Description
The Aesthetic movement of art and design is a descendant of the Renaissance period and the influence of the east on western art, this concept of art had appeared in the late nineteenth century raising the slogan (art is for arts sake), it was all about the pure beauty of works of art emphasising the visual and sensual qualities of art and design over practical, moral or narrative consideration.
In the second half of the 19th century and after the popularity of the art and crafts movement in Great Britain, Liberty & Co was considered to be one of the major Department stores in the city of London, and was very well known for selling various luxury and high quality Goods.
In the 1880’s Liberty & Co. had established a furniture section to fulfil the mounting demand on various types of objects and furniture, Oriental objects and furniture were very popular and fashionable at the time, Oriental was the wider term for Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, South east Asia, Middle eastern, Ottoman, Indian and Moorish style objects and furniture, therefor Liberty & Co, had opened a new section for retailing Arabian Furniture and decoration.
Some images of their collection of Oriental objects and furniture were exhibited in their catalogue of Liberty’s (D) department, published in 1881, some of which were imported from various eastern and far eastern countries and was described as Anglo-Oriental or Anglo-Moresque furniture, others such as Orientalist objects and furniture that were originally made in Europe by using eastern expertise, decoration and designs, such as objects and furniture that were made in Spain, Italy and Great Britain etc.
Artists such as Leonard Wyburd who had established the well-known Arab tea room, the smoking, the Music, and the Eastern Dream rooms all with oriental taste. Wyburd was considered to be one of the main creators of the Liberty & Co.
Besides the importation of various pieces of furniture from north African countries, Wyburd was also able to produce original north African, Moorish and Ottoman style furniture and of a very high quality, (A study of Liberty’s Furniture catalogue, long tradition – A taste for the Exotic, 1875-1915, shows an example of the very popular Ottoman style occasional or so called hexagonal coffee table, was displayed in pages 30-31).
Our beautiful and very high quality seating set comprises, a pair of arm chairs and a large sofa, decorated with Mushrebiyyeh lattice open wood work with ebonised wood and fine mother of pearl and various fruitwood marquetry wood work inlaid with intricate detailing depicting geometric and stylised foliage with arabesque designs, the cushions are mounted with original silk covers.
References
For Almost identical furniture used at the The Sait Halmi Pasa Yali Palace, please see the following:-
1- The Sait Halmi Pasa Yali, A publication of Turkiye Kalkinma Bankasi A.S. (Development Bank of Turkey), Author Prof. Feridun Akozan. Lot No. 58 page 99. Lot 26, 27 The Armchairs used in the reception room (the central Room) exhibited in pages 68, 69 ,70 & 71.
2- Antika Ansiklopedisi (the Antique Encyclopidia), Antik Palace, Kulture Yayinlart, Lots at pages, 268,
360, 361 & 368.
3- For further examples on Orientalist Furniture commissioned by Liberty and Co., London, please see, The Oriental Obsession, Islamic Inspiration in British And American Art And Architecture 1500-1920, By Johan Sweetman, fig. 115 on page 188.
Condition:- Excellent (With Some Old Repair & Maintenance).
Dimensions:-
Sofa:- 137 cm width, 92.5 cm Height, 46 deep.
Chairs:- 62.5 cm width, 92.5 cm Height, 46.5 deep.