Set of 5 Pimpernel Place Mats with Dutch Masters Flair (Robert Furber Flower Urns)

Set of 5 vintage, Pimpernel brand, 12" x 9", cork-backed hard surface placemats with Robert Furber's '12 Months of Flowers' prints framed in gold on a cream background. A different flower arrangement urn appears on each mat and is covered with a stain, heat and water resistant clear surface, great for eating at a table or for enjoying nibbles from your lap. 

Pimpernel is the original, cork, hard back printed placemat developed in the 1950s in England and are still produced there today. The placemats were developed as an off-shoot of  the Pimpernel coaster business that started in the 1930s. Cheaper furniture was being produced for the masses and most wood pieces were finished in shellac, which is not heat and water resistant, a need for mats arose. Pimpernel took note of this and expanded its coaster production to include protective mats which were coated in tougher cellulose and finished with green baize. Pictures were added to mats starting in 1954.

The prints of the beautiful floral arrangements on these placemats come from the famed '12 Months of Flowers' series of engravings developed by English nurseryman, Robert Furber, in the early 1700s as a kind of catalogue to sell his flower seeds. Furber engaged Antwerp-based artist Pieter Casteels, who was known throughout England for his paintings of birds and flowers which decorated the walls of many aristocratic homes, to design the motifs for the series. These pictures were then engraved by Henry Fletcher, a well known artist in England. Twelve Months of Flowers presented almost 400 different flowering species, grouped according to the month in which they flower. Reflecting in style the grand manner of the Baroque period, the flowers are arranged in elaborate bouquets and placed in elegant urns. Next to each flower appears a number, which corresponds to a plant name in the key printed at the bottom of the plate. The prints in this series were originally produced to help Furber sell his flower seeds and plants in his nursery business but became very popular as decorative artworks in the late 18th century and beyond. 

A lovely and practical set for everyday and special occasion use. Clean with mild soap and damp cloth.