Fine Old Furniture Well Displayed

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30680, 20 February 1965, Page 16

Fine Old Furniture Well Displayed

A festival exhibition of fine furniture, silver and ceramics, having “beaten the gun,” is now open in the Canterbury Museum’s, Hall of European Fine Arts. This exhibition, mooted for some time, is being presented to coincide with the Pan Pacific Arts Festival. Many of the exhibits have been specially loaned to the museum -authorities, so that for many of us this will be the first and last chance of seeing them. While there are undoubtedly some very lovely things being shown it is the sensitive, tasteful and fully professional standard of display which welds them into a coherent and satisfying exhibition. A splendid centrepiece of dining table and chairs gives focus to the whole gallery, while round the walls arranged in bays are small collections of furniture, ceramics, etc., grouped according

to period or style or the predominate wood. Every person visiting the exhibition will discover one or two favourite or “best” pieces (the magnificent mahogany bureaii bookcase, the satinwood plate stand with its exquisitely turned balusters, or some of the blue and white Worcester) but will they, like me, regret that more is not being done in this country to educate designers and craftsmen with machine tools and present-day matersials to produce carpets, glass, furniture and ceramics which could survive them, to be shown in a future exhibition of “fine antiques” in the year 2165 A.D.? This present exhibition will be open at the usual museum hours except that from Wednesday February 25 until Friday March 5 (not Saturday or Sunday) it will remain open until 7.00. p.m. —H.J.S.