Tantalus

August 30, 2020 Gareth M.

A tantalus, or tantalus cabinet refers to something that holds two or three decanters (occasionally more). The defining feature of a tantalus over other items that hold decanters is that a tantalus has a lock and key.

The tantalus was patented in 1881, and sources do state that it was to prevent the pilfering of the spirits within, either by servants or guests to the household.<source> However it is suggested that this may be an apocryphal tale, and instead the tantalus is an example of the late 1880s era of novelty and technology within the household.

At Tyabb we have a few dealers who have sold tantaluses in the past and continue to have them in stock. Generally all the tantaluses our dealers sell come with the key and an operating mechanism.

Locked

Side view, locked

Unlocked

Bakelite

June 3, 2020 Gareth M.

Bakelite was the first synthetic plastic, first produced by Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York, in 1907, however it is its patent date of 1909 which is usually the date cited for its creation.

Bakelite was unique in that it was the first fully synthetic plastic produced. A few semi-synthetic plastics had been produced in the years prior to 1909; Celluloid was made from plant cellulose and camphor, celluloid was mostly used for film but was used for creating decorative items along with some billiard balls and table tennis balls. Still today table tennis balls are made of celluloid.

Galalith or Aladdinite is the other somewhat notable synthetic plastic, made from casein and formaldehyde was invented in the 1890s. It was primarily used for costume jewellery and buttons.

Bakelite was the first commercially viable plastic that was completely synthetic could be hot-mouldable and, once cooled produced a hard material resistant to scratches that was also resistant to heat, nonconductive and resistant to solvents.

Bakelite's ease of moulding led it to be used for a variety of home and industrial uses and was one of the first materials that allowed for mass production of specialist items for the home, and for industrial and automotive industries. Its ease of mass production led to boost in commercial and industrial production with massive amounts being produced, especially compared to previous production techniques.

In industrial production temperature gauges, switches, knobs and such items were created from bakelite, it often being utilised for its non electrically or heat conductive properties. Examples of this can be seen on toasters, pots, lights and collectable industrial equipment.

Within the home, items like telephones and radios are especially notable from the 1920s-1930s Deco era their distinctive style and form, being created from bakelite allowed these forms to flourish in a way previous materials such as metal and wood could not.

Bakelite was not without its issues, one key one is flexibility, or rather its lack of it, even when it was produced new bakelite was quite fragile. In larger items its bulk protected it to a degree so larger heavy-use items like phones and radios remain to this day, more delicate items simply have not weathered the years, making items like cocktail shakers quite collectable.

As one of the first industrially crafted materials it remains a notable piece in 20th century history with a variety of home and industrial items existing in the world. Its collectability and notability comes both from its form and design, along with the rarity of many pieces.

Several items such as jewellery items remain usable / wearable to this day, while phones and radios can continue to be used, with many seeing continuous use for coming up to 100 years.

While bakelite has been mostly replaced by other modern plastics since the 1960s, it is still produced today by several manufacturers for electrical and industrial purposes, where it is known as polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride or Synthetic Resin Bonded Fabric/Paper (SRBF/SRBP), also referred to as Phenolic. Some positives noted continue from its first introduction; stable at a wide temperature range (0ºC to 120ºC), electrical insulation, use in electrical engineering, resistant to chemical damage and remains rigid once formed into a shape.

Edwardian

April 15, 2020 Gareth M.

Broadly speaking the Edwardian style or Edwardian era spanned the reign of King Edward VII which was 1901 to 1914.

This interestingly is also the period (with a little bit of leeway) that the Art Nouveau period covers, the Art Nouveau period being seen as popular from 1890 through to 1910.

As with all styles and eras items continued to be crafted and manufactured beyond these dates, often because of taste, conflict/wars or just because some artists were ahead of / behind the curve of styles and tastes.

Additionally, in Australia there is overlap with a design known as Federation style, which refers to when Australia federated in 1901. While the architectural Federation style is considered a separate style, the furniture and other items is most commonly aligned with the Edwardian style. At Tyabb we have had some items for sale in the past the dealers have identified as Federation style, however it's a somewhat smaller range than others as this style was only produced in Australia.

The Edwardian era and style was perhaps the last led by the reigning monarch. The previous eras and styles the reigning monarch was most often the trend / style setter for culture in Britain and the colonies. But post the Edwardian era art styles became less reliant or defined by the reigning monarch and were instead separated by art styles, wars / conflicts or year / eras.

One of the "defining" features of the era was that of eclecticism some sources state that it lacked a firm design style of the previous Victorian and Georgian styles that went before it. The style that came out of this eclecticism can be seen as breaking away / revolting against the formalised Victorian style, while still riffing on its key design elements.

In many cases during the Edwardian period there were still manufacturers and craftsmen continuing to create items from previous eras, meaning some items can be Victorian/Edwardian in style with only some hints that they are from the later era.

Some of the dominant words interior designers and historians use to describe the Edwardian era furniture wise was that of lightness, 'airy' or whimsical. Mostly this can be viewed in contrast to the heavier, darker tones of the Victorian era's furniture and styles.

A notable material that began to make its way into furniture in the Edwardian period was the use of bamboo and wicker in furniture. Along with more floral and lighter prints this helped emphasise the Edwardian era as the time of the long summer afternoons and garden parties.

The Edwardian era represents an era of change out of the formality of the Victorian era, and gives you the option to explore antiques that have a lighter, decorative style to them. While at Tyabb we have had and will continue to have a variety of Edwardian antiques and decorative items, it remains a smaller era compared to some. The Edwardian era may allow you to explore antiques through eclectic, whimsical yet beautifully detailed items and unique pieces.

Antique

April 4, 2020 Gareth M.

Most sources will say an antique is anything that is 100 years old or more. Technically then you might say as of the start of 2020 the beginning of the Art Deco period could qualify to be antique.

More broadly though it would be simpler to say anything pre-1910 is antique, this would include the Art Nouveau era, but doesn't quite include the Art Deco period.

Antique can refer to almost any item, be it furniture, cutlery, chinaware, glassware, clothing, artwork, books, cameras, jewellery, industrial and architectural items, toys, kitchenware and several other more items beyond this.

The term "antique" can be seen as a super category for a gigantic amount of eras, styles and forms that might sit within this extremely broad definition.

In many cases items are defined further by their era/style such as the reigning monarch of the time. Styles defined by their monarchs range through Queen Anne, William III, Georgian, William IV, Victorian and Edwardian to Napoleon III era (mid-19th Century).

But within these eras (and others) these styles represent designs crafted or manufactured slightly before, slightly after and during the reigns of these monarchs.

This is because designs tend to overlap a lot, and continue to be produced after the monarch's reign has passed.

At Tyabb we have a lot of items defined by British monarchs as that is where a lot of the items originated from, or were inspired by.

However in many cases items are sold just referring to the century or circa a period of time, rather than the monarch, especially with older items or items where the style is not linked to a monarch, but was still produced during a certain time period or era.

Moving forward with this knowledge series of blogs we will be featuring photos taken within Tyabb Packing House Antiques in the past. Many of these items are likely no longer for sale, but we have many dealers who can assist you in sourcing similar items.

Further reading:

Further reading

Further reading:

TV Shows that illustrate the Edwardian era:

Further reading:

Knowledge

Blog