Beschreibung:

David PowellUnique 'Heal's' two-part sideboard, designed 1964 Brazilian rosewood, ebony, fabric upholstered doors. 84 x 220 x 51 cm Produced by David Powell London, United Kingdom. Brass label impressed DESIGNED AND MADE BY DAVID POWELL FootnotesProvenance Acquired directly from the designer, London, mid-1960s Thence by descent to the present owner Literature 'David Powell Designs', Furniture, London, 1960s, n.p. Bonhams wishes to thank Kristina Madsen, who holds the David Powell archive, for her assistance cataloguing the present lot. David Powell Kristina Madsen Furniture maker and former student of David Powell David Powell (born 1926, Tunbridge Wells) was raised in a family and community of highly-skilled artists and craftsmen. His great-uncles, Alfred and Oswald Powell, were prominent figures within the British Arts and Crafts Movement, and his father, Roger Powell OBE, a celebrated bookbinder. David trained as a furniture maker with Edward Barnsley, and later attended the Royal College of Art. He established his furniture making business in London in the late 1950s and, over the course of the next decade, worked from several locations. When he built this sideboard in 1964, his studio-workshop was located at 3 Jubilee Place, Kings Road, London, S.W.3. Most of the furniture he produced during this prolific period was for boardrooms and dining rooms, with rosewood being his wood of choice. His vision as a designer-craftsman was to produce functional furniture of exquisite design and superb craftsmanship, and by offering some pieces as stock items, make the work available to a broad audience; a vision difficult to realise due to the number of hours required to build each piece. Notable commissioned works from this era included pieces for Windsor Castle; Shell International, London; and Burlington House, Piccadilly, to name a few. In 1969, David emigrated to the United States, where he continued to take commissions for furniture of his design. In 1977, he and businessman and designer, John Tierney, established Leeds Design Workshops in Easthampton, Massachusetts. In addition to marketing their furniture, they ran a training program that was modelled after David's own training in the Barnsley workshop. After the school's closure in 1989, David and John continued to promote their work under the LDW name. Masterful, and passionate in his commitment to functionality and exquisite design, David dedicated his life to creating fine and beautiful furniture. He died in 2001 in Northampton, Massachusetts. There are two known sideboards of this design. The original was built for an exhibition at Heals, London. Constructed in two halves for ease of transport, the original was attached to a single, four-legged base. For the present sideboard, David designed a split base, rendering each half a free-standing unit. It is likely that a commission for this piece resulted from the Heals exhibition. Both sideboards are made of rosewood with ebony handles. The working drawing, dated 1964, specifies vertical-grain rosewood veneer on the door fronts. It is unclear when or why David decided to substitute fabric. Although he repeatedly used fabric and leather on his seating, the upholstered doors on these two sideboards are unique within his oeuvre. David's notes regarding a 1965 dining set indicate that a rosewood sideboard of comparable scope required 685 hours to complete.Saleroom noticesPlease note: the overall dimensions: 84 x 288 x 49 cm; individual units: 84 x 144 x 49 cm.