Linen press
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1840 - 1860
Materials
Kingwood veneered parquetry, mahogany & oak construction, walnut drawer linings, brass handles, hinges and locks
Measurements
195 x 111 x 68 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Belton House, Lincolnshire
NT 435105
Summary
A kingwood parquetry veneered secretaire linen press, probably English, mid 19th century. The upper section bow-fronted, with a deep moulded cornice above a pair of cupboard doors, originally fitted with four linen slides. The lower section with a secretaire drawer fitted with drawers and open compartments flanking a cupboard door above an arrangement of six drawers and raised on turned feet. The linen press, by design, is a typically British model of cabinet furniture but the use of kingwood parquetry veneers is more usually found on European furniture, that added to the unusual drawer configuration to the lower section and the use of walnut for the drawer linings throws up questions as to its origins. The remainder of the case work is mahogany and oak and the locks are English, confirmed by a Victorian patent stamp.
Provenance
Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) from Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow (b.1936) in 1984.