Arthur Simpson’s firm also made this mirror which demonstrates the quality of wood carving they undertook. The peacock was a popular decorative motif.
Rectangular oak mantel mirror with elaborate carved full-tailed peacock made by the firm of Arthur Simpson of Kendal, 1924.
Arthur W Simpson (1857-1922) of Kendal was an important woodcarver and furniture maker in the Arts and Crafts tradition. He trained as a carver at Gillows of Lancaster and also in Leicester and London. He ran a successful woodcarving business in Kendal from 1885. He designed, carved and made furniture and taught his craft at evening classes. In 1889 he exhibited at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society and exhibited at other national events and locally. He opened a showroom in Windermere in 1901 called ‘The Handicrafts’ which sold home furnishings. He produced work for the leading architects of the day including C F A Voysey and M H Baillie Scott and produced numerous wood carvings for churches. Voysey designed his own home ‘Littleholme’ in Kendal in 1910. He became a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1913.
There are these inscriptions on the exhibit:
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery collection, purchased with generous assistance from the MGC/VA Purchase Grant Fund and Friends of Tullie House 1981
Image © Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery
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