Vintage Cocktail Drinks Bar Cabinet Epstein Mid Century C1950

Epstein furniture
was originally founded in East London by Polish immigrants in the 1890s. The firm passed to brothers Harry and Lou Epstein and the pair turned their attention to the production of Art Deco forms from the 1930s until the 1950s. 

Finished to high standards, most pieces were custom-made in veneers of burr maple, sycamore or walnut. The design of the famous ‘cloud’ seat furniture is credited to Epstein and the company also popularized the uniquely British taste in suite furniture. 

Following World War II, Epstein had showrooms in London, Manchester and Glasgow. A conservative Art Deco style became the company`s trademark after the war and most pieces were made from bleached walnut. Art Deco pieces are not signed.

From the 1960s, some pieces were labelled ‘H. & L. Epstein’ or ‘Epstein & Goldman’. 

Burr Walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.

Ormolu (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

No true ormolu was produced in France after around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of colour. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil).