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Mackintosh Art, Design and Architecture Collection Glasgow style With digital objects
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Linen Cupboard for Gladsmuir

Designed for the nursery, Gladsmuir, Kilmacolm. Probably made by Guthrie & Wells. The wide vertical panels running either side of the back of the cupboard, here terminating in two decorated lugs, are a motif Mackintosh often used in later work. One of Mackintosh's early pieces which William Davidson acquired for his home in his parents' house Gladsmuir before he built Windyhill. Original photos of the Windyhill interiors show it located in the hall.
This item was assessed for conservation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Low-backed armchair for the Director's Room, Glasgow School of Art

Designed for the Director's Room, Glasgow School of Art. Twelve chairs were made in 1904 for the GSA, but William Davidson acquired a further two, with six of MC/F/58 for use as dining chairs in the hall at Windyhill. Twelve chairs reupholstered in brown horsehair 1984. One chair on loan from Glasgow University, returned 1984. These items were assessed for conservation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

The Tree of Personal Effort

From The Magazine, Spring 1896. Inscribed: The Tree of Personal Effort, The Sun of Indifference, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, January 1895.' The exact meaning of the symbolism of this work, and its companion, 'The Tree of Influence' has eluded all commentators on Mackintosh's early water-colours. The obvious source of the symbolism is nature, and Mackintosh here reaches his most extreme distortion of organic forms.' (Roger Billcliffe).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

The Downs, Worth Matravers

'As in 'The Village' there are no figures in this view of the Dorset countryside. This absolute lack of human activity gives Mackintosh's pictures an air of eerie, even surreal, desertion. They are formal landscapes... the most dominant feature in this work is the tall telegraph pole, a formal and unnatural element in this gentle Dorset landscape.' (Roger Billcliffe).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Plate 10 The Nursery from Portfolio of Prints

An Art-Lover's house competition. Portfolio published 1902. In 1901 the Zeitschrift fur Innen-Dekoration of Darmstadt organised an international competition for the design of an Art Lover's House. The 1st prize was shared among 16 entrants, Baillie Scott recieved 2nd prize and 3rd prizes were also awarded. Mackintosh's entry was disqualified as his interior drawings were not finished in time for the competition deadline, but when they arrived he was awarded a special purchase prize of 600 marks by the publishers. The original drawings cannot now be traced, but in 1902 Alexander Koch published them as a portfolio in 'Meister Der Innenkunst' with an introduction by Herman Muthesius. A portfolio was presented by Mackintosh to the GSA and a 2nd set of prints, framed, is in the GSA collection. One of the three perspectives submitted by Mackintosh after the competition had been judged. The fitted furniture, benches and table are all loosely based on those designed for William Davidson's house Windyhill. Interesting features are the lighting standards with their tree like arrangement of lamps and the gesso panel over the fireplace, possibly depicting an episode from the Sleeping Beauty Story, credited to Margaret Macdonald. (Roger Billcliffe).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Design for the Grand Hall, Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901

The competition, held in 1898, was won by the Glasgow architect James Miller with a considerably more ornate design for a 'bit of Spanish baroque confectionery' (McLaren Young). Like Miller's, Mackintosh's design derives from James Sellars' for the 1888 Glasgow exhibition, but simplified. 'The dome, perhaps a prerequisite for Glasgow exhibitions, remained, but it was presented with severe geometricality, with an Art Nouveau lantern surmounted by a Chinese coolie hat.'

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Design for a Memorial Fireplace, The Dug-Out, Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow

Inscribed: This room was opened by Miss Cranston in the year 1917 during the Great European War between the Allied Nations and the Central Powers.The Dug-Out, which Miss Cranston created in the basement of the Willow Tea Rooms was Mackintosh's last work in Glasgow (designed while he was living in London) and develops his new style seen in 78 Derngate. A dramatic interior was created with black ceilings and dark walls highlighted by strong colours in the decorations. The centrepiece was the Memorial Fireplace, decorated with inlaid glass and paintings of the flags of the opposing nations; above the commemorative plaque was a panel of stencilled decoration in chequers, diamonds and triangles, all in the bright colours used in the Derngate frieze. Two interior elevations indicate Mackintosh's schemes for decoration and furniture, some of which survives.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Low-backed armchair for the Director's Room, Glasgow School of Art

Designed for the Director's Room, Glasgow School of Art. Twelve chairs were made in 1904 for the GSA, but William Davidson acquired a further two, with six of MC/F/58 for use as dining chairs in the hall at Windyhill. Twelve chairs reupholstered in brown horsehair 1984. One chair on loan from Glasgow University, returned 1984. This item was assessed for conservation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Fragments of lampshade(s) for Library, Glasgow School of Art (Version 4)

The library was destroyed by fire on 23 May 2014, though many metal and glass fragments from the lights were subsequently salvaged. Originally, and according to Mackintosh’s preparatory sketches, there were thought to be 53 individual lights in the library, each with punched holes in the inner reflectors which allowed light to pass through blue and purple glass. The central array was made up of 12 small canisters attached to the light frame on the ceiling, with eight medium pendants and five large pendants hanging below. There were an additional twelve medium canisters attached to the coffered ceiling both above and below the library balcony, making 24. Originally there were also four additional medium hanging pendants in each of the south and western window bays, though these four lights, and the medium canister in the librarians office, had all been removed before the fire in 2014, meaning there were 48 in the library. This small selection of salvaged lights fragments has been retained as evidence of the fire tragedy. These fragments are also surplus to the needs of Rodney French of Lonsdale and Dutch, Edinburgh who has been tasked with reconstructing the entire set of library lights, whilst reusing as much of the surviving fragments as possible.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Fragments of lampshade(s) for Library, Glasgow School of Art (Version 5)

The library was destroyed by fire on 23 May 2014, though many metal and glass fragments from the lights were subsequently salvaged. Originally, and according to Mackintosh’s preparatory sketches, there were thought to be 53 individual lights in the library, each with punched holes in the inner reflectors which allowed light to pass through blue and purple glass. The central array was made up of 12 small canisters attached to the light frame on the ceiling, with eight medium pendants and five large pendants hanging below. There were an additional twelve medium canisters attached to the coffered ceiling both above and below the library balcony, making 24. Originally there were also four additional medium hanging pendants in each of the south and western window bays, though these four lights, and the medium canister in the librarians office, had all been removed before the fire in 2014, meaning there were 48 in the library. This small selection of salvaged lights fragments has been retained as evidence of the fire tragedy. These fragments are also surplus to the needs of Rodney French of Lonsdale and Dutch, Edinburgh who has been tasked with reconstructing the entire set of library lights, whilst reusing as much of the surviving fragments as possible.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Dressing Table for Guthrie and Wells

This item was lost in the fire in The Mackintosh Building at The Glasgow School of Art on 23rd May 2014. Designed for Guthrie and Wells, Glasgow. This and others pieces of green stained furniture made by Guthrie and Wells, were collected by William Davidson for his house Gladsmuir and later in Windyhill. Guthrie and Wells, originally founded as a painting and decorating firm by J and W Guthrie, who entered into partnership with Andrew Wells in 1895, played an important role in the history of decor and design in Glasgow. They were the most important of the stained glass studios emerging in Glasgow in the 1890s, supplied furniture, glass, mosaics etc and had a reputation for first class craftsmanship and always employed excellent designers. This item was assessed for conservation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010).

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Fragments of lampshade(s) for Library, Glasgow School of Art (Version 3)

The library was destroyed by fire on 23 May 2014, though many metal and glass fragments from the lights were subsequently salvaged. Originally, and according to Mackintosh’s preparatory sketches, there were thought to be 53 individual lights in the library, each with punched holes in the inner reflectors which allowed light to pass through blue and purple glass. The central array was made up of 12 small canisters attached to the light frame on the ceiling, with eight medium pendants and five large pendants hanging below. There were an additional twelve medium canisters attached to the coffered ceiling both above and below the library balcony, making 24. Originally there were also four additional medium hanging pendants in each of the south and western window bays, though these four lights, and the medium canister in the librarians office, had all been removed before the fire in 2014, meaning there were 48 in the library. This small selection of salvaged lights fragments has been retained as evidence of the fire tragedy. These fragments are also surplus to the needs of Rodney French of Lonsdale and Dutch, Edinburgh who has been tasked with reconstructing the entire set of library lights, whilst reusing as much of the surviving fragments as possible.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Cabbages in an Orchard

From The Magazine, April 1894. The long text by Mackintosh which accompanies this watercolour in The Magazine (reproduced in full in Billcliffe's catalogue) suggests that he had already encountered public hostility to his work, possibly even from fellow students, on the grounds of incomprehensibility.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Meister Der Innen-Kunst - Title Page from Portfolio of Prints

An Art-Lover's house competition. Portfolio published 1902. In 1901 the Zeitschrift fur Innen-Dekoration of Darmstadt organised an international competition for the design of an Art Lover's House. The 1st prize was shared among 16 entrants, Baillie Scott recieved 2nd prize and 3rd prizes were also awarded. Mackintosh's entry was disqualified as his interior drawings were not finished in time for the competition deadline, but when they arrived he was awarded a special purchase prize of 600 marks by the publishers. The original drawings cannot now be traced, but in 1902 Alexander Koch published them as a portfolio in 'Meister Der Innenkunst' with an introduction by Herman Muthesius. A portfolio was presented by Mackintosh to the GSA and a 2nd set of prints, framed, is in the GSA collection.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Plate 8 Reception Room from Portfolio of Prints

An Art-Lover's house competition. Portfolio published 1902. In 1901 the Zeitschrift fur Innen-Dekoration of Darmstadt organised an international competition for the design of an Art Lover's House. The 1st prize was shared among 16 entrants, Baillie Scott recieved 2nd prize and 3rd prizes were also awarded. Mackintosh's entry was disqualified as his interior drawings were not finished in time for the competition deadline, but when they arrived he was awarded a special purchase prize of 600 marks by the publishers. The original drawings cannot now be traced, but in 1902 Alexander Koch published them as a portfolio in 'Meister Der Innenkunst' with an introduction by Herman Muthesius. A portfolio was presented by Mackintosh to the GSA and a 2nd set of prints, framed, is in the GSA collection. One of the three interior perspectives which Mackintosh omitted from his original submission and consequently was disqualified from the competition, but later supplied to the publishers. They differ in some detail from the elevations already submitted, the arrangements of the lighting is simpler, the stencilled panels at the window are more elaborate and positioned within the recess, next to the windows, rather than on the walls between each recess. The perpendicular stress of the two rows of tapering square standard down each wall is reinforced by the extremely high backs of the chairs and the original light fittings, 'four small square lanterns, each hangings by four cords, so that the whole effect is of a forest of perpendiculars' (Muthesius). As in the dining room it is evident that (probably because of lack of time) Mackintosh drew on furniture designs he had already used in Glasgow: the high backed chairs are very similar to those designed for the Ingram Street Tea Rooms. The most prominent feature of the room is the piano. Muthesius comments on the frequent juxtaposition in the work of the Glasgow School of 'masculine' hard perpendicular structural lines and 'feminine' flowing decorative curves, exemplified in this design. 'Straight lines, especially perpendicular ones, are exalted into a principle, and are carried so far as to be almost spiritualised... Any outbreak of softness is scourged off the field by an exotic multiplication of perpendiculars...This masculine art... also has a feminine side... seen in the panels... which, appearing in a stiff architectural framing, mark an interesting reaction in the direction of sublimated effeminacy...The human figure appears to be regarded as material merely for indulging a taste for soft flowing lines. At need it is impossibly lengthened out or otherwise altered... it is cramped into all sorts of strange positions in order to help out a required note in the decoration.'

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

Plate 9 Music Room with Piano & Fireplace from Portfolio of Prints

An Art-Lover's house competition. Portfolio published 1902. In 1901 the Zeitschrift fur Innen-Dekoration of Darmstadt organised an international competition for the design of an Art Lover's House. The 1st prize was shared among 16 entrants, Baillie Scott recieved 2nd prize and 3rd prizes were also awarded. Mackintosh's entry was disqualified as his interior drawings were not finished in time for the competition deadline, but when they arrived he was awarded a special purchase prize of 600 marks by the publishers. The original drawings cannot now be traced, but in 1902 Alexander Koch published them as a portfolio in 'Meister Der Innenkunst' with an introduction by Herman Muthesius. A portfolio was presented by Mackintosh to the GSA and a 2nd set of prints, framed, is in the GSA collection. When the dividing partition between the reception and music rooms was removed, these two elevations would have faced each other. The piano with its fantastic superstructure, is on of Mackintosh's most elaborate inventions, based on the organ at Craigie Hall (Roger Billcliffe). 'This instrument is before everything else a piece of decorative art, and is designed to match the rest of the room... four tall corner posts, crowned with groups of figures and reaching to the ceiling, form a sort of baldachin round it. The front is composed of an oval framework containing a tall thin female figure flanked by roses, with a pair of doves meeting overhead. This fanciful composition is supported artistically by two large decorative panels on the walls on either side of the piano, representing two highly spiritualised Astarte-like figures.' (Muthesius). The large projecting fireplace on the opposite wall is a more elaborate version of that in the Mains Street drawing room. Its decoration consists principally of a pair of tall upright candelabra; the inlaid panels above are by Margaret Macdonald.

Mackintosh, Charles Rennie

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