Code: 11252
A rare and possibly unique Arts & Crafts/Art Nouveau repousse copper paneled music cabinet;
entitled "Esprits D'Amour D'Harmonie"
by the English architect-designer, Henry Bloomfield Bare (1848-1912); c1899.
Rathbone metalwork handles.
Dimensions approx 37.75" high, 22" width, 13.5" depth
Bloomfield Bare is probably best known for his design work at The Philharmonic Hotel in Liverpool, England, where, amongst other deisgn features, are a number of Arts & Crafts repousse copper panels in the bar area; see the following link on the Victorian Web website:
The Philharmonic Hotel, Liverpool
From the AHR Net website:
"Henry Bloomfield Bare was born in Hungerford, Berkshire, England on 21 January 1848 and was a pupil of Charles Edmund Giles from 1861 to 1863. He then worked as an assistant to Thomas John Wilson (1824-1903) and Samuel Joseph Nicholl (1826-1905) from 1863 to 1868. From 1866 to 1876 he worked for the railway engineer William Baker (1817-1878) as District Resident Assistant on the London & North Western Railway.
Bare commenced independent practice as an architect in Liverpool in 1876 and was in partnership with Henry Langton Beckwith (1861-1940) from c.1886. In the 1891 he moved to the USA and practised as an architect in New Jersey and Philadelphia. In 1895 he returned to Liverpool and resumed his practice. The commission for which Bare is best known is the Philharmonic Hotel (1898-1900), a Grade 1 listed public house at 36 Hope Street, Liverpool, which was reputedly John Lennon's favourite pub. He also designed the ornate Art Nouveau-inspired gates to the entrance of the Philharmonic.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1888. He was also elected an associate member of the Liverpool Architectural Society in 1878 and a Fellow of the Society in 1880. In the 1880s he was Vice-President of the Society. It is sometimes stated that he was a member of the Art Workers Guild but this appears to be incorrect.
In addition to his work as an architect, Bare also designed repoussé metalwork. He contributed occasional articles to The Studio magazine, He exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1888 and at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool between 1884 and 1911.
He died in Liverpool on 8 June 1912"
