Bookrest
Category
Furniture
Date
1675 - 1700
Materials
Japanned wood set with mother of pearl
Measurements
51 x 36.5 x 43 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139888
Summary
A book rest, English, late 17th century, japanned with gold and colours on black, mother of pearl inset. It is formed of a frame with a narrow shelf at the base to support the book, decorated with European tropes referencing East Asia including figures and foliage, the top with a serpentine cresting in the centre of which are inscribed the Duchess's cipher "EDL", beneath a coronet, for "Elizabeth Duchess of Lauderdale" or "Elizabeth Dysart Lauderdale" as for the two sets of chairs (1139867.1-9). The japanned work on this reading stand is different to the chairs and probably made a bit later. Like one set of japanned chairs, this book-stand was in The Duchess's Private Closet that had become 'The Book Closett' according to the Ham House's 1728 inventory.
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.
References
Thornton and Tomlin 1980 Peter Thornton, and Maurice Tomlin. “The Furnishing and Decoration of Ham House.” Furniture History, The Journal of The Furniture History Society Vol.XVI, 1980, fig.77