Antique Barbola Gesso Baskets are not only a beautiful addition to your home, they are quite scarce and therefore highly sought after by collectors!  We have a collection of exquisite "Barbola" Baskets at FrenchGardenHouse that we love dearly, and we are always on the hunt for more of these Romantic Lovelies to add to our home, or to offer to you.  The colored Wicker Flower and Funeral Baskets have fabulous swags of romantic Garden Roses, the more ornate Gesso pieces~the more we fall in love!  Nothing spells Shabby Romance better, these sweet pieces look outstanding in any room, whether you have a Victorian, French, Cottage or Shabby Chic Home!

We use these baskets in so many different ways, to hold bouquets of fresh English Roses from the garden, a collection of Antique Gardening Books by the Chaise~Lounge, Towels in the Guestbathroom, to serve delicate Tea Scones inside a Alençon Lace Napkin, or just sitting on our shelves looking lovely!

The "Craft" of Gesso Barbola Work

"Barbola" or Gesso Work is a very old form of decoration, it was used to substitute wood carved pieces, as not only was the exquisite wood carving labor intensive and costly, it was also very heavy.  Gesso ornamentation was used almost exclusively on ornate gilded frames, and applied to French Furniture pieces until the early 1920's. Gesso is a paste made by mixing whiting with size or glue to a moldable consistancy, which will dry hard.

In the early 1920's, the English firm of Windsor & Newton introduced several "home" kits (which they called "outfits") for "the young English Woman of Good Birth to use in crafting lovely items suitable for her Boudoir, or to give as a gift to a family member or friend."

These outfits consisted of a Modeling "Paste" Gesso Powder, Glue, Paints, Brushes and modeling tools.  Little booklets were included that showed how to make several different types of flowers, Christmas Roses (pointsettias) Poppies, Anemones, and Garden Roses. (our favorite!!)  After the modeling of the seperate flowers and leaves, these were then glued onto the decorative object (mostly wooden bowls, boxes and mirrors, although fire-screens and jewelry were quite popular too!) painted, and then varnished.

How To Buy Authentic Barbola Gesso Work

An authentic piece of "Barbola" is almost always painted in rich colors, the decorative objects made during this time were made in deep Blues, Greens, Umbers, Reds and Yellows. The "outfits" did not come with soft colors, deep, clear tones were most popular during this time.

One sure way to determine if you are buying an authentic piece of Barbola is to see if each individual flower is seperate from the next, instead of formed as one decorative swag. Another tell~tale sign of a newer made piece is if there are almost no surface cracks in the ornamentation~this gesso work was very susceptible to changes in weather, antique pieces almost always have surface cracks, as well as some missing bits here and there.

This is perfectly acceptable and does not affect value much, as long as not too much of the ornamentation is missing.  In England we were able to talk to several Antique Dealers specializing in Barbola, they had never found a piece without the condition damage specified above.

The pale, pale Pastel versions most often offered on ebay are not considered authentic Barbola pieces, they most likely have been repainted in the soft Romantic colors we prefer today and/or made by the artist adding new "Gesso Pieces" crafted for Picture Framers to an older basket or box or mirror. 

Many of these baskets, mirrors and other items are wonderfully decorative, however, and fit so beautifully in our Romantic Homes!  At FrenchGardenHouse we strive to offer you authentic pieces, such as the sweet wooden round box shown below, an excellent example of "authentic" English Barbola Work from the early 1920's, when this "craft for young ladies" was at the height of it's popularity!

FrenchGardenHouse ~ Avecsavoirfaire

We hope you have found this guide helpful when selecting new treasures for your home. If you have any further questions, we would be delighted to answer them!

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