Ornamental Turning History

Early Exhibitions of Ornamental Turning

Ornamental turnings were originally created by nobility and their highly accomplished court appointed turners as novelty items. While most were held in the collection of the court, some made their way into the "cabinet of curiosities" of a few wealthy individuals and were displayed to others in their elite social circle.

Cabinets of curiosities at the time meant a room of objects (not a piece of furniture) and became popular toward the end of the 16th century for men of learning and wealth. Filled with mostly objects of natural history they also included art and objects considered to be made with exceptional skill, such as paintings and ornamental turning. One of the finest collections was the eight room suite of Bonnier de la Mosson in Paris.

Early public museums were often founded on a private collection of curiosities, and became the first opportunity for everyone to see ornamental turnings. The first publicly owned museum in Europe was the Amerbach-Cabinet (now Kunstmuseum Basel) in Switzerland, which was originally a private collection sold to the city in 1661 and public since 1671. Another early public museum founded on a private collection was The British Museum in London, which was opened to the public in 1759.

Below are some of the known early exhibitions of ornamental turning:

• 1851 – London International (1 May 1851 to 11 Oct. 1851)
• 1862 – London International
• 1872 – London International
• 1876 – South Kensington Science Museum
• 1900 – Exposition Universelle, Paris (15 April to 12 November, 1900) (first Fabergé exhibition)
• 1929 – Birmingham Science Museum
• 1929 – Lady Gertrude Crawford (public sale)

After the formation of the Society of Ornamental Turners in 1948, the number of public exhibitions showcasing the craft increased significantly. Below are many of the subsequent exhibitions of ornamental turning:

• 1949 – South-Eastern Association of Model Engineers, Bromley, Kent. (Reviewed in the Beckinham and Penge Advertiser, August 18, 1949)
• 1949 – Chichester & District Society of Model Engineers (28 November 1949)
• 1950 – Hull Model Engineers Society Exhibition
• 1951 – Teddington Rotary Club Hobbies Exhibition, York House, Twickenham (March 14-17 1951)
• 1951 – Conference of the Institution of Handicraft Teachers, Hendon Technical College
• 1954 – Bath Rotary Club Hobbies Exhibition (May 1954)
• 1956 – Model Engineer's Exhibition (30 November 1956)
• 1958 – Decadel Exhibition of the Society of Ornamental Turners (20 September 1958)
• 1958 – The First National Doctors' Hobbies Exhibition, Royal Society of Health, Buckingham Palace Road, London
• 1961 – Exhibition of the Society of Ornamental Turners (27 May 1961)
• 1968 – Perth Society of Model and Experimental Engineers
• 1969 – Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the Society of Ornamental Turners (21 September 1968)
• 1973 – Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition of the Society of Ornamental Turners
• 1978 – Model Engineer's Exhibition, Wembley Conference Centre
• 1984 – Fred Howe Ornamental Turning Exhibition, Science Museum, Kensington, London. (31 October 1984 to 2 December, 1984)

Recent exhibitions of ornamental turning:

• 1993 – Practical Woodworking Woodturning Show, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. (2–3 October 1993)
• 1995 – Ornamental Turnings: An Exhibition of Embellished Containers Created on Ornamental Lathes, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. July 15 through August 15, 1995. This was the first OT show in America, with works by Armbruster, Chase, DuPlessis, Fletcher, Giesmann, Krick, and Sauer.
• 2005 – M. Dale Chase Solo Exhibition, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
• 2008 – Rose Engines and Kings: Contemporary Ornamental Turning 2008, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA (February 1 – March 22, 2008)
• 2008 – Wizardry in Wood, Carpenters Hall, Throgmorton Avenue, London (June 4–6, 2008)
• 2011 – Exotic Woods, Metal Cutters and Dale Chase: Ornamental Turning from the Walter Balliet Collection, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, P. (March 4 through July 23, 2011)

Current exhibitions of ornamental turning