The identity of some of these craftsmen has been discovered. Tom Whittaker, aka Gnomeman, was apprenticed to Thompson before setting up his own workshops in Littlebeck, near Whitby. But who, Galashiels auctioneers Hall’s would like to know, is Beaverman?
The mystery zoomorph was responsible for the panelled oak cabinet and pair of oak hall chairs that have been consigned for sale on January 15, each piece carved with a beaver, but no information about the cabinetmaker has come to light and auctioneer Michael Hall is now appealing to Antiques Trade Gazette readers for help. The cabinet measures 4ft 6in high by 3ft 9in wide by 2ft 2in deep (1.37m x 1.14m x 66cm) and is expected to fetch £400-600. The chairs are forecast at £200-250.
The ungnawn Beaver
Coming up in Galashiels... The Yorkshire Arts and Crafts cabinetmaker Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson hardly needs an introduction. His distinctive adzed oak furniture, each piece relief-carved with a small mouse, proved so successful that a menagerie of imitators sprang up in the 1950s and ’60s.
