Secretaire cabinet
manner of John Coxed (fl.1696 - 1718)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1710 - 1715
Materials
Walnut veneers, oak, softwood, iron, brass, baize, metal
Measurements
194.5 x 108 x 56 cm
Place of origin
St. Paul's Churchyard
Order this imageCollection
Erddig, Wrexham
NT 1147152
Summary
A crossbanded and featherbanded walnut-veneered secretaire cabinet, English, in the manner of John Coxed (fl. 1703-18), circa 1710-15. Topped by a moulded and coved cornice above a pair of crossbanded doors enclosing an arrangement of ten featherbanded and oak-lined drawers, with base moulding. The lower section of four graduated long drawers, all featherbanded. The uppermost with fall front lined to the interior with baize, and fitted with four small drawers and nine pigeonholes. The drawers surrounded by a double bead rail moulding. With original handles and escutcheons (some restoration work to brass hinges to doors), and turned bun feet beneath a surbase moulding.
Full description
This secretaire cabinet closely resembles two other known examples which bear the label of John Coxed, a cabinet-maker who worked at the White Swan in St. Paul's churchyard. His trade label, interestingly, lists 'scrutores' amongst his output: the same word is used in the inventory taken at Erddig in 1726. All three share the same - slightly unusual - interior layout of the upper cabinet, with two square drawers at each end of the bottom row of drawers, the small central cupboard having been dispensed with. All three also have cabinet doors hung on four pairs of shaped, brass hinges, together with similar handles and a double carcase-bead around the drawers to their chest bases. The examples bearing Coxed's labels are the earliest documented examples of this type of writing cabinet. (Megan Wheeler, 2019)
Provenance
Possibly the 'walnutree Scretore' listed in the 'dressing Room within the Scarlet Room' in the inventory taken at Erddig in 1726. Given by Philip Yorke III (1905-1978) along with the estate, house and contents to the National Trust in 1973.
Makers and roles
manner of John Coxed (fl.1696 - 1718), cabinetmaker
References
Bowett 2002: Adam Bowett, English Furniture 1660-1714, 2002, pp. 224-6, Plates 7:59 and 7:60