We are again grateful to the Furniture History Society and British & Irish Furniture Makers Online for their kindness in inviting RFS members to the latest in their series of free online lectures.
British & Irish Furniture Makers Online in collaboration with The Furniture History Society invites you to a free online Sunday lecture:
Reattributing the Chippendale Daybeds at Stanway House: the case for Scottish furniture makers Alexander Peter and William Mathie
by Dr Sebastian Pryke
Sunday, 8 November 2020, 19:00 (GMT)
If Alexander Peter and William Mathie are known at all it is for their work at Dumfries House complementing the famous furniture provided by Thomas Chippendale. They both, and Peter in particular, enjoyed rich careers in Scotland making highly desirable furniture. This talk will explore their known body of work in the context of other furniture made by their peers in Scotland. Sebastian will share his research and exciting theories concerning the attribution of some furniture, looking especially at the surviving pieces made for Francis Charteris and the new house he was building in East Lothian in the 1750s.
Dr Sebastian Pryke’s postgraduate research on the eighteenth century furniture trade in Edinburgh not only earned him a PhD but gave him a lifelong passion for Scottish furniture. This has led to a career in Scottish heritage, art and antiques, initially as an historic buildings inspector at Historic Scotland and then as a fine art auctioneer, culminating in a senior position at Lyon & Turnbull. Most recently, Sebastian has established his own consultancy providing services to the fine art insurance industry, as well as the wider antiques and heritage sectors. In 2017 Sebastian launched an antique furniture business: At the Sign of the Pelican.
His interest in the creation and development of country houses resulted in a long term commitment to the Historic House Association for Scotland, where he served in various roles as a committee member for ten years. He has been a council member of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland and a council member of the Cockburn Association (Edinburgh’s civic trust). In addition he has found time to serve as a council member of the Furniture History Society. Sebastian has contributed to many academic Journals, as well as more popular magazines and has lectured widely
Zoom joining details:
Meeting ID: 918 6429 8500 Password: 609792
Attendees will be admitted from the waiting room from 18.45. Please make sure you are muted and your cameras are turned off. Please note that for security reasons we will lock the meeting at 19.30, so please make sure you have joined us by then. The lecture will be followed by a round of Q&A. Please use the chat message box at the bottom of your Zoom window. If you are using Zoom software, Zoom have increased their security and you may be required to install an update. We hope to see many of you on Sunday, 8 November. For any queries, please email
Other Notices:
The Decorative Arts Society Lecture
Eileen Grey (1878-1976) by Dr Lis Darby
Sunday, 15 November 2020 at 18:00 (GMT)
Eileen Gray (1878-1976) was an extraordinarily versatile and creative figure of the 1910s to 1930s. She spent most of her working life in Paris and managed to operate successfully within the male-dominated professions of architecture and design. Gray’s designs for furniture and lighting demonstrated an experimental and original approach to form and materials and will constitute the focus of this lecture. Dr Darby’s book Re-Issue, Re-Imagine, Re-Make: Appropriation in Contemporary Furniture Design is published by Lund Humphries in September 2020.
For further details contact Sarah Nichols sarah.c.nichols@me.com 07748 020781.