Douglas Pittuck was born in Plumstead, London and educated at Wallington Grammar School where he was taught art by Tom Nash, a friend of Stanley Spencer.
Whilst employed at New College Oxford, he was allowed time to attend art classes at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in the 1930’s. After the war he returned to the Ruskin full time with the aid of an ex-serviceman’s grant and studied under luminaries such as Eric Ravilious.
He began a 25 year career as an art teacher at Barnard Castle School in 1948. He remained an active artist and was one of the “Four Teesside Painters” formed in 1951.
DOUGLAS FREDERICK PITTUCK OIL – MARKET CROSS, BARNARD CASTLE
A top regional line-up: The Addisons team standing from left to right are: Simon Nixon (Auctioneer), William McNab (Auctioneer), Paul Jones (Head Porter) and Paul Ing (Consultant) and seated left to right are: Marella Darvill (Office Manager), Richard Edwards (Consultant) and Henrietta Graham (Consultant). Also pictured is Dede, the 8-year-old Jackadoodle who specialises in human canine relations.
In recent years, our regular customers will have noticed that we have been adding more and more specialist events to our auction calendar, including the popular Vintage Fashion and Furniture, Garden and Sporting sales. Specialist sections have also been introduced to the fortnightly Antiques and Interiors sales in order to showcase rising numbers of themed items such as high-quality jewellery, vintage clothing and militaria.
To accommodate this trend, we have decided to introduce a more consultant-led approach to our services that not only encourages existing staff to further develop specific areas of expertise but also uses more of our specialist contacts. This will give clients increased access to some of the top antiques experts in the region whilst at the same time continuing to provide the efficient and personal service for which the saleroom has become known.
Richard Edwards, who was previously a specialist with Sotheby’s and Doyle New York before moving to Addisons in 2003, will be taking on a consultancy role within the business with particular responsibility for the quarterly Fine Art and Antiques Catalogue sales. These sales have a reputation for showcasing an extensive range of high-quality items and attract strong global audiences.
Auctioneer William McNab will concentrate on the fortnightly general sales that regularly attract up to 800-900 lots, assisted by Marella Darvill who will also continue to develop the Vintage auctions. Simon Nixon will focus on growing the sporting sales, which cover shooting, fishing and other country sports.
Henrietta Graham one of the North’s leading antiques and fine arts experts who has previously worked for both Sotheby’s and Bonhams will carry on with her existing role in the business sourcing and cataloguing a wide range of lots and representing Addisons at specialist valuation days. Paul Ing, a well-known specialist in Arts & Crafts furniture and decorative arts, including Yorkshire oak by craftsmen such as Robert `Mouseman` Thompson, will provide expertise for all sales in this popular area.
A rare nest of tables by Albert Eagleman Jeffray arrived this week from an idyllic location a local mill on the River Tees in North Yorkshire
Albert started his career at Robert Thompsons Craftsmen Ltd a year or so prior to the master craftsman’s death in 1955 and continued working at Thompsons until 1966 when he decided to work on his own and began his career as the Eagleman, signing each piece with an incised eagle signature
This nest of tables is an early Eagleman piece and is made of Yorkshire Oak which is fully adzed to all visible areas in line with early Thompson’s craftsmanship.
The set comprise two smaller square tables which fit under the rectangular top, each table also has an eagle signature and the feature of waisted sides normally seen on the work of another favourite of ours Thomas Gnomeman Whitaker who used this design on most of his tables.
The nest is on display in our Barnard Castle Showroom and priced at a very reasonable £350.00
Found in the back of a store room in the 17th century Old Well Inn in Barnard Castle was a dilapidated oak chair bearing an inscription and plaque carved in high relief was a lizard type signature.
The chair was immediately shown to us – well we’re in there most days!
We were pleased to be able to identify the piece as a work by Derek Lizardman Slater who trained with Grainger at Acorn Industries in North Yorkshire.
It was impossible for us to pass by an opportunity to restore an historic piece of furniture and with help from our upholsterers the chair has now been refurbished to its full glory and has been returned to the Round Table for display.
Derek Lizardman Slater, who as mentioned trained with Alan Acornman Grainger was a fabulous crafts man. You can see below the detail of his Lizardman signature. He originally carved a fish as his trade mark but later changed to his signature lizard.
If you have any pieces that you would like identifying we would love to hear from you please send us over some pictures and any information you have via our ‘Sell an item to us’ page. We look forward to seeing your pieces!
We have been very fortunate this year in purchasing five early Robert Mouseman Thompson sideboards dating between 1930-50. These five drawer sideboards are our own personal favourites and all now have new homes and our ‘wish list’ for these pieces is now empty.
We are pleased to announce that we now have another fully adzed sideboard circa. 1940 arriving in Barnard Castle soon, a stunning fully adzed piece in superb condition
Researching the works of the Mouseman can be very rewarding and close to us in Barnard Castle we have found yet another link to the famous craftsman Robert Mouseman Thompson of Kilburn.
One hundred years ago Hutton Magna and its neighbour West Layton like many small Yorkshire villages comprised some 55 houses yet 34 men went to fight in the first world war and 12 of them all from Hutton Magna did not return, with one family losing three brothers.
Most villages remembered their dead by erecting a stone monument however Hutton Magna decided to raise £800.00 for a wooden lychgate at the entrance to the churchyard.
It was built by Robert Mouseman Thompson and like other very early pieces doesn’t have a mouse, the gate was unveiled on April 19th 1921 amid great ceremony.
The lychgate is situated in the high street next to The Oak Tree Inn and we recommend a visit to both !
Yorkshire has a fine pedigree of quality oak furniture – largely thanks to the influence of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson, the acclaimed furniture maker from Kilburn, North Yorkshire who was part of the 1920’s revival of craftsmanship inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement led by William Morris, John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle. His trademark was a carved mouse on each of the pieces of his furniture and this tradition was adopted by his ‘disciples’, who followed his style of working in Yorkshire oak.
There are a number of skilled craftsmen that have left Robert Thompsons and have traded with their own unique signatures and one of these was the master cabinetmaker and wood carver Colin Beaverman Almack, who was trained by Robert Thompson in the 1940s. His trademark was a beaver and he went on to found his own workshop in the nearby village of Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe in 1960.
We are pleased to announce that we have recently acquired from two private estates a number of Beaverman pieces purchased from Colin in the 1970’s
These pieces include a lovely adzed oak drop leaf dining table with 8 dining chairs including 2 carvers each chair carved with a harp designs to the backs and the carvers also having Yorkshire rose carvings.
Today Beaver Furniture can be found in private homes and public buildings across the globe, from Europe to Australia. Specialist commissions have included work for Eton and Ampleforth Colleges and the Chapter House at London’s Southwark Cathedral.
Just arrived from a private collector a lovely Vintage Oak Book Trough by the Beaverman, Colin Almack. Purchased directly from Colin Almack Beaverman in the early 1970’s with a fully adzed finish.
A lovely collection of Derek Fishman Slater Furniture has just arrived at our showroom. All pieces where purchased directly from Derek Fishman Slater in the 1970’s.
These pieces being from his early artisan period and carved with a fish signature later pieces were carved with a lizard signature
UPDATE 02/2023 – All Chailloux pieces have sold and Charlie is sad again! French artist Chailloux is considered to be… Read more: Robert Chailloux (1913-2006)
Just arrived from a private collector a lovely Vintage Oak Book Trough by the Beaverman, Colin Almack. Purchased directly from Colin Almack Beaverman in the early 1970’s with a fully adzed finish.