| Accession No |
1965.95
|
| Name/Title |
MANTELPIECE
|
| Brief Description |
This carved mantelpiece made of kauri came from "Matainui", a homestead at Rata in the Rangitikei. The main body of the mantel is topped with shelves. Both are stained with a dark varnish. The mantelpiece is ornately carved in a high-relief style with a stylized floral theme including daffodils, tulips, flowering hop vines, holly bushes and magnolias and oak trees.
Mrs Edith Rhodes carved this work in 1905. She had a special shed where she would go to carve. The mantelpiece was donated to the Museum by her son when the house was demolished in the 1960s.
Woodcarving was one of the most popular Arts and Craft techniques practiced by women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In Whanganui, classes were held in the afternoon, in the evenings and on Saturdays by 1902. Some women carved their own designs while others based their carving on patterns copied from magazines. You could even buy pre-patterned boards.
|
| Classification |
Mantel/Building Component/Structures/Nomenclature
|
| Primary Maker |
Rhodes, Edith Mildred (b.1870, d.1933)
|
| Primary Prod Date |
1905
|
| Primary Prod Period |
Edwardian
|
| Primary Prod Place |
Rangitīkei/Aotearoa/New Zealand
|
| Production Notes |
Edith Rhodes was an amateur craftswoman. She carved "to keep herself occupied" (according to descendants) and had her own special shed out the back. She carved other things besides this piece.
|
| Media/Materials Description |
wood, varnish, brass, paint
|
| Measurement Reading |
6500cm
17.5cm
157cm
|
|
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