Mahogany Bidet Stool by Toogood & Jones

• Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
  
  Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
• Creamware - Creamware, also known as "Queens Ware" is the
  
  cream-coloured English earthenware developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1760s.
  
  The invention of creamware was the result of experimentation in order to find a
  
  British substitute for imported Chinese porcelain, and the cream colour was
  
  considered a fault at the time. The lightweight fine white earthenware with a
  
  clean rich yellowish proved ideal for  tableware
  
  and decorative items during the 18th and 19th centuries and is still produced
  
  today.
  
  
  Creamware is made from a
  
  mixture of kaolin, feldspar, and ball clay, and is typically glazed before
  
  firing to give it its glossy finish. It was developed by British potters as a
  
  cheaper alternative to porcelain.
  
  
  At Wedgwood, Royal patronage
  
  boosted sales. In 1765 Queen Charlotte, the consort of King George III placed
  
  an order for a 12 place tea set and allowed Wedgwood to use the name
  
  "Queens Ware" for the line. In 1770 Wedgwood produced a creamware
  
  dinner service of 952 pieces supplied to Catherine II the Great of Russia.
  
  
  Other potteries such as
  
  Doulton, Neale & Co. and Spode produced smaller quantities of creamware.
  
  
  Creamware continued to be
  
  made throughout the 19th century and later.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• stools, period or age - Victorian 270
• stools, type or function - bidet or commode 5