Makers, Periods & Styles Library

Maple & Co was one of the most famous furniture retailers in London famous for the finest quality furniture. Founded in 1841 its premises were on Tottenham Court Road, London. By the mid 1880s they were the most successful and largest furniture manufacturers in the world, with their massive retail emporium becoming...

Belgium Fossil Marble has been used in Europe for centuries. As one of the oldest available stones it has been used in central Europe as part of Cathedrals and is still popular today. It is coloured black or gun grey and is very dense making it a very durable stone and ideal for worksurfaces and […]

Griotte marble – gets its name from the Morello (Griotte in French) cherry because of its bright red colour. The best quality marble is the most red and when it has inclusions of small white calcite fossilized shells (goniatites) it is called ‘Partridge eye’. The marble was a favourite in French Royal...

Gris St.Anne Marble is a dark grey marble with white and light grey markings. It is quarried mainly in Belgium at Gougnies, near Charleroi and at Biesme, Namur.

Is a material used with synthetic resins or cement to make ‘reconstituted’ marble or cultured marble. This is then used as a substitute for marble in the making of objects which are then painted with a technique that imitates the real stone’s colour patterns.

Rosso Carpazi Marble originates in the mountains of Albania. It is brownish-red and is partially brecciated and has very white veins dispersed throughout. It is a striking stone and has been used for stairs, tables, sinks, kitchen tops as well as flooring.

Siena Marble is mainly quarried in Italy and has been used throughout history. It is valued for its luster which is due to calcite crystals. It is generally a golden brown to reddish gold colour or white/grey with golden brown to reddish brown veining.

Margaret Gillies ( 1803 -1887 ) – was a Scottish painter of miniatures and water-colours. She was born in London where her Scottish merchant father had settled. Her mother died when she was eight and she and her sister Mary were sent to live with her uncle Lord Gillies, a Scottish judge in Edinburgh where...

Marquetry is the art of decorating pieces of wood veneer by inserting materials such as other woods, mother of pearl, brass, silver, pewter or shells of different colours to form intricate patterns such as flowers or scrolls or other decorative motifs. The technique found it origins in 16th century Florence, where...