Made to Order: George Thwaites & Sons, Colonial Cabinetmakers. This item is unavailable.Made to Order: George Thwaites & Sons, Colonial Cabinetmakers

From majestic carved chairs and handsome cedar desks in Victoria’s banks to bookcases in grand country residences and stately furniture that is still used in Government House today, Made to Order celebrates the colonial furniture made by Melbourne firm Geo. Thwaites & Son. For three decades following the discovery of gold, Melbourne gave rise to gothic-revival style buildings with elaborate decorative furniture to match. The first choice in cabinet makers was George Thwaites who supplied furniture to the homes of the Melbourne establishment, and the new governmental, commercial and bank buildings. Made to Order provides a fascinating insight into colonial Melbourne and features an extraordinary range of furniture that provides a testament to the quality of the Thwaites’ workmanship.

Robert La Nauze declares a profound and personal interest in the Thwaites family: he is married to a descendant of George Thwaites. George’s grandson, William, is the subject of his biography Engineer to Marvellous Melbourne (2011) that was shortlisted for the Victorian Community History Publication Award in 2012. Robert is an exhibiting artist, a member of the Victorian Artists Society and a past President of the Australian Realist Artists Guild. Previously, he had a distinguished career in research and technology management for the Australian energy and extractive mining industries and held senior positions both in CSIRO and in industry.