Each year L.& J.G. Stickley present a collector piece for sale in limited quantities for that year only. These are a great idea for starting or supplementing your collection of Stickley furniture.
For 2010, that collector’s piece is The Harvey Ellis Music Cabinet!
Here is the history of the original Harvey Ellis Music Cabinet:
Avid collectors of Gustav Stickley’s Arts and Crafts pieces will recognize it from the August 1903 issue of “The Craftsman†in the article “An Urban Houseâ€.
The house, whose interiors were highly influenced by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, is typical of the sophisticated and elegant designs Ellis created just for the magazine. In this issue there were two drawings of the music room featuring this music cabinet.
The original cabinet itself was graceful – the top had a bowed front, four free-standing stiles that extended above it to a serpentine front cornice, supported on arched aprons and elegantly curved corbels. It sported slightly bowed long, thin stiles, and beautiful oak veneer on oak flat sides. Another element that made this such a collector’s item were the legs – tapered at the top and bottom, but wider in the middle – it was very similar to a 1898 Mackintosh cabinet designed for his client H. Buckman
The beautiful inlay on the panelled doors was made of copper and carefully chosen light woods, creating a unique and completely symmetrical floral pattern. As was almost always the case with Ellis inlays, its design was completely two-dimensional, without the overblown intertwining so often seen Art Nouveau pieces. In fact, the geometrical forms at the base suggest an American Indian motif which was often used by Ellis. And of special note were the two brown tinted bands of string inlays that framed the design.
What makes this music cabinet such a must-have for the discerning collector is that there are only two examples of this music cabinet known today.
2010 Limited Edition Collector’s Piece
Now you have the opportunity to own an updated version of the original design. Created as an extremely limited edition -it’s available only through December 31, 2010. This versatile and beautiful piece would grace any room in your home, and serve as a unique centrepiece. Some ideas for its many uses include:
1. Telephone stand
2. Wine or spirits cabinet
3. Glove stand in an entryway or foyer
4. Bookcase
5. CD or DVD stand (houses up to 100 CDs or DVDs)
6. Dish cabinet
7. Dry goods storage
Because inlaid furniture was only made for a brief period, the beauty and rarity of the inlays instantly catches the eye of the professional or novice collector. And even though inlaid furniture had little lasting impact on Craftsman design in the long run, the Ellis-designed construction of this particular piece would be found on Stickley’s output throughout the mature production years.
It is available in Mission Oak or Cherry. H 44†W20†D13â€
Reserve your music cabinet today – because after December 31st, it will be gone forever. (This makes an excellent one-of-a-kind Christmas gift) Visit the showroom at 561 / 567 Mount Pleasant , Toronto, or call us at (647) 435-4268 now.
