Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Details
Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Designs for Three Tables shown in Elevation and Plan, 1903
for the Willow Tea Rooms
inscribed 140 BATH ST/GLASGOW/AUG. 1903' and with scale indications and other notes; pencil, brush and grey wash, watercolour, on oiled tracing paper
235 x 740mm.
Provenance
Herbert Smith Esq
Literature
(1) Billcliffe, D1903.41
Exhibited
Toronto, 1967, no.76; Toronto, 1978, no.124

Lot Essay

This drawing shows the three different types of table designed for the Room de Luxe, Willow Tea Rooms, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. Although all three designs were executed and can be seen in contemporary photographs no example, other than a single circular table (Glasgow School of Art) has survived. An inscription on this drawing indicates that at this time, August 1903, Mackintosh intended that the furniture in the Room de Luxe be French-polished. Francis Smith quoted prices for the chairs in this room (but not the tables which are not listed in Mackintosh's job-books) on 20 August 1903. At some point after this date and before payment for the furniture in January 1904 Mackintosh changed the finish of the furniture from French-polish to silver paint, the only occasion on which he used this on his furniture.

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