Alec Cobbe - Böcker

This book is essential reading for admirers of the historic English country house as well as anyone seeking to bring authentic British style into their own home. From his own distinguished residence, Hatchlands Park in Surrey, to some of Britain s most iconic estates including Castle Howard, Knole, Goodwood, and Petworth Cobbe draws on more than fifty years of unparalleled knowledge and expertise in historical detail, conservation, and interior restoration. This book offers rare access to some of the most important homes in the United Kingdom and Ireland, illuminating the stories of the houses and the lives lived within them. Cobbe shares never seen photographs alongside his own charming paintings and designs illustrating his schemes, which refresh, enliven, and reignite the hallowed interiors of these country houses. Here readers gain practical guidance on topics such as hanging and enhancing art collections, choosing historically sympathetic paint colors and window treatments, restoring architectural elements, and balancing centuries-old character with the demands of modern living. More than a showcase of extraordinary rooms, this book serves both as a celebration of Cobbe s remarkable legacy and a blueprint for decorators, restorers, and enthusiasts seeking to preserve heritage while creating livable, beautifully layered homes.

A major contribution to our knowledge of the Worcester porcelain factory in its early years, based on a single large and elaborate dinner service commissioned by an Irish family.2020 Winner of the American Ceramic Circle Book AwardThe early years of the famous Worcester porcelain factory established by Dr Wall have always been a little mysterious, owing to the destruction of the records of thebusiness for this period. Alec Cobbe's discovery of family papers listing the purchases over a period of years of a particularly beautiful and ornate table set have enabled him to give a vivid glimpse of how the factory interacted with its customers. He is able to describe the commissioning of perhaps the largest service of first period Worcester porcelain on record by Thomas and Lady Betty Cobbe for Newbridge House Co. Dublin. It was bought in stages from 1763 as the family travelled from Dublin to Bath each year, stopping at Worcester en route, as other Irish gentry did. The Cobbe service, uniquely in the context of British porcelain, was accompanied by a full set of Irish silver and steel cutlery fitted with Worcester porcelain handles matching the service. The various pieces of porcelain and their historical context are described as well as their painted decoration, and the sources for it. The later history of the service is outlined and its gradual dispersal in the nineteenth century, culminating in a final sale of the remaining pieces lot by lot in a Christie's sale in 1920. This book celebrates Cobbe's reassembly of more than 160 pieces of the original service over a period of more than thirty years and their return to Newbridge following their exhibition in the State Apartments at Dublin Castle. Overall, the book gives an important insight into Irish social life and patronage in the mid-eighteenth century. Alec Cobbe was born in Ireland and still resides in Newbridge House, Co. Dublin, where his ancestors have lived since it was built in the middle of the eighteenth century. He practises as an artist and designer. As a passionate collector, he added to his family's historic collections and assembled the world's largest group of composer-owned keyboard instruments.