Leatherwork is the craft of cutting, shaping, stitching, tooling, embossing and decorating leather to make functional and decorative objects. In antiques it covers bookbindings, desk and writing equipment, boxes, cases, trunks, saddlery, screens, wall hangings and upholstered furniture.
Leather has been worked since prehistoric times, and many decorative techniques were developed over centuries. Tooling uses heated metal tools to impress patterns, which may be gilded with gold leaf, while cuir bouilli is leather hardened by moulding when wet and was used for medieval cases and boxes. Gilt and painted Spanish and Dutch leather wall hangings were fashionable in grand interiors of the seventeenth century, and embossed leather screens remained popular into the nineteenth century. Victorian and Edwardian leatherwork includes dressing cases, writing cases, hat boxes, luggage by makers such as Asprey and Louis Vuitton, and Arts and Crafts pieces with tooled and stained decoration. Collectors look for fine craftsmanship, original fittings, good colour and supple condition. Dry, cracked or red-rotted leather is a common problem, so antique leather should be kept away from heat and strong light, and cleaned and treated only with appropriate products.
