Monday, January 9, 2012

Did I Really Do That?

What is 'That' you ask? Bid on an on-line auction for a pre-loved dolls house. Not only did I bid, I also passed the limit I had set myself. I am now the proud owner of 'The Laurels'.



It so looks like something my grandfather would have built for me had he been alive when I was into dollshouse miniatures. I just had to have it - to give it a bit of TLC and be its guardian for the next period of it's history! Through email correspondence with the seller I know it was purchased secondhand about 10 years ago from an auction house in Wellingborough, England. She wonders whether the builder might have built it based on a grand old building called the East Carlton Hall, although it has 'The Laurels 1895' written on the front. I may never find out but I'll see what I can uncover.

As far as my previous post on the Arts and Craft Movement, I have really enjoyed doing some research. I found a great book at the Library called "The Arts and Crafts Movement in New Zealand 1970-1940 by Ann Calhoun and of course the internet is a great source of information. I've discovered there is a bit of an overlap with the Pre-Raphaelites, Arts & Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau periods and sometimes it is hard to distinguish which period certain items come from.

Being school holidays I have spent a bit of time doing crafts with my daughter. Even though it is January now we have mainly been making Christmas items. I have a slight reluctance to let go of Christmas. While I don't always like the hussle and bustle of Christmas I love all things Christmassy.

Well, must go. I have to work out where I am going to fit another dollshouse!

4 comments:

  1. Thank you. I am really happy with it regardless of its age or history but I am just trying to find out a bit more about it before I know how I am going to decorate it.

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  2. Thanks for the book recommendation: I'd not heard of it before and have added it to my wish list.

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    1. I had a good flick through the book this morning - got it out of the Library again. It is a really interesting book but there are not a lot of pictures of furniture in it. It is largely about the women in New Zealand who studied design and became established craftswomen in metal and silver craft, carving, painting, ceramics etc. It appears in New Zealand at the time not many men saw design as a 'manly' thing to study and our design schools were largely full of women students.

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