Escritoire
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1690 - circa 1710
Materials
Walnut and burr walnut veneers, deal and oak carcase, brass
Measurements
174 x 120 x 53.5 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Saltram, Devon
NT 871433
Summary
A walnut-veneered escritoire, or scriptor, English, circa 1690 - 1710, with similarities to an escritoire bearing the trade label of John Guilbaud (Bowett, 2002). Featherbanded and crossbanded throughout, and topped by a moulded cornice above a moulded drawer above the hinged fall which encloses an arrangement of pigeonholes above a pair of cupboard doors, surrounded by drawers of various sizes, and secret compartments. The fall fitted with an inset hinged baize-lined writing slope. With a waist moulding topping a chest of two short and two graduated long drawers, spaced to the carcase with half-round mouldings. All mounted on four turned bun feet. Fitted throughout with probably contemporary gilt brass escutcheons, backplates and handles.
Provenance
Possibly brought to Saltram by John Parker (1703 - 1768) and his wife Catherine (1706 - 1758) from Boringdon Hall, the country seat of the Parker family since the 16th century and thence by descent to Montagu Brownlow Parker (1878 - 1962), 5th Earl of Morley and transferred to the National Trust as part of the Endowment in 1962.
References
Bowett 2002: Adam Bowett, English Furniture 1660-1714, 2002, p. 203, Plate 7:14