Set up in 1810, Heal’s of London started life in Rathbone Place when John Harris Heal, a feather dyer from the West Country set up a mattress company. From 1833, and following John’s death, his widow and son decided to take the shop to the next level, advertising it on the back cover of Dickens’ Bleak House, and targeting the upper middle classes in central London and beyond.
However, it was under Ambrose Heal, grandson of John Harris Heal, that the company really started to take shape. Joining the firm in 1893 following an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker, Ambrose Heal expanded the business into furniture with an output of oak pieces with simple designs. Within a decade, Heal’s made it into the mainstream, creating arts and crafts styled pieces at affordable prices. Arguably this became Heal’s most successful period, with items now being mass produced but at such a quality that they have continually stood the test of time.
Lot 213, Sir Ambrose Heal for Heal & Son, a chestnut 'Owl' suite
Created in simple shapes, often in oak, limed or not, chestnut and other quality timbers, Heal’s pieces have proved continually popular today. Designs such as the ‘Owl’ cabinet, with its distinctive roundels to the top cupboard, which were created by Ambrose Heal and produced around the 1900s are considered by many some of his best designs and remain hugely coveted on the second-hand market. The period from 1900 to around 1940 is widely considered the heyday of Heal’s design and was the catalyst to propel the shop into being a household name. Many of the original Heal’s designs remain popular with serious collectors and 20th century design afficionados as well as private buyers looking for high quality craftsman-made furniture to suit even the most modern interior. However, the so-called Owl cabinet remains one of the most iconic and coveted designs of all.
Lot 240, A Heal's Art Deco walnut sideboard, circa 1920
For buyers, it is worth noting that many Heal’s pieces are labelled with a small ivorine disc, making identification relatively straight forward, and for those that are not marked, the Heal’s output is well documented, and most designs can be found in books and catalogues. At Cheffins we have an established track record of sourcing and selling Heal’s designs, making our auctions an ideal hunting ground for would-be buyers, although there are also a number of specialist dealers and websites where pieces can also be found, including the likes of Vinterior or even Etsy.
To view the Heal’s pieces in the Art & Design Sale, please click here.