"As good as old, Better than new"
General de Gaulle could have commented this quote with his famous words “Vaste programme”
Indeed it is, we’ve tried to make this quote ours, manufacturing leathers that looks ancient, with the same commitment to quality as in the glorious days of the gilded leather.
From the remote area of Gascony you will be invited to share daily life, Architecture, arts and perhaps even some Gastronomie.
The Lutson Team: Lut, Fevy and Frederic
At this stage I can’t comment extensively on this posting, pictures however are speaking for themselves. .
For a French fashion designer we made a series of panels and here are the first pictures of the waistcoats he made from two Verentuil panels.
What strikes is the gilt-leather being transfigured by the work of meticulous craftsmen, transformed by people with a vision for the possibilities of our leather. Their work lifts our gilt leather, making it magnificent in its new given function.
Double Damask is one of those designs sitting in our collection for ages, there is hardly any demand for it and I wonder why. It was one of the first designs we made after we got hold of the book “Spanish Leather” by John W. Waterer published by Fabre and Fabre in 1971 Plate 61 shows 2 pictures of the design
Mr Waterer analyses and describes so well the pattern that I just have his text copied 😉
As he says the leather panel in V&A is tooled leather, which we modified so to add the embossing. Why ?
Anyone’s guess I don’t remember.
An interior in the Boston areaBy Annabel Hall (Private Lives) in a Yacht
Its a tricky design, difficult to explain I’ll try to illustrate, stay with me !
A tapestry of 9 sets of 4 panels A set of 4 quarters 100 X 74 cm 39.37″ X 29.1″ A set of 4 quartersA set of 4 quarters A tapestry of 9 quarters carries the 3 designs made of 4 quarters each, as shown above … As clear as crystal !
Anyone can see the chairs are in perfect condition and that leathers seats are all but gone. This type of gilt leather was originally part of a wall covering. Circa 1735 it is installed and is the proud of the house, then fashion changes and the room is redecorated, the once precious leathers are stored in the attic, where a leak in the roof …… etc etc (fiction) than somewhere around 1810 they are recovered by an amazed granddaughter some leathers are reinstalled in a hallway some turn into a screen and some find their final destiny on chairs. This is what you are looking at now, the story is fiction but the senario is good.
Time to set to work !
The pattern on the chairs is the Marot panel in a polychrome version. The Marot is a classic design we have in collection, the panel as shown here above is gilded in a light silver-gilding the birds had a coat of shellac and the panel is antiqued so to down-tone the shine.
The expert hand of Lut … The base colour for the grapes and flowers are added … the expert hand of Lut !As by magic all the polychrome paint is added, indeed … still the expert hand of Lut !
Now its time to add antiquing to bind all colours and to down-tone the shine even more.
Side by side you can appreciate the difference between a panel which is antiqued and one which is not. Time to go and see the uphosterer.
OMG they have been difficult to make decent pictures of !
Isabelle Arcay: the uphoslterer. isabelle.arcay@sfr.fr
Thank you all for reading and following this blog.
I wish you all a happy and healthy year 2022
Our first leathers this year go to Crane Estate near Boston they were ordered by our long time distributors and friends from Belfry Historic Consultants Inc https://www.belfryhistoric.com/
Crane Estate is impressive by its architecture and spectacular landscape and as if this is not enough it Crane has quite an unusual history, go and find out https://www.craneestateevents.com/
Its an honor to supplie the Estate with a set of gilt-leather panels.
Gilt-leather reproductions made for Larvic Museum Oslo.
The choosen design was the Moncla in a poly-chrome version.
The pre-antiqued panels drying in the workshop Leif Arvidsen of Lages AB, Sweden, The upholsterer with whom we have worked on many occasions, here in charge of the Larvic chairs.
The set of chairs as to be seen in Larvic Museum Oslo
This was a considerable order we made for the Nebraska State Capitol. It came to us via our distinguished distributor J Buscemi from Classic Revivals Inc
Several moulds had to be cut and over a hunderd panels had to be made.
All the chairs of the Governors hearing room which dated from the 1920’s had to be restored and the leather coverings replaced including those form the Councelors chairs and the Governors chair.
Some pictures I’ve got from the net for you to appreciate
A chair form the audiance room
A Councelors chair and the chair of the Governor
Unfortunately the pictures are of not too great a quality A seatThe governors seat back
The Plaisance was inpired by a circa 1750 design which is to be seen in the Museum Plantin Moretus, Antwerp. The Plaisance is very close to the original panel we magnefied the design, the result is that the flowers are large, thus more detailed and the stems and leaves are stronger and more detailed as well.
— The sample panel was made over 25 years ago it’s to be seen at John Nelson Inc our Miami distributor whom placed the order.
— Here under the panel we supplied J. Nelson Inc.
— The A to Z of the painting of a poly-chrome panel
— Above: The panel is embossed, gilded and antiqued this is the basis on which we start painting.
— The basis colour of the leaves is applied.
— All the basis colours of the flowers are applied
— Again several stages further: the flowers have been painted and the leaves had some shades applied.
— Now the nerving of the leaves and highlights on leaves and stems are painted.
— To bond the colours and downtone the gilding we antique the panels once more
— The panel on the left side of the picture above is a new panel the one on the right side is the original panel… All done, now packing !
Lutson Goudleder 