Escritoire stand
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1673
Materials
Walnut, burr elm and ebony veneer and parquetry, ebonised and silvered wood, silver mounted
Measurements
136 x 90 x 430 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139736.2
Summary
A stand, English, circa 1673, for the escritoire or 'scriptor' NT 1139736.1. The stand in walnut, burr elm and ebony veneer and parquetry, silver mounted, traces of original silvering to the spiral turned legs, joined by a veneered stretcher, on bun feet. The frieze opens with a long drawer mounted with two grotesque masks handles. -- This escritoire on stand was made for the Duke of Lauderdale's Closet (NT 1140278.1). The silvered legs would have matched the silvered caned couch and a pair of chairs which furnished the room. The upholstery and wall hangings were also complementary, with 'silver and black edging'. A companion silver mounted escritoire with similar turned legs terminating in vases of acanthus was made for the Duchess's White Closet. Of extremely high quality and workmanship, this furniture was almost certainly produced in London, most probably by a French or Dutch craftsman. From 1672-1683 large payments were made by the Lauderdales to the cabinet maker Gerrit Jensen who could be the author. The silver mounts may have been supplied by Josias Iback who was paid '£10' as a silversmith in 1673. The present cabinet was repaired by George Nix in 1731.
Provenance
Described in the 1677 inventory, in "His Graces Closett": "one Scritore of Walnut tree done with Silver". 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.
References
Rowell 2013: Christopher Rowell (ed.), Ham House, 400 Years of Collecting and Patronage, Yale University Press, New Haven & London 2013, 239-241