A series of masterclass study days examining the internationally important Chippendale and Trotter furniture collections at Paxton House, Berwickshire, will take place in September 2023.
Organised by the Paxton House Trust and led by David Jones and Dr Fiona Salvesen Murrell, masterclasses with cover areas such as furniture type, technical construction, ornament, and timber finishes. They will also explore the new interpretation and exhibitions shortlisted for the Museums Change Lives award, and reveal discoveries made during recent research and conservation treatment.
The Masterclasses will run from 10am to 4.00pm. Tickets are £95, places are limited and must be pre-booked.
Find out more and book tickets here.
A limited number of student places may be available (subject to grant funding) @ £50, please apply via email to: info@paxtonhouse.com
Day 1 (6th September 2023)
Thomas Chippendale the Elder (1718-1779)
Detailed study of one of the largest collections of furniture by Thomas Chippendale the Elder anywhere in the U.K. The repertoire of over one hundred items executed in a uniquely restrained manner for owner and enslaver, Ninian Home, using the best quality Jamaican mahogany, established what has become known as ‘the Paxton Style’. Connections with transatlantic slavery will be explored.
Day 2 (7th September 2023)
Thomas Chippendale the Younger (1749-1822)
Analysis of the suites of furniture provided by Thomas Chippendale Junior for both Paxton and the Home family’s London townhouse, between 1779-91. Chippendale the Younger collaborated with his father and the firm’s business partners to create a large number of pieces that represent an intriguing transition between the generations, before launching his own particular brand of French-inspired neoclassicism at Paxton. Connections with transatlantic slavery will be explored.
Day 3 (27th September 2023)
William Trotter (1772-1833)
A day immersed in the Greek Revival and ‘Scotch Empire’ style collection of rosewood furniture that populates the library and picture gallery extension built between 1812-13 for
George Home of Paxton by Robert Reid, King’s Architect & Surveyor in Scotland. The outstanding Scottish cabinet maker William Trotter (1772-1833) developed a style informed by Greek and Roman detail and enhanced by French forms that were inspired by the presence of the Comte d’Artois court residence at Holyrood between 1796-1815 and 1830-32. The commission by Nancy Stephens (born in Grenada) and George Home will be discussed using archival evidence.