Please view by appointment. 84 York Street London W1H 1QS T: 0797 314 6610 F: 020 7723 9009 Subdued colours - Warm textures - Unself-conscious furniture Swedish country painted furniture in the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s was almost always made from local wood, pine, birch and alder. Joinery was usually of a high standard. You rarely find filling in typical pieces of old Swedish furniture. Sofas, chairs, tables, cabinets and cupboards were styled after Stockholm fashions and painted deep red (to simulate mahogany), marbled black on red, grey, blue or yellow (to simulate marble) or in a uniquely Scandinavian palette of mid-blue, apple green, straw yellow, cream and pearl grey. The use of colour varied throughout the country. For example, in the southernmost province of Skane, painters chose an almost sky blue while in Halsingland in the north, a dark, thundery blue-black was common. Grey, cream and yellow were aesthetically attractive but also practical colours. In the long months of winter darkness these fresh colours accentuated both natural and candle light. Some pieces of Gustavian manor house (herrgard) or castle (slott) furniture, especially pine cabinets, have an almost strict simplicity about them. Lars Sjoberg, senior curator at the National Museum in Stockholm and Sweden's leading authority on Swedish furniture describes the style of these pieces as having a "chaste majesty"and "ascetic simplicity". I love these cupboards and cabinets and usually have a selection of them. The simplicity of Swedish design, together with popular light colours make these antiques surprisingly suitable for most interior decors, even the most modern. Some pieces of furniture are worn down to natural wood, as this sofa detail shows, with original paint surviving only in the carved ares. This detail from a pine corner cupboard shows how wood was painted to emulate more "sophisticated" mahagony. This warm colour combination was very popular throughout Sweden. What "original paint"means Up until around 1800 the first coat of paint applied in a thin coat which was well brushed out was often blue-black, made from lamp black. For the next fifty years, a light grey, made from a mix of lamp black and lead white was used. From the mid-nineteenth century onward a yellow ochre was the most common under-colour. Painters mixed their own pigments and in successive coats moved from less oil to more oil giving maximum flexibility and waterproofing to the top coat. Traditional painting dried to a subdued sheen, less shiny than modern commercial eggshell finish. As furniture aged and original paint faded almost all furniture was eventually repainted according to prevailing taste. In the mid to late 1800s furniture was often repainted black with gilded highlights. Then, under the influence of Karl Larsson, throughout the early part of the 20th century, furniture was repainted gloss cream, again often with gilded highlights. Beginning in the early 1970s, furniture restorers such as Stig Jonsson and Lars Sjoberg became interested in what lay beneath the now considerable overlayers of black or cream paint. They developed techniques for stripping off layers of paint, all based on an initial meticulous "dry scraping"by which flecks of paint are painstakingly removed to reveal what lies beneath. When attractive "original"paint is discovered almost invariably it has not been seen for considerable time and there are flaws where previous damage has occurred. Dry scraping almost always reveals part of the under-colour, the first sealing coat of paint that has been absorbed into the wood. Using a variety of techniques these flaws are repaired and restored. In some instances over 200 hours of labour is involved in revealing and restoring "original"paint. Original pieces of Swedish furniture are difficult to find. Those restored to original paint are very scarce. As a consequence, original Swedish furniture in original paint is unique, and expensive. We always stock sympathetically repainted rococo, gustavian and empire Swedish furniture. Dry scraping back to original paint often reveals old repairs as in this fine rococo chair. Scraping off recent paint may reveal only natural wood. This detail from a chest of drawers shows repainting in a "distressed" fashion. Swedish tall-case clocks A Swedish "Mora"tall-case clock adds an elegant simplicity to almost any warm, hospitable decor. Beginning in the mid to late 1700s almost every Swedish home acquired a tall-case clock. As with virtually all furniture, the clock stood against the wall and was often incorporated into a corner cupboard, even the back of a bed. While Stockholm clocks emulated French styles and housed relatively sophisticated mechanisms this was not the case with country clocks. A sensuous "hourglass"style developed in the town of Mora in Dalarna and was soon copied throughout rural Sweden. "Mora"clocks are almost invariably made from local pine. (I have seen one carved in one piece from the trunk of a massive pine tree.) The mechanisms are extremely simple, often made locally. Even when new, these clocks did not keep accurate time. Many were originally painted red to simulate mahogany. Others were originally painted dark green or blue. While the latter faded to softer colours, red clocks were frequently repainted in pastel shades. The clock was often an important piece of furniture to be painted by itinerant "floral painters". Many if not most Mora clocks were eventually painted in gloss cream. "Dry scraping"of Mora clocks often reveals a variety of older layers of paint, sometimes with delicate floral painting. This is the layer of paint a clock is usually returned to. When original paint looks too "rustic"the clocks are sympathetically repainted. While the clocks we stock have all the parts needed to function, they are usually used as decorative pieces of furniture. Mechanisms are complete and can be restored. Once a clock is positioned in its final location in the home an experienced clock repairer balances the mechanism. You cannot, however, ever expect an old Swedish tall-case clock to keep accurate time. We always have a selection of Mora clocks but also other attractive Swedish tall-case clocks. Gloss cream paint has been dry scraped from this "Mora" clock revealing original floral painting. This wall panelling from the mid 1800s is painted in a blue commonly used in the Dalarna region of Sweden.

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