A bit of history of shagreen

origin

It was the Japanese who first recognised this material and began using shagreen leather as handle coverings for their Samurai swords and scabbards in the 13^th century. They continued to develop the leather and by the 16^th century were using it to adorn larger pieces such as storage chests.  These larger pieces were then sold to the Dutch who introduced shagreen to Europe.

The 19^th century saw the demise in its use as fashion swung in other directions. Of course there were exceptions however. One being was Napoleon III who commissioned his bedroom to be completely lined with green shagreen at vast expense. It must have been quite spectacular!

20th century trend

It was the 20th century when shagreen became mainstream in the interior designers list of luxury materials. The movement started in Paris with the rise of Art Deco. Designers such as Jean-Michel Frank, Andre Groult and Paul Iribe being the more famous artists to use shagreen on their furniture and accessories as part of their signatures. In England it became a mainstay in collections by Asprey’s.

The first piece of shagreen that Henry Forwood personally owned was a gift from his parents. He explains:

We were traveling across Ireland and stopped at an antique shop in whose window something had caught my mother’s eye. Once inside, being aged nine, I began looking round for the best thing to entertain myself. An old sword hidden amongst a collection of canes and golf clubs stuffed into a tall coal bucket caught my attention. It had an impressive brass handle cast with anchors and ropes, with the grip wrapped in shagreen and bound with brass wire. It kept me enthralled during the shopping experience. Obviously, my interest caught my parent’s attention as I received it two weeks later as a birthday present. Wow was I happy. The sword wasn’t in the best of shape and sections of the shagreen had cracked and fallen off, but there was enough to get the feel of the leather and to understand why it was used for sword handles. The bumpy surface of the shagreen makes the handle much easier to grip, especially so when your hand got sweaty compared with flat leather or wood.  Leather was also very durable, lasting the owner’s lifetime before age and climate start to take their toll.

the start of shagreen

During the 17^th and early 18^th centuries, English and Dutch craftsmen imported small quantities of shagreen skins which they used on high end luxury and expensive items such as telescopes, precession tool cases and cutlery cases. It was during the latter part of the 18^th century that shagreen really took off as a material for interior designers.

One of the leading ladies of the French court and a mistress of King Louis XIV, Madame De Pompadour, began to commission shagreen pieces from a craftsman she favored, a Monsieur Jean-Claude Galuchat. She was a big influencer of her day and soon shagreen pieces by M. Galuchat were a must in fashionable society. So much so that the French to this day use the name ‘Galuchat’ as the common name to describe the leather.

It was also during this period that new colours were introduced. Previously natural plant dyes or bleaches were used so the only colours really available were greens or white. Now with the introduction of chemical dyes a much wider spectrum of colours can be obtained.