Friday 10 June 2016

Hepplewhite cellarette

 How many times have I said that miniature-making is highly educational? Until three weeks ago I didn't know what a cellarette was. If you think logically, a cellarette is a small (wine) cellar so it makes perfect sense. But I had never seen one in full scale. Or maybe I had, but didn't know? I don't think so because I am usually curious about strange objects in museums and ask.

Anyway, a cellarette kit was among my recent purchases, and I couldn't wait to make it. To begin with, it was quite straightforward.

 

Simply a box on top of a table with a drawer and a pull-out shelf.

But then the lid was supposed to be hinged. And I am not very good with hinging. Frankly, I am hopeless with hinges. Of course, one of the very first Chippendale pieces I made had hinges. But at that time I thought that handles and keyholes were more difficult. Now I started to mortice (new word! if you don't know what it means, google it) and realised I would never manage to make it neat and was about to ruin a very beautiful and rare piece. Therefore I stopped morticing and instead used a ribbon, which works just as well.



This is the finished piece. I think it is exceptionally pretty. And when you open it -

 

I will have to make smaller wine bottles to fit into it, but otherwise you see the point, don't you? Such an unusual piece! I will also have to make corkscrews and other implements to put in the tiny drawer. 

Since it is supposed to be movable I have simply placed it in the foreground in the dining room. I may move it to the reception room later.





4 comments:

  1. I had heard of the word 'mortice' but had no idea what it involved. I now understand why you chose ribbon instead. Re your 'too big' wine bottles, I discovered the same thing. I thought that bottles that I had bought online would be to scale. Unfortunately, they are not.

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  2. I think this kind of cellerette was used for spirits rather than wine...there are deeper ones with very short or no legs that took wine bottles and even zinc or lead lined ones for ice to chill a couple of bottles of champagne.

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  3. Yours looks lovely. I wish I hadn't even attempted the 1/32th 😂 inch mortice for the hinges and the rest of the struggle. I might just hack them out and replace with leather.

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