Welsh Furniture 1250 – 1950

Wed, 27 Jun 07 12:05:00

Wales is world famous for its Welsh Dresser, but is that the only contribution Wales has to world furniture style and craftsmanship? Can we talk of such a thing as Welsh style and what of the regional differences within Wales?

These are some of the many questions tackled in Richard Bebb’s long awaited and magnificent 2 volume book, 'Welsh Furniture 1250 – 1950 – A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design'. The book is published by Saer Books with the assistance of The National Library of Wales and Museum Wales.

The book has been 16 year in the writing. It includes some 1,500 plates, the vast majority of them in colour and the majority of those never seen in print before. It takes in the whole breadth of Welsh life and culture from the Age of the Princes in 1250 right up to the modern age in 1950. The book follows in the tradition of other seminal books which have challenged our perception of Welsh art.

A native of the Rhondda Valley, Glamorgan, Richard Bebb graduated in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics. In 1970 he settled in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, and began his career as an antiques dealer specialising in furniture from Wales.

‘I’ve always been absorbed in the social and domestic context of furniture and began the study of these distinctive artefacts around 1990, travelling extensively throughout Wales (as well as England and the United States) to examine both furniture and archival material in private houses and public institutions.’

‘Richard Bebb's work is a tour de force, and its breadth is astonishing. This is the definitive book on Welsh furniture and is an essential companion to all interested in the subject and in Welsh social history in its entirety. I’m very proud of the National Library’s association which such an important publication and that our collections of paintings, artefacts, archives and publications have played an instructive part in the writing and publishing of this book,’ said Andrew Green, Librarian of The National Library of Wales.

Details:

Welsh Furniture 1250 – 1950 – A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design. (Saer Books, ISBN 978-0-9553773-1-0)

2 volumes each of approximately 380 pages 11.5 ins (290 mm) by 9.5 ins (240 mm).

Price: £150

Copies are for sale at The Library Shop or online: siop.llgc.org.uk

For More Information:

Siôn Jobbins, NLW Press Office: 01970 632902  sij@llgc.org.uk

Welsh Furniture Website: www.welshfurniture.com