About this artwork

This revolving bookcase was made for Hous'hill, a large nineteenth-century house at Nitshill in Glasgow. The house belonged to Miss Catherine Cranston, who had earlier commissioned Mackintosh to design a series of tea rooms in Glasgow, including the famous Willow Tea Rooms which opened in 1904. This is Mackintosh's only revolving bookcase and was destined for the drawing room at Hous'hill. The design is based on an organic principle, with the vertical divisions representing the boughs and branches of a tree which multiply at each shelf, ending in little painted squares which suggest blossom or leaves.

Updated before 2020

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Tell us what you think.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Charles Rennie Mackintosh