Due to the pandemic for the second time in a row the European Artistic Carfts Days from 6 – 11 April are postponed.
I hope we will be able to open our workshop to the public later this year.
For the sake of the visitors we made a series of framed details of the Rose & Tulip Border.
In these troubled times my thoughts are with you, stay safe and keep your spirits high
As always
Fred
In the previous posting I showed some pictures of an unfinished Polychrome Moncla Panel.
This posting is kind of before / after topic.
Yours,
Fred
This is a classic 18th century design and since the very beginning of Lutson a compagnon in our collection.
Bespoke as most of the leathers we produce, indeed you have your say.
This panel is not finished yet, but it gives an idea where we’re heading to.
Here some details
For the pictures I use a Olympus camera in automatique mode, I don’t manipulate the picture afterwards.
Soon to come, the finished panel. I understand the general excitment on the web …
As Always Yours
Fred
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 !
Ready for shipping, thank you for reading me if you wish to contact me please do, info@lutson.com Contact John Nelson, john@jnelsoninc.com website : https://jnelsoninc.com/
As always
Fred
1
First of all one has to understand a customers wishes, a good briefing is essential.
2
This understanding needs to get visualised as well as possible in the sample panel we will produce.
3
When the sample panel is made, one can still work the subject and make sublte alterings to come closer to the customers wishes.
Those are the 3 major steps.
This is one and the same Verne panel going through the 3 stages.
First: A version in which honney colours are dominant, note that there is but little contrast in the panel.
Second: We added a burgundy and a greenish colour in the central theme and corners. This panel is more contrasted.
Thirth: To reduce the contrast and to give the panel a subdued feel we added a coat of antiquing.
Verne: Honney colours
Verne + burgundy and green
Verne + antiquing
Here we are, the panel can still evolve but only by adding paint or antiquing. There is no way back …
The Verne is one of our larger designs 102 x 78 cm it’s made out of two parts.
As Always
Fred
Cuirs Dorés “cuirs de Cordoue” un Art Européen.
Jean-Pierre Fournet
Editions Monelle – Hayot
This book will inform you in the technical matters of the gilt leather trade. Monsieur Fournet retraces for your benefit the geographical evolution of the trade and the fashion of the giltleather tapestries. He travelled for decades to see the ancient leathers in situ. Mr. Fournet knows which design sits in the cellars of which museum because he was there! He indexed and photographed and eventually told the conservators what sort of gilt leather they had in stock.
The nearly 400 pages counting book is just out, I don’t doubt that it will become a work of reference in this specific field.
Definitely worthwhile, today, available in French, I hope soon an English edition we see daylight.
As Always
Fred
“la Chapelle des Gicons – la Mère Eglise”
It’s just a small Roman chapel that sits on a “promontoire” which means a dream location… in the French Alps. From the outside one will note that the tower has no tiles, nor slates, but is built in solid masonry, in contrast, the radiating chapels which have thatched roofing. The strongest next to the most care demanding roofs united in one building …
Inside the chapel there are two Alters one specifically dedicated to Marie.
Principal Alter
Side Alter: of “Marie” the dominant colour is red which is unusual
Meanwhile the Alters have been dismantled, Stored and have been restored.
The principal Alter
The Alter of Marie
Samples for the colouring and the metallic backgrounds had to be made for the Architects of Historic Monuments to choose from. At this stage the samples focus on the metallic ground, 6 samples were produced in 3 different metallic grounds. From each of these metallic grounds a sample was painted with a red flower and one with bleu flower when the metallic ground is chosen it’s easy to adapt the colours afterwards. The painting is in the early 18 century tradition.
Classic Gilding
Flat Silver-gilding
And Flat Silver-gilding with a yellowish varnish
This is where we are presently and awaiting the dicision of “les Monuments de France and la Drac” and who else ?
Anyone’s Guess
As Always
Fred
This is the Altar of St Martins Church in Vic-en-Bigorre
Here under the draped Altar cloth is replaced by a Gilt-leather Antependium, mind you its only photo-shopped picture, yet it tells the story.
Some examples of Lutson Gilt-leather alterantives to a fabric Altar Cloth: Double Damask: Gilded and hand painted Antependium
Fleurance: Tender colours on a silvered ground
Marot: Full Polychrome
All the designs for Lutson Gilt-leather Altercloth’s are traditional 17th and 18th century designs, they don’t carry specific symbols, they were not made for a specific Religion nor for any Christian denomination which makes our Gilt-leather suitable for all situations where one wishes create a setting with a great decorative impact.
Lutson leathers: Custom Made
As Always
Fred
The Baroque chairs as they came from Larvick Museum, Norway.
What happened to the Larvick chairs at the Lages upholsterers facility in Nora Sweden.
This is Master Leif and behold, he means business !
Master Leif attacking precious Lutson leathers with his hammer !
After hours of removing all the sick internals, putting in new springs, horse-hair, stuffing and canvas, after hours of cutting with dexterity and hammering like mad, but alert and vigilant so the hand and the hammer do what the mind orders. Its time for Mistress Annika to appear, sharp eyed to judge the work done.
Leif worked hard, Annika inspected severly and found the work excellent !
Mistress Annika taking the pose.
A detail: note the nice trimming cut from the excess of a panel its perfectly positioned and hold in place with the appropriated copper studs.
The Lages Team, top upholsterers !
As Always
Fred
Larvik Museum,
The Panel above was made for Larvik Museum few years ago. Its function was to show a posible renovation for a set of chairs which needed care, also to induce fund raising for this project.
The sample panel was dispayed in our catalogue and franckly I thought the project dead. This order proves I have to reconsider the defenition of “dead”! As this seemingly dead the project, was after all alive, as in a SiFi movie.
I didn’t make pictures during the manufacturing process, till … the thought downed to do so and indeed I took 2 pictures while my camera can store a 1000 pictures, maybe i’m not a strong commercial thinker after all ?
The panels were ordered by Lages AB our Swedish distributor and upholsterers working for hertitage and interior designers. https://www.lagestapetserarverkstad.se/
Once the chairs have found their place in the Larvik Museum I hope to get more pictures, which I will be glad to share in a following posting. https://vestfoldmuseene.no/larvik-museum/
As Always
Fred
