The Treasure House Fair 2024 - Stand 311
Rose Uniacke presented a range of collectible furniture & lighting at The Treasure House Fair London 2024 - Stand 311. View the virtual tour here.
This year’s curation featured an emphasis on florals; from delicate Murano glass to Tynell’s ‘Bridal Bouquets’ chandeliers and Daisy inlaid marble slabs. Uniacke exhibited an elegant range of exceptional eighteenth-century pieces of furniture and lighting, full of drama and bold design, from blue glass to beautifully rich alabaster. The acquisitions jumped from Italy and Portugal to Sweden and Finland.
A highlight at this year’s fair was the Precht Mirror attributed to Burchardt, Uniacke’s most exciting discovery. The exceptional early eighteenth-century Swedish Pier mirror features a frame of blue glass with gilt-lead alloy mounts of flower baskets and cherubs. Mirrors such as this would have been considered the height of refinement during this period due to their expense to manufacture, therefore it is likely that this piece was part of Precht's appointment as 'carver of the court' at the Swedish royal residence Drottningholm Palace in 1682.
Also on display and of particular note, was a nineteenth-century Rococo Style Console Table featuring cabriole shaped legs adorned with a rocaille scroll, foliage motifs and climbing leaves, with a massive asymmetrical floral element to the center and sides of the frieze. The curling lines of the console are explicitly Rococo in manner, enhanced by the finely carved vine-like leaves climbing up through the undulating forms of the frame - the naturalistic manner and realisation of the leaves dominate the design. The console almost anticipates the emerging style of Art Nouveau, with its flowing organic shapes, extraneously carved elements and sinuous lines, a movement which borrowed heavily from the Rococo itself.
The curation included a pair of twentieth-century Eight Arm ‘Bridal Bouquet’ Chandeliers instantly recognisable from Paavo Tynell’s ‘Concerto’ series, otherwise known as the ‘Bridal Bouquet’ line. Its poetic composition is commonly interpreted as the ‘anatomy of a flower’ with the plate acting as the soil from which flowers grow while the rods descend, reminiscent of the roots. The frosted glass shades radiate a diffused, warm light that is beautifully captured by the reflecting brass, exhibiting Tynell’s well-deserved title as the ‘man who illuminated Finland’.
A mid eighteenth-century Venetian Beaded Chandelier was also on display. It features a brass cage frame with a giltwood base and canopy, supporting six scrolling arms with candle fittings, all decorated with rock crystal beading, pandeloques, flowers and drops.
The fair also exhibited rare pieces including a George III Oval Mirror, a ‘Fiore Di Vetro’ Pendant Chandelier by Barovier, the ‘Lante’ vase by The Val D’Osne Foundry after Piranesi, a Pair of Regency Ebonised and Parcel Gilt Curule Side Chairs, a Set of 10 Lake Como ‘Vetri Scavo’ Wall Sconces, and a Danish Teak Pedestal Desk by Arne Vodder, amongst others.
