Price

£995.00

The BADA Standard

  • Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
  • Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
  • Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
  • Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
  • Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
Click here for more information on the BADA Standard

Arthur Simpson of Kendal Arts and Crafts Oak stick stand with 4 small bun feet. A rare and beautiful piece, it carries the original Arthur Simpson Handicrafts label and is numbered in the wood.

Excellent original condition with a few small marks to the wood and a darker mark in the foot of the base. No repairs or restoration to the piece, which would grace any hallway or porch

History

The Arts and Crafts movement was an international movement in the decorative and fine arts that began in Britain and flourished in Europe and North America between about 1880 and 1920. It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often used medieval, romantic, or folk styles of decoration.

The movement had an “extraordinary flowering” in Scotland where it was represented by the development of the ‘Glasgow Style’ which was based on the talent of the Glasgow School of Art.

Structured more by a set of ideals than a prescriptive style, the Movement took its name from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, a group founded in London in 1887 that had as its first president the artist and book illustrator Walter Crane.

The Society’s chief aim was to assert a new public relevance for the work of decorative artists (historically they had been given far less exposure than the work of painters and sculptors).

Arthur William Simpson, known as A W Simpson (and often simply AWS) was born in Highgate, Kendal in 1857. Simpson founded the firm of wood craftsmen, A W Simpson and was a member of the Kendal meeting of the Religious Society of Friends,

 After an apprenticeship with Gillow and Company of Lancaster, he worked as a journeyman craftsman before opening a workshop in Kendal.

A W Simpson’s workshop was initially on Finkle St, but after various moves settled at the Waterside along the River Kent. Specialising in traditional wood furniture for domestic and ecclesiastical commissions, a studio was available to view furniture and work by other craftworkers. The A W Simpson workshop became known as The Handicrafts in 1906.

During his lifetime Simpson was a teacher, lecturer and speaker, teaching evening classes and classes at his summer studio at Gill Head, near Bowness. He organised Arts and Crafts exhibitions showcasing the work of the area including the Arts, Crafts and Loans Exhibition held in Kendal in 1891.

Hubert Simpson was the eldest son of A W Simpson and was apprenticed to his father at the workshop. Hubert took over his father’s business from 1921 onwards. Commissions for domestic and ecclesiastical work continued, and Simpson brought in innovations to the workshop such as a circular saw and machinery.

However, commissions became increasingly hard to come by and during the Second World War Simpson found work elsewhere and by 1952 had to sell the premises and stock of The Handicrafts.

From 1923 he exhibited and worked with the Red Rose Guild of Artworkers and exhibited annually in Manchester.

Date circa 1910

Condition Excellent original condition

Dimensions

Approximate height 94 cm width 62 cm and depth 20 cm

Price

£995.00



Stock number

2296
Open by appointment and at fairs

The BADA Standard

  • Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
  • Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
  • Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
  • Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
  • Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
Click here for more information on the BADA Standard