprenticeship in Dundee and had his own carving business for two years where he learnt the skills to apply carved details to
furniture and then joined the architectural offices of Charles Edward. In 1856 he moved to Glasgow, and worked for the architects W. N.
Tait and Campbell Douglas. He moved to Manchester in the early 1860s, where he gained employment with the cabinetmakers Doveston,
Bird and Hull, which was short lived, then moving to to Coventry gaining work with Skidmore’s Art Manufactures. In 1863 he won the
competition to design the masthead for ‘The Building News’ and in the mid 1860s moved to London, where he started designing furniture
for Holland and Sons. His ‘Pericles’ Gothic sideboard was displayed on their stand at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 where it was
Grand Prix winner. It was at this point that his most prolific period began and also when he started designing furniture for Gillows of
Lancaster from 1868. in the same year he published his very influential first book ‘Gothic Forms Applied to Furniture, Metal Work and
Decoration for Domestic Purposes’, which he dedicated to George Edmund Street. This was followed in 1876 by ‘Examples of Ancient and
Modern Furniture, Metalwork, Tapestries and Modern Furniture’ and in 1881 by ‘Fashionable Furniture’. Other companies he designed for
were Marsh, Jones and Cribb, Jackson and Graham and, for a short time, was a partner with Daniel Cottier. He designed textiles for
Templeton’s, Warner’s, Cowlishaw and Barbour and Miller; carpet designs for Templeton’s and Brinton and Co.; and his wallpaper designs
were printed by Jeffrey and Co. He also designed church metalwork and furniture for Cox and Sons, cast iron for the Colebrookdale Co.,
Nichol and Co, Barbone and Miller and Cowlishaw. In 1869 Talbert returned to London working as prolific and successful freelance
commercial designer and decorator.
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GO 15 See also NIF 10C.
Bruce Talbert. Gillows of Lancaster.
Two rare Gothic Revival armchairs.
*The two with dark and light blue upholstery shown here are available, the one with brown upholstery is now sold*.
The two blue ones are almost identical except one has square front legs and one with turned and square front legs.
Last image from Jeremy Cooper's Victorian and Edwardian Furniture and Interiors page 111 and page 85. This chair was probably designed before Talbert published his book in 1868, 'Gothic Forms Applied to Furniture, Metalwork, and Decoration for Domestic Purposes'.
£POA
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GO 23
An Aesthetic Movement carved and Gilt Wall Shelf with embossed leather panels designed by Bruce Talbert and probably made by Gillows.
Height 45", Width 55", Depth 11". Circa 1870.
£POA.
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GO 25
A good quality Aesthetic Movement oak bench the design attributed to Bruce Talbert and probably made by Gillows with stylised florets to the centre and a row of ebonised turnings to the top and tramline details with quarter circular supports on turned legs.
Height 33 1/4", Length 8' 4", Depth 19". Circa 1880.
£POA.
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GO 26
An important Davenport designed by Bruce Talbert and made by Gillows of Lancaster.
This Davenport corresponds exactly to Talbert furniture designed for the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras made by Gillow. See Arts and Crafts Furniture by John Andrews Printed by The Antique Collectors Club ISBN 1-85149-483-9 page 37 for a comparable sideboard.
Height 34 3/4", Width 24 3/4", Depth 24". Circa 1880.
£POA.
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GO 28
A good quality early Gothic Revival Oak two drawer writing table designed by Bruce Talbert and made by Gillows Of Lancaster with red leather writing area and eight differering carved florets to each side at each top corner of the square and ring turned legs united by a classic H stretcher on turned feet.
Height 60", Width 41", Depth 13 1/2". Circa 1870's.
£POA
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GO 31
A rare Gothic Revival Walnut and Amboyna Bedroom suite designed by Bruce Talbert and made by Gillows of Lancaster consisting of a treble wardrobe, two x 3'6" double beds and two matching bedside cupboards. The treble wardrobe with full length bevelled mirror to the centre door with central carved rosette to the top flanked by two carved panels depicting 16 carved floret's with further carved rosettes to the side doors and to the lower parts each carved with a different floret on Ebonised and Gilt backgrounds, the central panels of Amboyna framed with ebonised strips and further smaller rosettes to each corner, the front sides with further floret's and carved tramline details, the cornice with dental moulding and all on Egyptian revival feet, the doors opening to reveal hanging space to the left hand side, Linen slides to the upper double right hand side (not shown but all original and all there) and drawers below. The beds and bedside cabinets with conforming identical details.
£POA.
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GO 35
A Gothic Revival Oak barometer with snail tail thermometer attributed to Bruce Talbert. Height 50", Width 14 1/4", Depth 3 1/2" to the bezel.
Circa 1880's.
£POA.
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GO 36 see also Designers and Makers 22
A Gothic Revival oak wash stand designed by Bruce Talbert of superior quality and made by Gillows of Lancaster, the back has 6 fielded panels with a central shelf with shaped supports and 4 carved florets and turned finials to the very top surmounted with carved floret's and tramline details to the front and sides with a pure white tiled area below and moulded edges, below this there are elongated carved stylised floral details to each corner all differing slightly and all united by horizontal tramline moulding, the 4 legs with spiral turned details to the centre united by 3 stretchers with tramline details and wonderful carved florets on each visual facet each differing slightly with birds beak end detail above and below them, the lower legs each with conforming spiral details below the stretchers and inset 'invisible castors in wonderful original condition. A pure design. There are 14 differing floret's and 6 elongated stylised floral details altogether on this wonderful piece.
Circa 1880's.
£POA. ON HOLD
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GO 37
An Aesthetic Movement three fold screen attributed to Bruce Talbert probably for Gillows with decorative carved detail's to the serpentine top, carved tramline detail around each panel and six carved florets to the bottom of each side, tremendous hand embroided panels of birds flying and also perched on a tree in blossom.
Height 58 1/2" Width fully open 70". Circa 1880.
£POA.
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GO 39 see also HS 29
A good Reformed Gothic revival oak hallstand/seat in the style of Dr C. Dresser, with incised and ebony styliesd inlays and further chevron inlays with central arched mirror and lift up seat for storage.
Circa 1875.
£POA
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Go 40
A hand painted Gothic Revival water jug with a Registered Design Lozenge for June 1871.
Height 11", Width 6 1/2". Circa 1900.
£POA.
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GO 52
A Gothic Revival oak buffet with stylised floral carving to the top and the lower three cupboard doors with turned supports and turned feet on original castors.
Height 50", Width 48", Depth 19". Circa 1870.
£SOLD
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GO 53
Bruce Talbert for Gillow and Co., an Aesthetic Movement circular
wine table, on four turned and fluted
supports with X-base, on inset casters,
stamped mark, no. 8955.
Height 2' 1" 58cm, Width 15" 38cm.Circa 1875.
£SOLD
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GO 54
Attributed to Bruce Talbert. An Anglo-Japanese walnut hall chair.
1900s
Dimensions: H 36', W 16.5', D 17'.
£SOLD
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GO 55 SOLD.
An Important Gothic Revival oak bracket clock from The Middlesex Guildhall, in Parliament Square London which now houses The Supreme High Court, the highest court in the country and has a rich legal history that is evident in its design and decoration.
The clock was probably designed by Henry Charles Fehr and carved by H H Richardson. It is from courtroom three the grandest of them all which is written on it's original removal ticket, that is still attached to the top of the clock.
At the time of construction the choice of a neo-gothic style was unusual, but the well-known critic Nikolaus Pevsner classified it as a very free interpretation of Gothic, with an almost art nouveau flavour, especially to the sculptures to the exterior.
Height 28", Width at base 22 1/2", Depth at base 12", the main body is 19" wide x 9 1/2" deep. Circa 1913.
£SOLD.
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GO 56 SOLD
A rare Gothic Revival revolving bookcase designed for The Tabard Inn by Richard Norman Shaw.
With paper label :-
W & J Mackay & Co. The Tabard Inn Library.
17 Hanover St, Hanover Square. London.
Height 76", Width 26 1/2", Depth 26 1/2".
£SOLD.
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GO 57
Bruce Talbert. A fine Gothic Revival 1/4 sawn oak bookcase designed by Bruce Talbert and made by Gillows of Lancaster with a fantastic row of carved leaves and 7 differing carved florets flanked by 2 pineapple and leaf style uprights with carved florets in a lozenge just below all precisely and beautifully carved by a master carver. The work area with full length Acanthus leaf carving to the edges and deep shelf below flanked by turned and arched details to each side with 2 further shelves below and a wonderful protrusion to the foot incorporating thought for stability and 45 degree chamfering with birds beak end details throughout.
Height 60" 154cm, Width 41" 105cm, Depth 13 1/2" 34cm. Circa 1870.
£SOLD.
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GO 58
Bruce Talbert, probably made by Gillows of Lancaster. A Gothic revival oak cabinet with carved florets to the front and the sides a down upper door and a lower glazed door. The lower carved frieze with stylized detailing conforming to the front and the sides the whole on turned feet.
1880
Dimensions: H 43', W 26', D 17.5'.
£SOLD
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GO 60 see also NIF 77C and FP 69
An impressive Gothic Revival oak fireplace surround attributed to Bruce Talbert with carved floral details to the top sides with turned supports with stunning hand painted tiles attributed to Mintons (AJS?) depicting cranes and wading birds in riverside scenes with further tiles in green with little winged dragons back to back in raised relief surmounted with four smaller blue triangular details and smaller brown lozenge tiles and green marble effect tiles with zig-zag details.
Height 57", Length 78", Mantle Depth 15", Opening Height 45 1/4", Width 38 3/4". The opening measurements could easily be made smaller to accommodate most size inserts. Circa 1880.
£SOLD
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GO 61 SOLD
A top quality Gothic Revival oak library table with an oblong top with the base in the shape of a cross, trefoil cut-outs to the 4 upper arched supports and a lower cross stretcher with wondefrful carved florets to each point with conforming base and the whole with chamfered and birds beak end details.
Height 29 1/2", Width 42", Depth 25 1/2". Circa 1870.
£SOLD.
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GO 62 SOLD
A stunning Gothic Revival planter in the manner of J.P.Seddon with 18 Minton tiles designed by Pugin with central block detail to each end and shaped supports above with arched supports to the base united by a high central stretcher with through pegged joints and inlaid dot details to the central roset.
Circa 1870.
£SOLD.
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GO 63 SOLD
A pair of almost identical Gothic Revival side table attributed to John Henry Chamberlain and made by Pluknett and Steevens who later became Collier and Pluknett and they were still producing this table design as I have had one with a Collier and Pluknett label on so this is a very early one and the best looking sidetable that they produced with wonderful proportions and when one stands a little away from it, it has a stunning look with that superbly muscular Gothic Revival undercarriage with all the refinement of a wonderful design. Collier and Pluknett were a very high end company who had premises in Warick and they produced some amazing Gothic Revival pieces and many exhibition pieces always of a superior quality. coincidently the young Ambrose Heal served his apprenticeship with them from 1890 to 1893 just before he started designing for Heals.
Height 27", Width 24", Depth 24". Circa 1880.
£SOLD.
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GO 64 SOLD
A superb quality and very rare pair of 3' Gothic Revival beds designed by Charles Bevan and made by Gillows of Lancaster. Fabulous.
£SOLD.
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GO 65 SOLD
A well designed architectual oak Gothic Revival side table attributed to Charles Bevan, superior quality throughout with ebonised circular decoration througout.
Height 37", Width 51 1/2", Depth 21". Circa 1880.
£SOLD.
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GO 67 see also IPS 46
A rare Gothic Revival chair designed by Bruce Talbert made by Gillows of Lancaster, with pyramid tops and arched and turned back with inlaid dot decoration and through pegged construction, turned stretchers and front legs with brass and ceramic castors and wonderful kick out back legs.
Circa 1870.
£SOLD
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GO 68
Bruce Talbert. Gillows of Lancaster. A mahogany Canterbury with turned finials and incised uprights, emulating an open temple, the lower drawer with tram line details and brass drop handles. The shaped undertier with incised details to the centre the whole stood on original brass castors.
Height 20" , Width 22" , Depth 17.5".
£SOLD
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GO 71 see also IP 61 and AE 74
Attributed to W.R.Lethaby. A good two drawer Gothic Revival/Aesthetic library table by Marsh Jones and Cribb (Late Kendal works) with original paper label to the underneath. Marsh Jones and Cribb were important furniture makers in Leeds in a similar league to Gillows of Lancaster specializing in Medieval or Gothic Revival furniture, they made from C1865 under licence to Charles Bevans his famous 'New Registered reclining chair' and Bevan designed for them until C1867. M.J and C' made all the furniture for the marital home of Titus Salt Junior in Basildon near Saltaire and also made furniture to the designs of Bruce Talbert. W.R. Lethaby became their head designer in the 1880's.
Height 31", Width 2'1" 63cm, Length 6'1" 184cm.
£SOLD.
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GO 72 see also Corner Cub 50 and IP 60
An exceptional Gothic Revival oak corner cupboard designed by Bruce Talbert and probably made by Gillows of Lancaster. The upper section with a turned gallery with a small corner shelf with turned supports from an open display area below and tramline details to the back and sides with a type of castellated dentil moulding below which is identical to his famous Pet sideboard made by Gillows and exhibited in 1872 London International Exhibition.
Circa late 1860's early 1870's.
Height 71 1/2", Depth from back to front centre 22", Depth from back to front along the sides 21”.
£SOLD.
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GO 73 see also ST 68
A quality Gothic Revival oak side table attributed to Bruce Talbert and made by Garnetts of Warrinton e with a single drawer with a refined little gilt brass handle, half moon supports which are internally shaped, with a moulded cross stretcher, stamped Garnetts to the drawer top.
Height 28" 71cm, Depth 21 1/2 56cm" x Width 22" 55cm. Circa 1880.
£SOLD
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Tel: Tony 07966 371676
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E-Mail:sales@puritanvalues.com
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