Escritoire
Henry Harlow (fl. circa 1670)
Category
Furniture
Date
1673
Materials
Cedar, oak, pine, brass mounted
Measurements
193.5 x 130 x 26.2 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139047
Caption
The Duke of Lauderdale had this built-in bookcase and writing desk installed during the major building phase of 1672-74.The cabinet was made by the joiner Henry Harlow, who used cedar wood for the interior of the drawers which produces a scent that keeps insects away from precious documents.
Summary
An oak and cedar escritoire, or 'scriptor', fitted into the bookcases of the Duke of Lauderdale's Library at Ham House. The cabinet is divided into three sections. The top opens with six drawers arranged in two rows of three, each with a brass keyhole escutcheon decorated with a grotesque mask and drop handles. The central section has a drop-front revealing an interior with seventeen drawers, flanked to each side by four pigeon holes and two small drawers, each drawer has a brass keyhole escutcheon decorated with a pair of herons. The lower section has four further drawers with keyhole escutcheon and drop handles identical to the top, on bun feet (two at the back and three at the front).
Full description
The English joiner Henry Harlow succeeded Thomas Carter in the 1670s in supplying and installing flooring and decorative woodwork at Ham House. He fitted out the first-floor Library and its fixed furniture for the Duke of Lauderdale, including the present escritoire.
Provenance
Acquired in 1948 by HM Government when Sir Lyonel, 4th Bt (1854 – 1952) and Sir Cecil Tollemache, 5th Bt (1886 – 1969) presented Ham House to the National Trust, and entrusted to the care of the Victoria & Albert Museum, until 1990, when returned to the care of the National Trust, and to which ownership was transferred in 2002.
Makers and roles
Henry Harlow (fl. circa 1670), joiner
References
Rowell 2013: Christopher Rowell (ed.), Ham House, 400 Years of Collecting and Patronage, Yale University Press, New Haven & London 2013