Hugh Birkett (1919-2002)
vitrine display cabinet
Moreton-in-Marsh, England, 1986
mahogany, glass, brass
unsigned
38"w x 31"d x 70"h

Catalog Note:
Hugh Birkett was a prolific furniture maker from the Cotswold School, an important chapter of the Arts & Crafts Movement in England since the late 1800s. Even though Birkett was not directly trained or employed by Ernest Gimson, a leading designer of English Arts & Crafts furniture, he is widely recognized as a distinguished craftsman who represents the Cotswold School by association, style and locality. Birkett joined Oliver Morel (1916-2003) of Herefordshire in 1948 to learn woodworking for 18 months. Morel was an accomplished furniture maker himself, having trained in 1934 under Edward Barnsley, the son of Sidney Barnsley who established a center and community for Arts & Crafts traditions alongside Ernest Gimson in Sapperton, Cotswold. Birkett set up his own studio in Solihull in 1949 and later moved to Moreton-in-Marsh in 1966 at the age of 47. He continued his career as a master cabinetmaker, mainly working on specially commissioned furniture for clients from all over the world.

Areas of finish loss to one side and legs. Overall in excellent condition. The interior can be illuminated with electrified lights with the cord running hidden inside a leg.