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breed of craftsmen who are still capable of ebullient fashioning with the woods,
stains and tools of two and three hundred years ago.
The Baker Furniture Company has devoted hand craftsmen who carve and recarve
till a line suddenly picks up a dynamic harmonic from the original – they then
colour and re-colour till the tones blend and meld with those of two centuries
ago. These craftsmen have a more complex task than their forebears, as nature’s
subtle hallmark of gentle wear and dappled sunbleaching has to be suggested
and intriguingly involved to calm the connoisseur’s eye. They craft the piece
into an investment that future eras will be scarcely capable of producing, far less
within this price structure.
Each piece of furniture in this collection is an integral part of its great house of
origin. It was originally fashioned by the greatest craftsmen to echo the colours,
paintings, silver-gilt, plasterwork, architecture and music of its surrounds.
This sense of urgent involvement with all branches of the arts is essential to the
appreciation of each of these pieces which will become increasingly apparent
with familiarity.
All the Stately Homes involved are steeped in history and romance and ever
formed the centre of power, politics, fashion and glory. Their Lords are and
were eloquent courtiers even in Elizabethan days and long before. They wrote
moving poetry and dressed in exotic laces and silks. But these same people
were also the leading commanders in the field of battle, and controlled the
commercial world with tough achievement that won Britain its greatness.
The fine furniture, music, architecture and paintings all reflect these qualities
of action and decoration – indeed they were brought into being by these
very qualities!
The artisans of Baker have not merely copied examples of an era from a museum,
nor have they reproduced an illustration, from magazine or shop window, to fill
a passing fashion. Baker has recreated the very pieces these families have jealously
guarded as part of their birthright. Each piece is a beloved member of the family
and household, and will remain to add lustre not only to that particular owner’s
life, but to all who may cherish the lovingly reproduced children of these originals!
