The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the Present

The Anglo-Japanese Buffet by E.W. Godwin: variations on and developments of a designAuthor(s): Paul ReevesSource: The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 - the Present, No. 18, OMNIUMGATHERUM (1994), pp. 36-40Published by: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the PresentStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41809225 .

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DAS 18

The Anglo-Japanese Buffet by

E.W. Godwin: variations on

and developments of a design

by Paul Reeves The discovery of an early, previously unknown example of

a buffet (side-board) executed in ebonised deal, designed by the architect E.W. Godwin (1833-1886) in his distinctive Anglo-Japanese style, has provided the opportunity for an inquiry into the roots and developments of perhaps the most influential furniture design executed in Britain during the Nineteenth century (fig. 1).

Edward William Godwin, friend of William Burges, J.M. Whistler, Oscar Wilde and lover of Ellen Terry, was a man unique but very much of his time with all its voracious exploration of other cultures and periods. He is now best remembered for his radical and inventive Anglo- Japanese designs for furniture and interior decoration; the buffet in question being generally acknowledged as his masterpiece.

Fig. 1 The ebonised deal buffet recently discovered, now in the collection of Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, Germany.

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Fig. 2 A later variant in ebonised mahogany, similar to others from and presumably made by William Watt. Collection, Mitchell Wolfson Jr. The Wolfsonian Institute, Miami, Fla, U.S.A.

Though it should not be forgotten that he was principally an architect of note, designing in many different styles, it was through his designing of furniture, textiles, stained glass and even costume and theatrical sets that he became known to a wider public. It is, however, without doubt, his designs in the style which was known as Anglo-Japanese which have led to him being considered the unrivalled forefather of the Modern (design) Movement.

The style, which evolved from his undoubted academic awareness and understanding of Japanese art, examples of which were first shown to the public at the International Exhibition of 1862, has in its severe and often asymmetrical lines, a purity to which we in the late Twentieth century can easily relate. The buffet designed by Godwin is devoid of superficial detailing or carving and with only the minimum of ornament, embodies our understanding and requirements of the modern design idiom. Its initial conception as a cheap and utilitarian piece of furniture confirms its position as the earliest Modern Movement icon.

To quote Herman Muthesius1: "The furniture he [Godwin] designed for W. Watt's shop

[the cabinetmaker William Watt] and which Watt published in 1877 does in fact show a great advance: lightness and elegance have replaced the heaviness of the earlier Gothic, foreshadowing the idea of the modern interpretation which was soon to follow; Godwin was wide open to the Japanese influence that was circulating at the time and even produced 'Anglo-Japanese' furniture."

It was, however, some ten years before the publication of William Watt's celebrated catalogue of designs by Godwin2, that the architect had first executed such designs, including a buffet for his own use in his chambers.

In his reminiscences published in The Architect of 1876, ('My Chambers and what I did to them'), he recalled :

"When I came to the furniture I found that hardly anything could be bought ready made that was at all suitable to the requirements of the case. I therefore set to work and designed a lot of furniture, and with a desire for economy, directed it to be made of deal and to be ebonised. There were no mouldings, no ornamental metal work, no carving. Such effect as I wanted I endeavoured to gain, as in economical building, by the mere grouping of solid and void and by a' more or less broken outline. The scantling or substance of the framing and other parts of the furniture was reduced to as low a denomination as was compatible with soundness of construction. This seemed desirable for two reasons - firstly, for economy's sake in making, and secondly, for economy in cleaning. For by making all the furniture, the large pieces as well as the small, as light as they could well practically be there was no particular effort required to move them either for the purposes of cleanliness or in the event of a change being desirable.

Indeed, I found by experience that no man or extra servant was ever required, and that I could with ease, single handed, shift the whole of the furniture from one room into the next. All the furniture for the dining room I designed specially, but I found deal to be unstable, and had very soon to get rid of it,

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and have a new lot made of mahogany, also ebonised and decorated with a few gold lines in the panels. Since then my buffet, coffee table and chair with cane back and seat, have been freely made, nor can I see wherein I can, to any very great extent, improve them as examples of cheap furniture."

Fig. 3 Plate No.6. Art Furniture designed by Edward W. Godwin F.SA. Published William Watt. London 1877. (Detail).

He continued ... "As, however, there is no recess, and the buffet is a movable

piece, I determined to have it such in fact as well as in name. The construction is as light as is consistent with the strength required, and effect is obtained more by play of light and shade than by costliness of ornament. There is abundance of room, and yet some to spare, for all the different articles that usually belong to a sideboard; and I have this satisfaction, that as its lowest shelf is at least nine inches from the floor, there can be no secret dusthole, and even the dust on the skirting and dado behind it can be daily removed, if needs be, without calling in the aid of a second housemaid, inasmuch as the whole piece of furniture (and it measures 7 feet wide by 5 feet high) can be moved easily in any one direction by one pair of hands."

With the references to the early use of deal, later to be superseded by the more stable and durable mahogany, it became obvious that the buffet that had been recently discovered belonged to the early period. However, without provenance it has not been possible to prove an exact date. In fact, the only known buffet with a direct provenance is the one in the collection of The City Art Gallery, Bristol, which was bequeathed by Edith Craig, Godwin's daughter from his relationship with Ellen Terry. However, since this example is in ebonised mahogany, it must, in the light of the designer's writings, belong to the later 'replacement' collection of furniture.

Another clue which points to an early dating of the newly discovered buffet lies in the Archive Ledgers of Charles Lock

Eastlake's Art Furniture Company (the first self-styled 'Art Furnishers') which, under the heading 'E.W. Godwin,' lists "Deal Buffet ebon." amongst other pieces. Again, this ledger belongs to the pertinent year of 1867. Certainly the construction of this buffet differs from those known or assumed to have been made by William Watt, which are of the higher quality which one would expect from a long established professional cabinetmaker (fig. 2).

It is obvious, however, that this particular design was considered successful by Godwin himself, for he was to re- use and re-interpret it throughout his career, and of all the known buffets in existence each one is subtly different to the other (fig. 3).

One major difference, apart from the type of wood used, is that the deal version, and another (now destroyed) with similar decoration belonging to Wilfred Meynell and illustrated in th t Art Journal of 1892, has only four legs. Other, presumably later, versions have six or even eight legs, a modification which must have made the design more stable.

Fig. 4 Detail of buffet now in the collection of Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, Germany.

The painted design on the upper left hand cupboard (fig. 4), also shown in the illustration of the Meynell buffet, is similar to one used in a drawing of door details by Godwin for Dromore Castle, Co. Limerick, Ireland in the R.I.B.A. Drawings Collection. These designs were executed between the relevant years of 1867-79 although the design is again used on a curtain of a cabinet featured in the William Watt catalogue of 1877, plate 6. The text to this illustration states :

"This Buffet as shown here was originally made for Mr. Godwin in black and gold, with a curtain of gold embroidery on yellow satin ..." (fig. 5).

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Fig. 5 Plate No. 4, William Watt catalogue; (Detail).

It is relevant to note here that the earlier examples feature an open upper right hand cupboard, with a curtain instead of a door. This is even true of the one in The City Art Gallery, Bristol as it is illustrated in F emina Magazine , October 1920, in the interior of Ellen Terry's house in Chelsea, although a door has now been added or re-instated.

The deal buffet lacked the distinctive side 'wings' and simple gallery which feature in the later Watt examples but since there was no evidence to indicate that these features had ever been part of the construction it may be conjectured that they too are later modifications, or possibly Godwin had more than one example in his own home.

One design element that is common to all the known buffets is the distinctive metalwork (though the newly discovered piece was without the surface mounted hinges) including the ring pull handles with pierced back plates. These are, in fact, an adaptation of an early English (Medieval) design of which Godwin drew examples and which feature in his sketchbooks now in The Victoria and Albert Museum. The material used for these handles does, however, differ in the known pieces with brass, nickel plate and polished steel all having been used (fig. 7).

In fact, Godwin used this design on many other items of furniture, it becoming almost a trademark and one which can help identify his work. It shows his understanding of, and enthusiasm for, earlier styles and his talent in adapting them Fig. 6 Ring pull handle. Detail of Plate 1 .

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Fig. 7 Sketches from Sketchbooks. Prints and Drawings. Victoria and Albert Museum.

to create what was to become a style of his own, whilst being able to draw from diverse sources, as was certainly true of all the Victorian designers of note and importance. To quote Godwin :

"It is easy enough to make furniture in direct imitation of any particular style, especially the old English styles, with such Museums as that at Kensington open to us. What I have endeavoured to secure in design, has rather been a modern treatment of certain well-known and admired styles, than a mere reproduction of old forms."

Finally, the only existing piece which is not in the usual ebonised finish, whether on deal or mahogany, is the one in Sydney, Australia which is in oak. In summary, it is known that E.W. Godwin originally (1867) designed a sideboard or buffet for his own use in his chambers, along with other (unknown) furniture. These early pieces were executed as part of the design brief to himself, in deal or pine. This, along with other details, would date the newly discovered buffet to that period.

Later he recreated the same design, albeit with subtle variations, in mahogany, which was more stable. It is in mahogany that the design was put into (presumably fairly limited) production by the cabinet maker William Watt. The existence of one in oak and other variations noted would suggest that the design was adapted to individual customers' requirements.

It is possible, and to be hoped, that other pieces will be discovered which may clarify the chronology supposed in this article.

The deal buffet is now in the collection of Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, Germany. A list of others known to be in existence is as follows.

1 . The Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 2. The City Art Gallery, Bristol. 3. The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. 4. The Wolfsonian Institute, Miami, Florida, U.S.A. 5. The National Gallery, Melbourne, Australia (the only one

bearing a William Watt label).

6. Private Collection (whereabouts unknown). 7. Private Collection (U.S.A.) 8. Wightwick Manor, Warwickshire, England (upper section only).

Notes : 1. Herman Muthesius The English House (London 1979) p. 157 2. Art Furniture designed by Edward W. Goodwin FSA and

manufactured by William Watt, 21 Grafton Street, Go wer Street, London. 1877.

Paul Reeves has been a professional dealer in furniture and the decorative arts from the British Arts and Crafts Movement since 1976. He has personally collected in the same field for thirty years and has helped to form some of the leading private and public collections of British later 19th and early 20th century design.

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