Footstool
attributed to Gillow and Co.
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1820
Materials
Rosewood, beech, velvet
Measurements
13 x 43 x 43 cm
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Belton House, Lincolnshire
NT 434823.2
Summary
One of a pair of rosewood and upholstered footstools, attributed to Gillow & Co. London, circa 1820. Of square form with gadrooned feet.
Full description
Gillow(s), Lancaster and London; cabinet makers, furnishers and upholsterers (c.1730 - after 1840) The firm of Gillow(s) was based in Lancaster although a full London branch had been established in Oxford St. from 1769 trading as Gillow & Co. Previously unrecorded receipts in the Belton archive provide a fascinating insight into the professional relationship between Gillow & Co. and Lord Brownlow between the years 1810-1833. The receipts not only document furniture made and supplied to Belton but also list textiles, carpets, curtain pelmets, window cornices and other furnishings. They list colour schemes, fabrics and linings down to the detail of tassels and fringes on cushions. The time taken by their men to fit and furnish the house ‘incidents and men’s time cutting out and making up’ and the packing and cartage required to move goods from London as well as correspondence regarding details and payments give us a new perspective on the relationship between craftsman and patron. It is not always possible to match furniture and furnishings exactly to the receipts but through research and previously published Gillow designs some attributions can be made with confidence. Unfortunately these stools are not identifiable in the accounts but are none the less attributable to the firm. For further general discussion and extensive research see: Stuart, Susan 'Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730 - 1840' (2008) 2 vols. James Weedon (January 2018)
Provenance
Probably supplied by Gillow & Co. London to Belton House circa 1820. Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) from Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow (b.1936) in 1984.
Makers and roles
attributed to Gillow and Co., furniture designer and maker
References
Stuart, Susan 'Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730 - 1840' (2008) 2 vols.