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This item suffered significant damage in the fire in The Mackintosh Building at The Glasgow School of Art on 23rd May 2014.

Desk with hinged top, designed for Gladsmuir, Kilmacolm.

The majority of this piece of furniture was lost, however a brass repousse panel plus three handles, all damaged, were salvaged and have undergone conservation and consolidation work. The original item was assessed for conservation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010).

Items in The Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh collection include: furniture, watercolours, drawings, architectural drawings, design drawings, sketchbooks, metalwork and photographs.

Mackintosh studied evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art between 1883-1894, winning numerous student prizes and competitions including the prestigious Alexander Thomson Travelling Studentship in 1890. Mackintosh and his contemporaries also produced four volumes of a publication called "The Magazine" during their time as students, which included examples of their writing and artworks. GSA Archives and Collections hold Mackintosh's Italian Sketchbook, as well as all four volumes of The Magazine, all of which can be browsed on our catalogue.

The majority of Mackintosh's three-dimensional work was created with the help of a small number of patrons within a short period of intense activity between 1896 and 1910. Francis Newbery was headmaster of The Glasgow School of Art during this time and was supportive of Mackintosh's ultimately successful bid to design a new art school building in 1896 - his most prestigious undertaking. For Miss Kate Cranston he designed a series of Glasgow tearoom interiors and for the businessmen William Davidson and Walter Blackie, he was commissioned to design large private houses, 'Windyhill' in Kilmacolm and 'The Hill House' in Helensburgh. In Europe, the originality of Mackintosh's style was quickly appreciated and in 1900 he was invited to participate at the 8th Vienna Secession.

In 1902 Mackintosh was invited to participate at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art in Turin and later at exhibitions in Moscow and Berlin. Despite this success Mackintosh's work met with considerable indifference at home. Few private clients were sufficiently sympathetic to want his 'total design' of house and interior and he was incapable of compromise.

By 1914 Mackintosh had despaired of ever receiving true recognition in Glasgow and together with his wife Margaret Macdonald he moved, temporarily, to Walberswick on the Suffolk Coastline (in England), where he painted many fine flower studies in watercolour. In 1915 the Mackintoshes settled in London and for the next few years Mackintosh attempted to resume practice as an architect and designer. The designs he produced at this time for textiles, for the 'Dug-out' Tea Room in Glasgow and the dramatic interiors for 78 Derngate in Northampton, England show him working in a bold new style of decoration, using primary colours and geometric motifs.

In 1923 the Mackintoshes left London for the South of France, finally living in Port Vendres where Mackintosh gave up all thoughts of architecture and design and devoted himself entirely to painting landscapes. He died in London, of cancer, on 10 December 1928.

The majority of Mackintosh's design work, (including furniture and metalwork), architectural drawings, textile designs and watercolours are in the possession of three public collections - The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow Museums, and the Hunterian Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow - although significant (individual) pieces can be found in museums across the UK and Europe, North America and Japan. However, some of Mackintosh's most important, symbolist watercolours from the early to mid-1890s are to be found in the collection of The Glasgow School of Art.

The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections hold a large number of items by Mackintosh, giving us one of the largest collections of his work held in public ownership. The collection is one of 50 Recognised Collections of National Significance to Scotland. We continue to investigate new routes of engagement for the collection. For example, our Mac(k)cessibility project in conjunction with GSA’s School of Simulation and Visualisation explores digital display and loans of our Mackintosh furniture. Find out more about the Mac(k)cessibility project here.

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 incomplete light, was one of the largest single pieces salvaged from the floor of the library and the decision has been taken not to try and restore it but rather to keep it in its current condition as a visual record of the tragedy.

Designed as individual lights within the Library at Glasgow School of Art. Very similar in design to the thirteen lampshades which make up the central light fitting in the Library.

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.

Designed for 120 Mains Street, Glasgow and also for the Luncheon Room, Argyle Street Tea Rooms, Glasgow. Stylistically, the most advanced piece of furniture designed for Argyle Street and used by Mackintosh again in his own flat. The examples in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the V&A in London were formerly in the GSA collection and donated by Douglas Percy Bliss, GSA director, in 1958. The horsehair and rush seats were reupholstered 1985-86. This item was assessed for conservation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010).

This item was severely damaged in the fire in The Mackintosh Building at The Glasgow School of Art on 15th June 2018. Some fragments have been salvaged. The bell survives as it was not in the building at the time of the fire.

The symbols which form the Glasgow coat of arms all refer to miracles performed by St. Mungo, the patron saint of the city who is normally represented with these emblems on the coat of arms. They first appeared on the seals of bishops of Glasgow, the fish on the seal of William Wishart in 1270, the bird on the seal of Robert Wishart in 1271. They were used together for the first time on the seal of the Chapter of Glasgow in 1488. The salmon with the ring in its mouth refers to the story of the local Queen who gave her ring to a knight she was in love with, the jealous King stole the ring from the knight while he was asleep and then demanded it back from the Queen, having thrown it into the Clyde. In desperation she prayed to St. Mungo who told his followers to cast their fishing nets in the river and bring him the first fish that they caught, a salmon with the Queen's ring in its mouth. The tree represents the green hazel twig which Mungo restored to life after his companions had killed it. The bell represents the service bell used in Mungo's church and still in Glasgow until c1700. Mackintosh's tree is highly abstract in its Art Nouveau 'whiplash' spirals untypical of his work. The bird is a modern replacement of the stolen original.

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.

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.

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 complete light, constructed from multiple, original parts salvaged from the library was made by Rodney French of Lonsdale and Dutch, Edinburgh. This was the first light reconstructed as part of the restoration of the Library and provided valuable evidence as to how the original lights had been manufactured between 1907-09.

Designed for the drawing room at Windyhill, Kilmacolm. The lights were originally designed for gas fittings. Early photos show additional decorative glass pendants, now missing.

Designed for the drawing room at Windyhill, Kilmacolm. The lights were originally desgined for gas fittings. Early photos show additional decorative glass pendants, now missing.

Designed for the drawing room at Windyhill, Kilmacolm. The lights were originally designed for gas fittings. Early photos show additional decorative glass pendants, now missing.

Designed for The Dug-Out, Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow. Mackintosh's watercolour designs for the Dug-Out show a very similar settle (painted yellow) in the staircase vestibule and presumably this is where the piece was originally placed. It is a smaller variant of the Derngate hall settle. Whilst the property of the Grosvenor Restaurant, it was probably painted black, but when it was returned from exhibition in Helsinki (early in 1983) damage to the surface revealed yellow paint-work underneath. When the black paint was stripped it was clear that the entire settle had been painted yellow, and on the lower surfaces the original paint-work was intact, allowing accurate colour matching for repainting. In the winter of 1983-84 the settle was repainted and reupholstered to match the original design. This item was assessed for conversation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2006-2010), and then again in 2018 following the fire in the Mackintosh Building in June 2018.

Designed for the Blue or Chinese Room at the Ingram Street Tea Rooms, Glasgow. The fretted back and side rails match the Chinese style motifs of the Blue Room (as called in the job books). Much of the woodwork in the Chinese Room was painted bright blue or red, but there is no trace of any finish having been applied to these chairs other than the ebonising which most of them still display. These chairs have always been associated with the Chinese Room and so must be identified with the entry for thirty-six in the job books (Roger Billcliffe). All the chairs rwere eupholstered in blue horsehair in 1985. The Ingram Street Tea Rooms were purchased by Glasgow Corporation in 1951 for £25,000 and were then rented out as various shops and warehouses.
This item was assessed for conversation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access project (2006-2010), and then again in 2018 following the fire in the Mackintosh Building in June 2018.

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 conversation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access project (2006-2010), and then again in 2018 following the fire in the Mackintosh Building in June 2018.

Designed for the Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow. These chairs were 'the most successful solution of Mackintosh's attempts to use traditional, vernacular designs' (Roger Billcliffe). However they evidently proved too fragile in use, for all the surviving examples have had an additional cross piece fixed to the top of the uprights (apparently at an early date) to support them. This chair was used in conjunction with the low boxy chair as the main seating unit in the Willow Tea Rooms. This item was assessed for conversation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access project (2006-2010), and then again in 2018 following the fire in the Mackintosh Building in June 2018.

Designed for the White Dining Room, Ingram Street Tea Rooms, Glasgow. A taller and more elegant version of MC/F/24, it shows the extravagant height to which Mackintosh was prepared to extend the backs of his chairs to achieve a variety of verticals within a room. The higher back makes it less rigid, and the two back splats were not originally attached to the seat rail (nor were these in MC/F/20 but at some time the chairs were strengthened by screwing them to the rear seat-rails). It is not known exactly where these chairs were used, though a contemporary photograph (Billcliffe 1900.J) shows one example in the Billiards Room. One white painted version (Billcliffe 1900.11) was in Mackintosh's own collection by 1900 but it is not certain whether it precedes the tea room chairs or is contemporary with them. Roger Billcliffe. Reupholstered in brown horsehair 1984. The Ingram Street Tea Rooms were purchased by Glasgow Corporation in 1951 for £25,000 and were then rented out as various shops and warehouses.
This item was assessed for conversation in 2010 as part of the Mackintosh Conservation and Access project (2006-2010), and then again in 2018 following the fire in the Mackintosh Building in June 2018.

Includes:

• chairs
• tables
• benches
• ettles
• periodical and writing desks
• smokers' cabinets
• beds
• mirrors
• washstands
• bookcases
• cabinets
• linen presses
• dressers
• fenders
• hat, coat and umbrella stands
• a baptismal font, letter racks
• light-fittings
• clocks.

One of a number of shades designed for Mackintosh's flat at 78 Southpark Avenue, Glasgow. Mackintosh used a number of these lampshades in his flat at Southpark Avenue which he bought in 1906 and photos of the interiors show them hanging in the dining room and the drawing room and studio. They are just slightly different versions of the fittings used at Mains Street (originally made for gas) which can be seen hanging in clusters of four in the Annan photos of the drawing room and studio and the bedroom.  About 1919 William Davidson bought the Southpark Avenue flat and some of its furniture from the Mackintoshes, on his death Glasgow University bought it from his sons Hamish and Cameron who presented much of the furniture that had been used in it.

In 1984 (when the School was completely rewired), the original lamps were cleaned and six replicas made (by Will Martin of Linlithgow) for the entrance hall.

In 1984 (when the School was completely rewired), the original lamps were cleaned and six replicas made (by Will Martin of Linlithgow) for the entrance hall.

In 1984 (when the School was completely rewired), the original lamps were cleaned and six replicas made (by Will Martin of Linlithgow) for the entrance hall.