Francis Lenygon

FRANCIS LENYGON (England, 1877-1943).
"Decoration in England from 1660 to 1770" and "Furniture in England From 1660 to 1760".
Published by B. T. Batsford, London, 1914.
Hardcover, with embossing and gilt lettering.
Measurements: 36 x 28 x 3.5 cm,

First edition of two illustrated works by Francis Lenygon on English architecture and decoration. In publisher's original cloth, illustrated with a frontispiece, an illustrated title page, monochrome vignettes and color plates. The work examines many elements of the decorative design and architecture of English homes between 1660 and 1770, including the art of ceilings and intricate moldings.

Francis Henry Lenygon was apprenticed to an antiquarian and cabinetmaker in Lincoln (where he was born) before completing his education in London at the City and Guilds Institute and Regent Street Polytechnic. He then worked for Art Workshops Ltd. and C. J. Charles (Charles Duveen's antiques business) before founding his own company with his brother in Hampstead. The brothers soon took on several investors, including former coachbuilder and artillery manufacturer Herbert Hall Mulliner, dealer and decorator Ralph Freeman-Smith and financier Courtauld Thomson. Mulliner was the business brains of the company, while Lenygon and Freeman-Smith were the creative partners.