The Power of Persuasion

I was persuaded to do a one-day study day for the Perthshire NADFAS in the antique restoration workshop where I run my business. Having initially been persuaded, I did not think too much about it. A bit like some jobs we take on, say yes, and then work out what you’re going to do nearer the time.

Well, those were exactly my thoughts here. As the time got nearer I decided on a slow tour around the workshop explaining some of the jobs in process and see how it goes. Slightly daunted by the prospect I did get some bullet points down on paper the night before.

I was very encouraged that the course was booked up in a very short period of time, with a huge waiting list. People are interested in artists and craftsmen who restore fine antique furniture in this Ikea period we live in.

I sometimes wonder whether what we do, goes completely unnoticed with very few people interested in learning the profession. I was thrilled with the general interest of the different NADFAS groups over the three days, as I talked about different sorts of wood and how you can recognise them by their particular features. I also explained how veneers were cut and employed over the centuries. As you start to understand wood you must also understand some of the history surrounding when it was used. Knowing when walnut, mahogany and other woods started to arrive in the country is also an important part.

How can you have a mahogany 17^th Century Lowboy if mahogany was still happily growing in Cuba? The answer is you cannot - it must be something else, or, it is not from that period.

The NADFAS one-day course was a first for me. I think everyone left with their heads buzzing with information and new eyes when it comes to observation. I feel there is a lot to learn and the spiel was coming thick and fast. I heard someone say later “I wish I’d taken notes but then I would have missed out on the next bit of information.”

We looked around the workshop and saw all the different pieces in the process of restoration and conservation and I explained some of what we were doing. For example, the marquetry cutting on an Edwardian card table, where pieces had been lost and we had to design the missing areas. Flower vases on furniture – what a mess they can make, but that keeps us busy.

We also looked at a wonderful Queen Ann walnut bureau bookcase of fantastic quality in desperate need of a bit of love and care. The restoration of items like this are treated with utmost care and admiration. I’m very conscious that the beautiful bleached lustre of years of patina must be preserved at all costs. Unfortunately this has not always been the case, with furniture badly restored in the past and finishes destroyed that can never be recovered.

As it says on the workshop wall, “the bitterness of poor quality lives long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten.”

I am always amazed how people in the 18^th Century and earlier made pieces to such an excellent standard of craftsmanship, which few could repeat nowadays.

Little did anyone know that later in the day that I was going to set a test. This was in fact splitting everyone into groups and asking them to analyse three different pieces of furniture. The challenge was to work out woods used, date, changes, observations and then arriving with a conclusion. Of course every example was different, with a bottle to anyone who got everything right. No one did – so I kept the bottle!

This expertise of examining furniture is what gets everyone thinking and is the most fun. The detective work in recognising if something is hand-sawn or machine-sawn all helps in dating items.

All courses went well with participants keenly interested in learning more. I believe more NADFAS members will be back before too long. Some mentioned a longer course was in order to allow more to sink in and more time to examine lots of other furniture.

In fact I started the three-day antique furniture recognition courses about two years ago. At first I thought what an earth am I going to talk about for three days, then quickly realised the subject is huge and little details that I take for granted, having worked in the profession for 18 years, are not something you can pick up quickly. It has involved years of observation, which now I realise does not grow on trees.

I have had people on courses from all corners of the country and all different walks of life. From the Art and Antiques unit of Scotland Yard, antique dealers from different fields, collectors, guides of stately homes, farmers and many other enthusiasts including a helicopter pilot.

It was a great pleasure having everyone here and how enthusiastic everyone was. Must thank the parents as we ate lunch at their house, as I don’t have a dining table big enough.

Jeremy Gow is a proud full member of the British Antique Furniture Restoration Association (BAFRA), a national organisation of craftsmen and women, setup in 1979 to maintain the high standard in conservation and restoration. Jeremy is one of only four accredited members of BAFRA in Scotland, also listed in the Conservation Register run by UKIC in association with Historic Scotland.